Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, that's an excellent idea, not one that I can say I can speak to whether or not right now. Actually, well right at this moment that was not the scope of the work but let me take that one away. That may be an opportunity to see that we do, in fact, combine those systems. Thank you.

Yes, please.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the Arctic Energy Alliance is one area where we were looking at what options there might have been for some reductions in line with other opportunities looking for reductions in other programs and projects, and this is one there has been a slight reduction as a result of that review. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I think this is actually a fairly important series of accounts to look at or numbers to look at in the main estimates. This is money that is paid on debt. So this is the money that we pay to the banks. This has no asset in the Northwest Territories, no program or service that is being serviced. It's just money that we're paying on the debt.

And well, yes, I am happy that there has been a small reduction in interest rates that had not you know, in the last couple of years, we had to come back when rates were not dropping as quickly as what was at times being...

Thank you, Madam Chair. That was funding that was appropriated for the purpose of the Hay River harbour restoration. Thank you.

Madam Chair, unfortunately not. If anything, it's actually the opposite. It winds up that to get those roads in, even for the shorter season, is also costing more. And then to maintain them through those seasons, through the season with the more volatile weather and greater number of storms, again is actually also costing more. And, in fact, I don't have numbers for actuals for this particular fiscal yet, but it is significantly more. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And, Madam Chair, just first for any members of public who may be just want the explanation, just to be clear, this is medical travel for employees. It's an employee benefit, just as other private sector employers might provide benefits of some nature or another, this is the benefit that is provided to public servants. And we are let me just say first there has been a modest increase that's been proposed in the department for this line item from the main estimates of 20232024. So in the actual base budget, that has gone up by a couple of million.

There was a fairly...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 6719(2): Report on the Review of the 20212022 Public Accounts and Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 20242025. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I did note before, again, that there are some considerations already listed, including the inability to pay. With respect to elders broadly as an individual category, that is not currently a consideration and would probably be difficult because of the multitude of circumstances that elders may find themselves in and defining who may railroad may not be an elder. I can say, Mr. Speaker, being a whole of government, I know there is the policy review going on over in housing that you've already heard about, and to the extent that there may be an opportunity...