Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the COVID money that was received from the federal government wasn't necessarily allocated for employees or staffing or specific to, you know, hazard pay or anything of the sort. There was a number of different very specific pots that we received funding under. I mean, this is what helped pay for our waste water sampling program. This is what helped pay for isolation centre costs. And we've certainly reported on those costs throughout the course of the pandemic. I will commit to getting another update to the House on where the costs have been incurred and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope that any public servant right now who is tired and exhausted and stressed is not going to stop taking the leave that they need to take. The fact that we're in a crisis right now in terms of the numbers of staffing at Stanton Hospital is not the fault of the staff and I do want them to continue to take their leave. They need to take their leave. The crisis we're in started long before this month and long before last month and, frankly, probably as a result of the fact that people are burnt out and they do need their time. So this is not the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can do better than a 'yes', I can say that we've already done that. So, and I'm happy to continue those meetings, Mr. Speaker. I'm not totally surprised at the announcement that came yesterday. We don't necessarily always know but I certainly had a sense that that might be a direction that these parties might be going. I was thrilled to see it. I think that's a good move for the Northwest Territories. I am excited to see what will come with it and always happy to know if there's an opportunity for the government to participate in projects such as this one...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has not suggested that we're going to mine our way out of the climate crisis. In fact the responsibility for climate change, that the climate change action plan sits with my colleague behind me but all of the departments, the LNR department, Lands and Natural Resources and ITI, we are working together collectively to see what opportunities we have to be part of adapting to climate change, responding to climate change, and that's really where the critical minerals part fits in for us, is that it's an opportunity...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am more than thrilled to speak about this. It's a topic that, you know, a little over a year ago when I took over this portfolio, critical minerals, although a huge issue in the world, wasn't necessarily being talked about with the same vigor as it is now here in the territories so I am thrilled to say that we had this workshop. I am very pleased that the Member was able to attend. And most definitely there will be a "what we heard" report.

I am happy we got to the place of having a workshop with such a variety of attendees. But that's just that's really...

Thank you, Madam Chair. So I think really more of the Minister of ITI and not really so much as the Minister of Finance.

I am very committed to the Mineral Resources Act regulatory development. I've been pushing hard to see that it's on track and to see that it involves a lot of engagement. It's going to be improved with the more stakeholders and the more people are involved in terms of discussing it. I'm I do think the Member will hopefully agree that we've had a lot of outreach on a lot of aspects on the Mineral Resources Act thus far, and I'm happy to continue to do that. Thanks, Madam...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, yes, I did forget that there were cost changes as a result of partly COVID-19, partly supply chain, one impacting the other. And of course those are estimates. They may well turn out not to be as high as anticipated.

I know that there has been funding identified thus far from projects that aren't advancing -- are not advancing as quickly as anticipated. I don't have the specifics on that at -- handy, but on those specific projects, I think, again, Ms. Salvador, I suspect will know exactly which projects that are seeing the transfer of funds to meet that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following five documents: Report of the Procurement Review Panel - Review of the Government of Northwest Territories Procurement Policies; The Northwest Territories Liquor and Cannabis Commission 67th Annual Report 2020-2021; The Northwest Territories Liquor Licensing Board 67th Annual Report 2020-2021; Inter-Activity Transfers Exceeding $250,000 (April 1st to June 30th, 2021); and, The Northern Employee Benefits Services (NEBS) Pension Plan Annual Report for the Year Ended December 31st, 2020. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, this one, I'll be frank, is not my favorite one to have to explain. It does go directly to the public accounts and to the public accounting standards, and there's been a now change within the public accounting standards that requires that asset retirement obligations be booked in a way that they weren't before.

So there does need to be as a result of that what is a onetime adjustment to the capital estimates. That's the $70 million that you're seeing. And what that does is it's providing a way of reporting on the  to the public in the books what is anticipated to...

Thank you, Madam Chair. So Madam Chair, the MARS project for one of the more significant aspects of it certainly is to bring online staking to the Northwest Territories, which really brings us up to par on something that we are rather painfully behind on, that allows for a much more efficient system and a much more efficient process for those that are actually out doing the staking and for prospectors will hopefully, as I said, bring us into the modern age but also encourage those who are out to be doing to be out and doing the prospecting. It allows for more efficient management of the...