Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Has the department spoken to Nunavut and seen how they have accommodated the shift in their court services function? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think perhaps that speaks to the state of our economy right now, which is regrettable, but I think we need to ensure we have robust inspections even at a time of economic decline so we can maintain a high level of public certainty that we are ensuring our environment is protected and the people who use that environment are equally protected.

Snap Lake went to care and maintenance before this cut, so is that part of the reason the budget has been decreased, because one of our diamond mines has ceased full operations? Thank you.

I am going to move off this, Mr. Chair. That is a suggestion I will make for future reductions if we are looking at finding efficiencies. Cabinet colleagues, there you go. There is an idea.

I would like to ask about Wellness Court now. Are we still providing the same level of Wellness Court service as we were in 2017? Going forward, I notice a small reduction. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I notice that this section of the department covers inspections. Actually, I'll just get the Minister to confirm if this includes the inspections? Thank you.

Is it the department's opinion that using the contract service is a more efficient use of resources than having our own in-house reporters? Thank you.

Does the Minister have an idea about the range of these subsidies? Is it going to be targeted at lower-income earners or is it going to be a broader range that will capture the middle class as well, people with good-paying jobs but who are still facing a very high cost of living burden? So what's the range, the income range?

Thank you. I will chalk that up to an accounting practice, Mr. Chairman. Under court reporters, there has been a slight decrease. My understanding of this program is that the court reporters' function heavily relies on contract services with court reporters from Alberta, I believe, is where they are based, from Edmonton. Does this budget line item reflect the cost of hiring the contract services for those reporters, or is it in-house staff? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier today I spoke about the need to take action on very high rents in the City of Yellowknife. The Minister yesterday committed to developing a new rent supplement program by the end of six months. Can the Minister provide a bit more detail about the development of that program and what the scope of it is going to entail? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you for that. You have my support, 100 per cent of it. Whatever you need, make it happen. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I asked you where you think the highest average rent in Canada is, I assume you would say a major Canadian city like Toronto or Vancouver. Mr. Speaker, you would be wrong. If you were wondering what the answer is, you need look no further than out the windows of this building.

Mr. Speaker, according to a 2016 report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Commission, the average rent for a two-bedroom unit in Yellowknife is $1,636 per month, while in Vancouver a similar unit costs $1,450 and in Toronto the rent would be $1,327. That means Yellowknifers on...