Shane Thompson

I guess this is going to be one of those "I agree to disagree" with the Member. This is our commitment, the Northwest Territories' commitment to the Wek'eezhii part of the plan. That's our commitment. That is our understanding. This is what we have to pay, and we are honouring that. We have worked with the federal government, we have worked with the Indigenous governments, and this is what our costs are. This is something that we are honouring. We have worked with them, and we are able to do it. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Yes, I do, Mr. Chair. I am here to present the 2021-2022 Main Estimates for the Department of Lands. Overall, the department's estimates propose a decrease of $939,000, or 4 percent, over the Main Estimates 2020-2021. These estimates support the mandate objectives for the Department of Lands while continuing to meet the Government of the Northwest Territories fiscal objectives to prioritize responsible and strategic spending.

Highlights of these proposed estimates include:

a sunset of $976,000 for the Addressing Equity Lease Initiative;

a sunset of $453,000 for base funding received at...

For that detail, I would have to ask the assistant deputy minister to answer that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Those six positions were our equity lease positions that were sunsetted. Those positions were removed from our budget. However, just so the Members are aware, none of the people that had those positions lost any jobs. We were able to find positions within our organization to keep them at work. It was in equity leases, and it was just, like I said, sunsetted. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

We have a three-party approach to it: the federal government, the Tlicho, and the GNWT. What you're seeing here and our budget here today is our money to complete that commitment. It's our commitment that we agreed to be part of. As for the amount of money in there, with your permission, I will ask the deputy minister to provide that information. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. For that detail, I'm going to have to go to the deputy minister. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. When we're looking at this bulk land transfer, we are trying to do it well-played out and well-plotted. We don't want to just say, "Here you go," and it's done. We want to make sure that we do it successfully. We want to make sure we help the municipality, which is the City of Yellowknife, be prepared to do things. We are willing to start out with small parcels of land and move towards getting the large bulk land transfer, but again, it comes down to when the City of Yellowknife, when we go through it and negotiate, when they are ready to take over the bulk land transfer...

We're transferring land to the federal government? Sorry, I apologize. I'm asking the Member questions. Is that what he's asked?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Fred Diamond'C was born on February 14, 1946, in Fort Liard to Edward and Laura Diamond'C. Unfortunately, his mom passed away when he was a young boy. His dad later met Pauline Eton, and they got married on August 18, 1954. Edward and Pauline raised Fred and his siblings in Fort Liard in Bovie Lake. This started Fred's love for going out on the land.

One summer, Fred and his siblings were home from residential school. Fred went for a walk to Hay Lake with his little brother John. John said his legs were sore, so Fred put his little brother in his backpack and packed him...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I wish to provide an update on some of the service improvements, including the financial relief measures the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the pandemic hit, the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission responded quickly to adapt its operations. In line with public health guidelines, all employees in Yellowknife, Inuvik, and Iqaluit were swiftly equipped with the right technology, moved to work from home, and safely transitioned back to offices once appropriate safety measures were put in place. Since...