Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the tools that the Member is speaking of, in the way of satellite detection or remote sensing, is just one of the tools in the toolbox that is used to fight fire. Typically by the time you can actually see that fire on that fire map, it's to a size that is beyond the ideal size for initial attack. So primarily when you're talking about the initial attack phase of what you fight or what you don't fight, there are many contributing factors. Weather forecast, proximity to communities, availability of resources, all of these things are factored in at the time. And whether or not -- when we deploy aircraft in support of firefighting activities, that's primarily for initial attack. The point of the aircraft is, you know, to reduce the fire activity to allow the folks on the ground to go out and put the fire out because that's really the resource that puts the fire out at the end of the day.
So I think it's a challenging question to answer from a single perspective, but it's certainly, you know, is something that within our policy. Obviously, the preservation of life is the number 1 priority, and that would definitely be the first contributing factor to determine where the initial attack activity started. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thanks for that information by the Minister. It gives me a little bit of knowledge, some of the decision management factors that are being decided on at the office there during the first initial phase.
My next question -- I'm glad for my colleague from the Deh Cho in answering compensation for trappers. In my recent visits, and as one as the other day, a fellow was talking about the loss of his cabin and the neighbours got compensation, but he didn't. So I'll use the Minister's replies to follow through and seek compensation, including the definition of equipment losses by this trapper-elder individual. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm not sure that I understand the question.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from the Sahtu.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. It was more of a comment. I acknowledge -- I had the same questions as my colleague from the Deh Cho, and I'll use that, the Minister's replies to move on compensation for a similar trapper cabin owner we have in the Sahtu. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I want to talk a bit about boreal caribou, which have suffered tremendously with all of the forest fires. I don't think we talk about it enough in this House. But it looks like a couple years ago there was a bilateral funding agreement with the federal government to identify sites for boreal caribou habitat restoration and designing treatment trials. And I know that that expired in 2023, and I see that there's an item on this page around landscape level restoration in boreal caribou habitat for 2023-2024, but there's nothing in this year's budget. What are the plans to move ahead with that sort of initial research that's been done in terms of actually trying to restore some boreal caribou habitat?
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the department is currently working with the federal government on funding for the boreal caribou. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Thanks. So can the Minister clarify that he's working to try to establish a new funding agreement with the feds that hasn't materialized yet, or that we do currently have existing funding with the feds and we're working on programs or projects with it? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we are currently working on an extension to the boreal caribou funding. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I'm hopeful that funding can be identified to see if we can ensure the continued existence and thriving of the boreal caribou that so many of the communities in this territory rely on.
My next question has to do with -- so we talked a bit earlier about funding for caribou monitoring that's been sunsetting. There's two line items, one called caribou monitoring and the other monitoring and range planning, but it talks about supporting Indigenous governments, local communities in traditional knowledge studies and capacity building around caribou monitoring.
So has that work been scaled back, then, significantly with sunsetting of funding, or have we found ways to continue the important work in traditional knowledge around caribou monitoring?
Thank you. To the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, that work does continue. There's a small reduction in the budget line item, but the work certainly is continuing. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And is the Minister also in the process of trying to negotiate new federal funding agreements to replace the ones that have been sunset, or is there some sort of roadmap for what kind of funding and research will be needed in coming years? I know it might not necessarily be the exact same every single year, but are we actively negotiating new funding agreements to ensure that the work that we're planning for the future is going to be fully funded? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. We recently received two-year extension under section 11 for $2.421 million for range planning. Our Two Billion Trees Project will support future replanting to support habitat restoration which will be important to meet offset requirements for future proposals. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. That's it for this page.
Thank you. Are there any further questions? No further questions, please turn to page 105.
Environment and Climate Change, wildlife and forest management, operations expenditure summary, 2024-2025 Main Estimates, $63,178,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Additional information items on pages 109 to 118. Are there any questions? Thank you, Members. Please return now to the department summary found on page 75, with information items on pages 76 to 82. Are there any questions? Seeing no further questions, committee, I will now call the department summary.
Environment and Climate Change, operations expenditure summary, total department, 2024-2025 Main Estimates, $126,205,000. Does the committee agree? Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from the Deh Cho.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee defer further consideration of the main estimates for the Department of Environment and Climate Change at this time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried. Consideration of Department of Environment and Climate Change, operations expenditure, 2024-2025 Main Estimates, total department, is deferred.
---Carried
Thank you, Minister. And thanks to the witnesses for appearing before us. Sergeant-at-arms, please escort the witnesses from the Chamber. Thank you.
Committee, we will now move on to the next department. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters. Main Estimates 2024-2025, Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 93-20(1), Main Estimates 2024-2025. We'll now consider the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Does the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs wish to bring witnesses into the House?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, I do.
Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Sergeant-at-arms, please escort the witnesses into the chambers.
Thank you. Would the Minister introduce his witnesses.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to introduce, to my right, the deputy minister, Gary Brennan. And to my right, director of corporate affairs, Jennifer Young.
Thank you. Does the committee agree to forego general comments on the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs?
Agreed.
Thank you. Does the committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled documents?
Agreed.
Agreed. Committee, we will defer the departmental summary and review the estimates by activity beginning with community governance starting on page 339 with information items on page 342. Are there any questions? No further questions, please turn to page 340.
Municipal and Community Affairs, community governance, operations expenditure summary, 2024-2025 Main Estimates, $2,136,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Moving on to community government learning and development, beginning on page 343 with information items on page 346. Are there any questions? No further questions, please turn to page 344.
Municipal and Community Affairs, community government learning and development, operations expenditure summary, 2024-2025 Main Estimates, $2,565,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Moving on to community operations, beginning on page 347 with information items on page 350. Are there any questions? No further questions, please turn to page 348.
Municipal and Community Affairs, community operations, operations expenditure summary, 2024-2025 Main Estimates, $2,098,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Moving on to directorate, beginning on page 351 with information items on page 354. Are there any questions? I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is more of a policy question than a main estimates question, and I'm doing my best to assume that it should possibly live under directorate.
So under the department's business plan on page 228, one of the actions that they are doing to support the mandate is to engage regularly with the NWTAC and the LGANT on key community government related issues. And it's really more of a general comment but also kind of a question.
The measure for this action is the number of meetings between either the Minister or official level meetings held between MACA and these organizations, or just NWTAC I suppose, per year. How does the Minister feel that demonstrates the success -- to successfully partner with these organizations? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
