Caitlin Cleveland

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I absolutely agree with the Minister and think that there is ample opportunity for business development across the territory and absolutely support that. I just want to make sure that we don't have legislation at the end of the day that cuts out people who maybe are not directly affiliated with the plant but who also support the plant. Which brings me to SEED.

And so, again, in terms of what one of my colleagues noted was the decline in SEED with the removal of the COVID supports. My concern is that with the economy where it is right now and the high rate of inflation...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So I see under commercial fisheries and contributions, there's a little bit of a difference, which I assume is that, that sunset there.

Can the Minister speak to whether or not there are any expected legislative changes required to the Fisheries Act coming forward from changes to the fisheries sector expected in the next year and if they have the resources to fulfill that work? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, Bill 57, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2022, received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on October 20th, 2022, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Development for review.

On February 13th, 2023, the Standing Committee on Social Development held a public hearing with the Minister of Justice and completed its clausebyclause review of the bill. Individual Members may have additional comments or questions at this time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, this is the Northwest Territories and we do things a little different up here. The way we live, work, and govern together is different than southern Canada. It's a product of a different history.

Madam Speaker, the North continues to be a place of unrivalled opportunity. We're open for business, adventure, and life. We want to grow our population and our economy. During the budget address, the Minister of Finance stated the primary economic driver for the NWT economy will be government investment. I would agree that this is the case, at least for the...

That is excellent news, Mr. Chair. Thank you very much for that. So what I would like to know is if the review that's currently taking place with SEED, if that will include a review of the market disruption clause and also any kind of potential down the road for a residency postgrant requirement. So people who are getting SEED aren't turning around as soon as they get it and leaving the territory with that investment in their business, that they're actually staying and doing that business development here in the territory. Thank you.

Thank you Mr. Chair, I just want to repeat I know something that the Minister has heard me say before, but I think it's really important to repeat, and that is that there are existing federallyaccredited fish plants in the Northwest Territories already. And I just want to essentially hear a commitment from the Minister to ensure that when they're going through these talks at federal tables that that is recalled and advocated for so that we're not inadvertently pushing out people in the business sector who have had a tremendous amount of investment into this sector already. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, in December 2022, the NWT recorded the highest employment rate in Canada. But like the rest of the world, NWT employers, including the GNWT, struggled to fill many positions critical to our success. But our population growth is not keeping up with our needs. By the 2040s, our population is projected to grow by only nine percent while Canada's at 25 percent.

Madam Speaker, the bureau of statistics projects that by 2035, the population will decline in 18 of 33 NWT communities, including Inuvik, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Fort Resolution, Whati, Fort...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm wondering if the housing corporation and, you know, people in the Northwest Territories understand that sometimes, you know, things can't be transported right away because of whether it's breakup or freezeup or anything else that's going on, that's just a way of life in the Northwest Territories, but I'm wondering if we can remove kind of an administrative burden or something that might turn people off from a program and really take away the April 1st to October 31st deadline on applications and just look at applications as they come through the door...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I will say that from my office, this is probably one of the programs that gets recommended the most to constituents who are especially just really being hit hard by inflationary increases that we're feeling in the territory, and so it's definitely a program that is much used and much appreciated by the people of the Northwest Territories, and I definitely recommend that the government continues to support this, especially right now with the economic landscape across the country.

My next question is in regards to some of the programs that are offered by...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, my first question is in regards to the CanadaNWT housing benefit program. I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to whether or not this program continues to be fully subscribed and also what the total amount is with the GNWT and federal contribution combined? Thank you.