So it's not by need; it's by per capita?
Thank you. Madam Premier.
Perhaps I will clarify, and I won't have to come back and give an explanation. The original, when we did the needs assessment of the deficits in the municipal governments was done by need. There was no per capita. It was, "What do you need in your community? Do you need a water treatment plan? Do you need a sewer plan? Do you need roads?" It is by need. It has always been by need. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Are there any further questions on the "reduce the municipal funding gap"? Seeing none, committee, we will move on to page 12, "strengthen the government's leadership authority on climate change." Questions? Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I see here that one of the actions is this Northwest Territories climate change council, and that's great, but what is our government going to do internally to make sure that ENR is the lead on this matter? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The Minister of ENR would like to take this question.
Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The Department of ENR is proud to lead in regard to climate change, but we work closely with all of the other departments. Again, it's not just ENR, but it's the Government of the Northwest Territories trying to deal with this. We are taking the lead. We are working with the departments, but each department needs to be working together to help us deal with this climate change issue. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister for ENR. Madam Premier.
I will say that, as with the last Assembly, there will be committees formed with Cabinet. One of the committees will be around climate change, and the economy, and environment. We will, all Ministers, applicable Ministers, will be sitting around that table, so it will be interdepartmental. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I haven't heard anything different from the way this was handled in the last Assembly. The Auditor General of Canada, the climate change audit that was conducted here said one of the main problems was that there was no policy, no legislation that clearly established responsibility and authority when it came to the climate change issue. I don't see anything here that addresses this issue. There's this climate change council, which is external. It will include the GNWT, presumably, but there's nothing in here about how we're going to organize ourselves internally. We had a climate change committee of Cabinet last time around, and it didn't lead to any kind of leadership. Should I be reading into this somehow that there's going to be a Cabinet-approved policy or legislative change that's going to set up the right kind of structure and authority and responsibility internally within the GNWT to make sure that we don't end up failing another audit? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Those are discussions we haven't had yet, but what I can say is that we are working with the other two territories across the North to actually look at how we address climate change. That meeting will happen in the spring, so, after that, I will have more information on where all three territories are going. At this point, I don't have the information. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Look, I commend the Premier for working with Nunavut and Yukon. We have a lot in common on the climate change issue, and that's great. That still is not going to help us get any better organized internally within our own government. The Minister said that's not something they talked about. That kind of astounds me because that was the main finding of the audit, and we haven't actually addressed it. It's in the Climate Change Strategic Framework, and the discussion in there is that there's something that they're going to look at some options and further studies. This is a failure in our mandate, to not address that issue. I will be on the Minister and the Premier about this for the next three years, but I'm hoping that they will see the light and agree that we need to get ourselves better organized, whether it's a Cabinet-approved policy or legislation to make sure that we have the right structure and authority in place. That's all I have. Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, I want to reiterate that I'm not averse to making a policy on it. I think the better strategy is to work with the three territories so that we have a stronger voice. Once the three territories have decided what we're doing, it may end up being in a policy that we implement across. I'm guessing that there would have to be something that we would have to implement across. At this point, I think if the questions come to us after the spring, we would have more information on what that looks like. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Are there any further questions on strengthening the government's leadership and authority on climate change? Seeing none, committee, we will move on to page 13, "Ensure climate change impacts are specifically considered when making government decisions." Questions? Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. What specific tool, legislation, policy, is going to ensure that, when significant and important decisions are made by the government, climate change becomes a consideration? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. There will be a number of things. One thing we are looking at, like I said, within our Cabinet package, we've talked about climate change being a standard that we'll look at all the time. Without disclosing too much of what goes on in Cabinet, we do have with every decision that comes on, there's kind of a risk-management description that comes with that. We can add climate change within that risk management so that every decision that comes through our Cabinet table does have that climate change focus on it. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Never having been in Cabinet, an FMB submission or a request for funding, whatever, are there guidelines or is there a template that determines how it's laid out and what risks are outlined and considered and discussed in the submission for funding? