Mr. Speaker, I give notice that, on Thursday, March 12, 2020, I will move that Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Public Highways Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 30-19(2), Main Estimates 2020-2021; Tabled Document 43-19(2), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2020-2021.
I call the committee to order. What is the will of committee? Mr. Norn.
Mahsi cho, Madam Chair. Committee would like to consider Tabled Document 30-19(2), Main Estimates 2020-2021, Environment and Natural Resources. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Norn. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
We will take a short recess.
---SHORT RECESS
Committee, we will call the committee back to order. We have agreed to consider Tabled Document 30-19(2), Main Estimates 2020-2021. Does the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources have any opening remarks?
Yes, Madam Chair, I do. I am here to present the 2020-2021 Main Estimates for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Overall, the department's estimates propose an increase of $10.7 million, or 12 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 years.
Highlights of these proposed estimates include:
$5.9 million in additional federal funding to support activities related to boreal caribou habitat protection under the Section 11 agreement, new measures to support recovery of the Bathurst and Bluenose-East barren-ground caribou herds, and the establishment and management of three new protected areas under the Canada Nature Fund agreement;
$4.6 million in forced-growth funding to address increased costs with the UNW collective bargaining, air tanker contract renewals, and wildlife surveys along the Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway;
$175,000 in funds to complete negotiations for candidate protected areas; and
$774,000 in funding decreases due to program sunsets related to French-language communications, the Bathurst caribou Jay pipe project, the feasibility work for the Centre for Northern Sustainability, and one-time funding received for climate change reporting and outreach.
These estimates continue to support the priorities of the 19th Legislative Assembly by:
strengthening the government's leadership and authority on climate change through research and monitoring to help understand the cumulative impacts on our ecosystems and to ensure these are considered when the government makes decisions;
ongoing work with the federal government and co-management partners to complete boreal caribou range planning and enhanced actions to support barren-ground caribou conservation and recovery in the Northwest Territories;
advancing conservation planning through the establishment of two protected areas, Thaidene Nene and Ts'ude Niline Tuyeta, as well as continued work towards the establishment of Dinaga Wek'ehodi; and
advancing transboundary water agreements; this includes our existing agreements with Alberta and British Columbia as well as negotiating an updated agreement with Yukon and the establishment of an agreement with Saskatchewan.
That concludes my opening remarks. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Does the Minister wish to bring witnesses into the House?
Yes, I do, Madam Chair.
Sergeant-at-Arms, will you please escort the witnesses to the Chamber? Thank you. Would the Minister please introduce the witnesses?
Thank you, Madam Chair. With me today are Deputy Minister Erin Kelly, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister of Operations Brett Elkin, as well as Director of Finance and Capital Planning Joyce Taylor. As well, in the witness room, we have Acting Assistant Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change Nathen Richea. With committee's approval, we would like to move water up the scale because of a prior commitment for the acting deputy minister. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Does the committee agree if that is okay?
Agreed.
All right, so does the Minister want to do that section now?
Right now, once we get this part done. Thank you, Madam Chair.
All right, so I will now open the floor to general comments on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. If there are no further comments, does the committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document?
Agreed.
All right, committee. We will defer the departmental summary and review the estimates by activity summary, beginning with corporate management, starting on page 68, with information items on pages 70 up to 71. Questions? Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I just want to say one quick remark, that it's a pleasure to see this department actually get an increase in resources this time. That was not the case in the last Assembly, where each of their budgets was cut over four years, and that was not a great place to start. I want to ask, though: ENR has a strategic plan that goes from 2015 to 2020, and I am just wondering if there are plans to develop a new strategic plan? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Presently, that is what we are looking into moving forward. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Can the Minister just provide a little bit more detail? Is the department going to prepare a new strategic plan or not, yes or no? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister of ENR.
Yes, we can. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I will take that as a "will." I want to ask; there were a couple of things from the last strategic plan that I don't think have been completed. One was a regional studies policy under the Mackenzie Valley Resources Management Act. I know that this is federal legislation, but I guess GNWT has been delegated the ability to carry out a regional study. Do we actually have a policy completed for that function? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of ENR.
Thank you, Madam Chair. With your permission, I would turn the mic over to the deputy minister. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Kelly.
Thank you, Madam Chair. At this time, it is on a list of things that we still need to complete, but we recognize the importance of looking into this. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Kelly. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Is there a timeline for that work to be completed? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister of ENR.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Presently, we don't have a timeline, and we are just evaluating our priorities moving forward. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Okay. I will be watching for that. I want to turn, though, to page 70 of the main estimates. There is an item here, Community Harvesters Assistance Program. It looks like it actually went down from 2018-2019. Can I have an explanation as to what happened in 2018-2019? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of ENR.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, I'll ask the deputy minister to answer this part. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Kelly.
Thank you, Madam Chair. If you look at the Community Harvesters Assistance Program line, as well as the local wildlife committee line, you can see that there were some adjustments that were made, although the total is very similar because we combined contribution agreements to reduce administrative burden. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Kelly. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair, and thanks to the Minister and his staff for that explanation. Can someone tell me just very briefly what the Community Harvesters Assistance Program is all about, and if and when it was last increased? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of ENR.
Thank you, Madam Chair. At this point in time, I'll ask the deputy minister to give that sort of detail. Thank you, Madam Chair.
