Caroline Wawzonek

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 27, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2020-2021, be read for the second time. This bill makes supplementary appropriations for infrastructure expenditures of the Government of the Northwest Territories for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 27, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2020-2021, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the season for planting may still be a long way off, but February 23rd was Agriculture Day in Canada. We have much to celebrate and work towards in support of agriculture in the Northwest Territories. I will also speak to the connection between the agriculture industry and efforts to strengthen food security. Despite the snow and still frigid temperatures, right now is, in fact, an important time of planning and investment for food growers and harvesters across our country and in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, as we mark Agriculture Day this year, the Department of...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that Bill 26, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2020-2021, be read for the third time, and, Mr. Speaker, I would request a recorded vote.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just today, started having conversations with communications around the setup for this spring and summer's budget dialogues or budget engagements. Yes, there will be more. Again, revenue options will form part of that. It was tremendous to me the benefit that we had last summer of doing the budget dialogues and hearing directly from different industries and those who are experts in their own industries about what they were hoping to see, and what would work or not work.

The simple answer is to say, yes. We will have the revenue options portion to add to the dialogues, to...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. If I might turn this one over to the deputy minister, please.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, the funding was already advanced through the department for this purpose, and my understanding is that this has helped support repairs to 108 previously vacant units in 24 different communities.

Yes, Madam Chair. That is correct. This was a partnership with Enbridge to accelerate the construction here: a good opportunity and a good example of where government efforts were able to support a private sector project. As far as the specifics of where the actuals landed, Madam Chair, I don't have those actuals in front of me, but I do know that, as I said, the work has been done. I will simply confirm where the actuals came in. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. On the right, Sandy Kalgutkar, secretary to the Financial Management Board, and on the left, Jamie Koe, deputy secretary to the Financial Management Board.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Far be it for me to speak for the federal government, but certainly, Madam Chair, as far as just a sense of things, there is a growing interest in LNG right now, as there is a growing interest in a lot of green energy-related minerals and metals. I think both of those are areas that there is some potential and that the federal government is well-aware of that and that there is geopolitical interest in both of those. I am hopeful that, once these studies are done, that, again, not only are we sharing them with members of the public and, more specifically, members of the...