Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these strategies have yielded probably something, and I'll let the Minister explain what they have, but there's an enforcement perspective that doesn't seem to be there, including consequences. Mr. Speaker, how are we meeting these financial objectives without going over the wall, as they say, or hitting the financial wall? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So we certainly have achieved some important markers. We are around $106 million ahead of where we were at the start of this Assembly in terms of the revenues that we have either increased or expenditures that we've been able to find and reduce, and that is all the while, Mr. Speaker, remaining alive to the fact that this continues to be a challenging time for residents, that there have been a number of unexpected needs. Again, low water is one that's well known, but also a wildfire season that still had a pretty significant cost associated to this last year, with one community evacuated and I believe others under monitoring. So notwithstanding those emergencies, we've achieved over $100 million and change in terms of where we're at in our budgets. And, Mr. Speaker, we are still projecting to be able to pay for, I think, the first time, if I'm not mistaken, certainly since the 1999, the first time that we were paying for our full capital budget, projecting to do so this last year, projecting to do so into 2025-2026. So those are some pretty important achievements that we've had.
Mr. Speaker, departments do have variance monitoring that they each engage with that then goes to the Department of Finance and ultimately is coming to the financial management board so that we have a sense of where money is going at any given time. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Mr. Speaker, the -- you know, kudos to the paying for the full capital budget but keep in mind that, Mr. Speaker, that only works when you don't have the ability to borrow money anymore. So in other words, you can only spend the money you have. So the finance Minister's made it clear we have no more room on our borrowing.
So, Mr. Speaker, I guess I'm really getting at, at the end of the day here, my question is what is the Minister doing from a public discussion point of view about tabling ideas, how we can rework governments better and find more efficient ways to attract both a better financial bottom line and a better sound bottom line so we don't hit the wall, financial wall, that people are concerned about because this is a major stressor among the Northerners. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, Mr. Speaker, we did at the initial stage of having the Restoring Balance framework go out, and, again, it was the first time ever that a fiscal strategy for an Assembly was actually made public and was made the subject of a fairly public announcement, because we wanted to get feedback, wanted to get feedback particularly from public servants who are well placed often to know where efficiencies lie. We received an enormous amount of feedback, and we have continued to receive some feedback over the course of the last year. But, again, certainly always encourage people to bring ideas forward through our departments and to their MLAs. Members of the public, too, were submitting ideas through that process. Mr. Speaker, I've -- we still have the red tape reduction working group that has a live email address and I often hear people say it's a great idea, but I'm not getting as many submissions there as I would like to see, although I think one may have just come in this morning.
So, Mr. Speaker, these are all avenues by which folks can submit their ideas and put ideas forward.
As I think I -- I had a fair bit of time yesterday, and I know I'm getting long, Mr. Speaker, we're -- I'm not -- we are -- we did increase or we sought to increase the borrowing limit from the federal government to increase that flexibility but, Mr. Speaker, we are still in a position where we -- we're not expecting to hit it this fiscal year. We are looking forward to the next fiscal year in terms of what we are -- we want to make sure we have some room, and we want to have that room because we want to achieve the priorities of this Assembly which are ones that look towards our future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: 2023-2024 Public Accounts, Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4. Thank you, Mr. Speaker
Thank you, Minister of Finance. Good workout; I didn't think you needed one today.
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, February 13th, 2025, I will move the following motion:
I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha that notwithstanding rule 2.1, when this House adjourns on Thursday, February 13th, 2025, it shall be adjourned until Tuesday, February 25th, 2025.
And further that any time prior to February 25th, 2025, if the Speaker is satisfied after consultation with the executive and Members of the Legislative Assembly that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 19, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. Pursuant to rule 8.2(3), Bill 19 is deemed to have first reading, is ready for second reading.
First reading of bills. Minister of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 20, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures and Borrowing Authorization), No. 2, 2024-2025, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. Pursuant to rule 8.2(3), Bill 20 is deemed to have first reading and is ready for a second reading.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 19, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, be read for the second time.
This bill makes supplementary appropriations for infrastructure expenditures at the Government of the Northwest Territories for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. The motion is in order. To the principle of the bill.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? Opposed? Abstentions? Motion has passed.
---Carried
Second reading of bills. Minister of Finance.
-
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, that Bill 20: Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures and Borrowing Authorization), No. 2, 2024-2025, be read for the second time.
This bill makes the supplementary appropriations for operations expenditures and borrowing authorization for the Government of the Northwest Territories for the 2024-2025-fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. The motion is in order to. To the principle of the bill.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? Opposed? Abstentions? The motion is passed.
---Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters, 2025-2026 Main Estimates, Department of Finance, February 11th, 2025.
Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 275-20(1), 2025-2026 Main Estimates. We will now consider Department of Finance. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Okay, thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 275-20(1), 2025-2026 Main Estimates, Department of Finance. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. We'll take a short recess, 20 minutes, and we'll come back. Thank you.
---SHORT RECESS
Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 275-20(1), 2025-2026 Main Estimates. We will now consider the Department of Finance. Does the Minister of Finance wish to bring witnesses into the House?
Yes, please, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the chamber.
Would the Minister please introduce her witnesses.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have on my left Bill MacKay, the deputy minister of finance. And on my right, Tram Do, the director of shared corporate service.
Thank you. The committee has agreed to forego general comments on the Department of Finance. Does committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabling of documents?
Agreed.
Agreed? Thank you. Committee, we will now defer the department summary and review the estimates by activity summary beginning with the directorate starting on page 162, information item on page 165. Are there any questions?
No further questions, please turn to page 163.
Finance, directorate, operations expenditure summary, 2025-2026 Main Estimates, $100,735,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Moving on to human resources beginning on page 166 with information items on page 168. Are there any questions from Members?
No further questions, please turn to page 167. Finance, human resources, operations expenditure summary, 2025-2026 Main Estimates, $23,651,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
