Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we certainly have in the past, through Department of Finance, tried to work with CRA to encourage them to have a more flexible approach to determining what the lowest return airfare is. They do now have a tool that they put out. As far as them requiring or requesting the private actors to do that, Mr. Speaker, I can't say that I've certainly myself had any direct requests to them to do that. This issue did come up just recently from the MLA, and I haven't necessarily been able to sort of determine who to ask. In fact, there's been some change obviously of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that actually is an opportunity to raise something that has been changing in the last couple of years where some of the vehicles that are used by the GNWT staff and fleet are installing satellite-based technology in those vehicles. This is not a perfect solution but certainly if folks are finding themselves in need on the highways, our staff now are better placed to actually provide cell coverage. And, Mr. Speaker, there's other opportunities that we may be able to use, again, to set up towers that would be localized at key points. Again, so just to provide...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, I certainly am happy to confirm and to commit that we will take a look at the design. Certainly, this project began pre-COVID, and the world has changed significantly since then and continues to change. So if this presents us an opportunity now today to ensure that we are truly looking at the opportunities tomorrow, then I'm happy to take that opportunity. Thank you.

[Translation] And Zachary Messier who are from Allain St-Cyr School in Yellowknife, and they're both residents of Yellowknife South. [Translation Ends].

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It certainly is related to all of these other initiatives to try to remove our reliance on fossil fuels, and I am happy to say, and really it's -- I passed this torch to my colleague from ITI, Minister Cleveland, with respect to the efforts that she is now taking to indeed dust this off. She's been out all year speaking to the Japanese consulate, to PNWER, the Pacific Northwest Economic Region, speaking -- going to be coming up at the Arctic Energy and Resource Symposium in Calgary in March. I believe she's spoken to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. So...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is quite a variety of items that we do undertake within the GNWT towards improving renewable energies. For example, there are about $12.3 million put towards greenhouse gas emission reduction projects. This consists of money that goes to Arctic Energy Alliance, for instance, where they do, obviously, have renewable energy systems that they provide supports for. There's another $2 million that goes to an energy action plan which includes some programming and some supports to residents and communities around energy planning. The retrofit program in GNWT...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, firstly, the rough math of about $50 million is correct insofar as what I've listed here. There's additional money that we get from the federal government, so this is not the sum total of all that we spend. And, indeed, there is some further and additional funds that do go towards the climate change framework that is out of my colleague's department in ECC. The energy action plan or the energy strategy that is being renewed right now, some of that I can list out as being at around $2.1 million, but that does not necessarily include staffing costs that we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of privilege. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to lay out why I make this point of privilege this morning -- or this afternoon. There's two parts to meet the initial threshold. Question of privilege, as you know, Mr. Speaker, must be raised at the earliest opportunity. The nature of the matter described must show on its face to be a breach of privilege.

Mr. Speaker, I became aware of some accusations made last night only after the rise of House. This is my first opportunity to bring this matter forward. As to the second part of the test, I'd like to...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the MLA for Kam Lake I think touched on majority of what I wanted to ensure was clear which, namely, is that this is, again, voting to take $5 million out a budget for a department takes 5 plus million dollars out of the budget for the department. Period. There is no guarantee as to whether or not Aurora College will or will not come back with a plan that any of us find palatable. There is no guarantee that ECE will be able to find other staff since they will not have the $5 million allocated to this initiative -- that they will have other staff to support...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe at least one, if not two or three, such requests have already come in, and we certainly will do our best to make sure we're coordinating with all colleagues here for folks -- to the best of our ability that there's not a delay or that there's an ability to be a bit flexible where feasible. Thank you.