Mr. Clerk, will you ascertain if the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, the Honourable Margaret Thom, is ready to enter the Chamber and assent bills? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, Members of the Legislative Assembly, good afternoon. [Translation] Thank you. It's good to see you again, and I am sitting here and I feel very grateful. [Translation ends]
I will now call the Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. O'Reilly.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The committee would like to consider Tabled Document 30-19(2), 2020-2021 Main Estimates, Department of Lands. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 30-19(2), Main Estimates 2020-2021. Does the Minister of Lands have any opening remarks?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, I do. I am here to present the 2020-2021 Main Estimates for the Department of Lands. Overall, the department's estimates propose an increase of $780,000 or 3.5 percent over the 2019-2020 Main Estimates. These estimates support our fiscal objectives to prioritize responsible and strategic spending while matching the modest expected revenue growth over the upcoming year.
Highlights of these proposed estimates include:
Forced growth of just over $1 million for increases resulting from the UNW collective bargaining agreement;
New funding of $63,000 for the land management parts of boreal caribou range planning which is fully offset by federal funding;
Ongoing funding for the Wek'eezhii land use planning committee and planning office with $443,000 in 2020-2021;
$105,000 in funding that is sunsetting this year for the agriculture strategy implementation initiative and the equity lease initiative; and
Finally, reallocation of funding within the department to fund two strategic planning, reporting and evaluation positions in the Policy, Legislation and Communications division.
These estimates continue to support the priorities of the 19th Legislative Assembly, beginning with the development of a process guide for the bulk transfer of vacant Commissioner land within municipal boundaries. This is a mandate commitment under the priority to reduce the municipal funding gap.
We will also begin the development of regulations to bring the Public Land Act into force. This work will give us a more coherent and harmonized land administration system, which is important to investors in all sectors of the economy, as well as for public infrastructure development.
We will be continuing to address the transfer of equity leases to fee simple title, within community boundaries, in a way that is transparent, consistent, and considerate of the views of Indigenous governments. That concludes my opening remarks. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister of Lands. Do you wish to bring any witnesses into the House?
Yes, I do, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witness into the Chamber. Would you please introduce your witnesses?
Thank you, Madam Chair. On my left is Brenda Hilderman, our director of finance. On my right is my deputy minister, Sylvia Haener, and one of my assistant deputy ministers, Conrad Baetz. At the appropriate time, we will ask for our other deputy minister, Terry Hall, to come in and replace Assistant Deputy Minister Mr. Baetz.
Thank you, Minister. I will now open the floor to general comments on the Department of Lands. If there are no further comments, does committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document?
Agreed.
Committee, we will defer the departmental summary and review estimates by activity summary, beginning with corporate management, starting on page 300, with information item on page 303. Any questions? Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I understand that the department has a strategic plan in place. I think it was supposed to run from 2016-2017 to 2020-2021, which is next year. What are the plans of the Minister or the department to renew or revise or come up with a new strategic plan? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister.
I apologize. My hearing wasn't working.
The earpiece is not working?
Yes, sorry.
I'll just reset the time and go back to Member for Frame Lake, if you could re-ask your question. Thank you.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I understand that the department has a strategic plan that finishes in 2020-2021. What are the plans to come up with a new plan in the new year? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The Member is correct. We are also working on it, but we are also working through our business plans and that process there. Right now, we realize it is going to be finished, and then we're all working on another one, but our business plans are moving forward first. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Is a new strategic plan going to be developed during 2020-2021? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Lands.
Thank you, Madam Chair. It will depend on what we can contain in the business plan. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I guess I am having some difficulty understanding whether a strategic plan is going to be developed or not and what the relationship is to the business plan. I thought we had finished with business plans. Maybe next year there is going to be a four-year rolling business plan as part of the budgeting exercise, but I don't see that replacing the need for a strategic plan. Is the department going to prepare a new strategic plan? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Lands.
Thank you, Madam Chair. At this point in time, I will ask my deputy minister to answer that question. Thank you.
Ms. Haener.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We are looking at the current strategic plan, knowing that it is coming up to expiry, and knowing that, with a new Legislative Assembly, new mandate, new priorities, we want to make sure that that strategic plan isn't inconsistent with the new priorities of the Assembly, but we are also mindful that, with a four-year business plan, there often is room in a document such as that for a department to outline its strategic priorities, and we don't want to duplicate work, necessarily, given limited resources. Our intention is to work with the Department of Finance as they establish the format for the business plan, to ensure that we are not duplicating efforts between the two documents. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Haener. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I guess my advice to the Minister and the department is that I understand there might be some relationship to the work that they are going to do during a four-year business plan, but that's not the same, necessarily, as a strategic plan. That's my two cents' worth.
Madam Chair, can I move over to the Northwest Territories Surface Rights Board found on 302? I would like to ask how many disputes the Northwest Territories Surface Rights Board has ever dealt with. I think it was created in 2014 or 2015. How many disputes have they dealt with? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake.
I apologize. We're still trying to get the earpiece to work.
Member for Frame Lake. Can you repeat your question, please.
Thanks, Madam Chair. How many disputes has the Northwest Territories Surface Rights Board adjudicated? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Lands.
Thank you, Madam Chair. None at this time. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Is there any kind of a plan to look at or decide whether we continue to need a Northwest Territories Surface Rights Board? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Lands.
Right now, we are still continuing to keep this in there. It's part of working with the Gwich'in comprehensive land claim process, the Sahtu Dene and the Metis process, as well. Basically, we have agreements with these land claim agreements, and we need to keep this as part of the agreement. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I guess I disagree with the Minister. There were already dispute resolution processes in arbitration process in each of the land rights agreements. This was sort of pushed onto us by the federal government. It was their creation, and we adopted this as a result of the devolution agreement. I want to urge the Minister and his department to review the need for this body. I don't think there is a need for it, and I personally disagree with the way that surface rights holders are treated. They are only entitled to compensation under the legislation. If a mining company comes in and stakes up my backyard and wants to mine my yard, all I am entitled to is compensation. This is the free entry system from the time when the land was ruled by kings and queens. This has no place in our modern society. I want to ask the Minister about where the money comes from for this board. Thanks, Madam Chair.