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. With every decision that comes across Cabinet, absolutely, there is a risk-management assessment that happens. For example, two that come to my head right now are: are there any legal ramifications of this? The other one is financial. Are there any financial ramifications? Again, to add to climate change, are there any climate change impacts? That's something that would be done. Every department that puts forward a proposal to Cabinet has to fill those out. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I don't think the Premier understood my question, so I will try again. Is there a policy? Are there guidelines? What is the document or the authority that says that legal considerations need to be discussed in an FMB submission? Is it possible that that could be amended in some way to include climate change? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I thought that's what I said, but I'll let Martin Goldney expand on that for me. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Mr. Goldney.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, there are submission guidelines for both Financial Management Board decisions that are being requested and Cabinet decisions that include some of the factors that the Premier has described, and, yes, it is the expectation that climate change can be added to those factors so that departments are required to consider them when making those submissions and that they'll be assessed and reviewed and advice provided to both the Financial Management Board and Cabinet as they're considering those decisions. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Goldney. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. That is one tool that will be different. We will still have our environmental economy Cabinet committee, but I took heed that that was nothing changed from the other Assembly. We are looking for change, so we will add the climate change into our decision-making at the Cabinet table. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. How do we demonstrate to the public and how can Cabinet convince Regular MLAs that climate change does become a consideration in important decisions or FMB decisions? How is that going to be documented and reported in any way? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Cabinet decisions are confidential. We won't be reporting on Cabinet decisions. That is something that has remained in Cabinet. However, we are doing the yearly reporting on our climate change action. You will see some of that information in there. You can also challenge us on the floor. You can ask us. Every department, even when I was housing, the whole move was moving into getting more energy efficient. I think our energy rating was 80, if I remember right, and it was getting better, triple-pane windows and solar panels. So that's already happening. It's just a matter of solidifying it. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Yes, I am challenging the Premier right now about how we ensure where the evidence is going to be, and how the public is to find out about that evidence, that climate change will actually become a consideration in terms of funding new programs, services, infrastructure projects, those kind of trade-offs. I guess that I am hearing that there are some kind of guidelines that might get changed, that there might be a Cabinet committee that looks a little bit different. I am not getting a lot of comfort that this is actually going to result in evidence-based decision-making and some sort of change in the way that we actually do business here.
Maybe I need to have an offline discussion with them, and maybe I don't understand the process clear enough, but there should be either a policy or legislation that clearly sets out that climate change has to be a consideration in major government decisions, and that has to be documented. I understand the need for Cabinet confidences and all of that, but how do we actually demonstrate to the public that climate change is something serious and that this government is actually considering it when it makes decisions? I'm just not really getting the kind of clarity, I guess, that I'd hoped for. Thanks, Madam Chair. I don't really know how much more I can push this, because I just don't detect that we're going to have in place the kind of policy, legislation, leadership that the Auditor General called on us to do to demonstrate climate leadership. Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Like I said, we are working with the other territories so that we are a unified voice. There will be some action coming out of that, public announcements coming out of that. We will be doing a yearly reporting on these issues. What I would like to recommend, Madam Chair, is we are open to listening. If the Member or other Members want to come and provide suggestions, we are more than open to listening to that. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Are there any further questions on "ensure climate change impacts are specifically considered when making government decisions"? Seeing none, committee, we'll move on to page 15, "increase employment in small communities." Questions? Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Looking at this priority, I notice that there is a section here for developing mentorship programs to support emerging entrepreneurs. I am wondering who is involved in this mentorship program, and does it involve northern business owners? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. At this point, I am not sure who would be on the mentorship program. We will have to get back to committee on that, but I think that we are open to have businesses on that. It would make sense. Thank you, Madam Chair. If you want to try the Minister?
Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
The mentorship program has not been developed yet, so they are open to any sorts of suggestions. One thing that I have found with ITI is they are definitely not a "this is the way it has to be" kind of department. They are pretty flexible in some -- well, you can ask Kevin, but they are very flexible sometimes in their ways of doing it. When we have been discussing all of these sorts of changes that we are going to be doing, a lot of it will be end user feedback. I have had that conversation a lot with the department, so if there is a need, and clearly, if we are going to talk about business, we'd want mentors to be businesspeople. I don't see why they wouldn't be part of that program.
Thank you, Minister of ITI. Member for Kam Lake.
