Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As the Minister of Finance and the Minister responsible for the public service, Mr. Chair, I believe over 400 members of the public service have put their names forward volunteering at various times to take part in the government's response to COVID-19. Not every one of them can necessarily be positioned somewhere as part of a direct COVID response. Although, I believe at one point, we hit 188, if not more, that were, in fact, redeployed. Again, every time you redeploy someone, you take them away from their home position, and you take them away from the programs and the...

Mr. Chair, I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures) No. 2, 2020-2021.

The Supplementary Estimates document proposes to add $88.7 million to the 2020-2021 operating budget, comprised of the following major items: $79 million to support the GNWT's health and economic response to COVID-19, including:

$31.7 million under the umbrella of the COVID secretariat to protect the territory from COVID-19. Bringing existing functions together under the secretariat will help us better meet demand, ensure more efficient use of the GNWT's fiscal resources, and provide a clearer...

Yes, Mr. Chair. That is the case.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am inclined to just give the simple answer of yes, but rather than use hand signals, perhaps I'll turn it over to the deputy minister. He can describe in a little more detail what the contents of the report might be.

Yes. I'm happy to confirm again, as I said, that the Department of ITI has engaged a technical working group with Chamber of Mines, grew out of the need to respond to COVID-19, but it's been an opportunity to have that conversation on a direct level. I expect that that will continue. As to receiving the diamonds, Madam Speaker, I think I'll have to take that under advisement. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Under the first one that I mentioned, the product development, that has a maximum of $75,000. The second one comes to a maximum contribution of $10,000. I believe I did indicate previously that there was $5,000 under the third stream of providing some supports for operations and maintenance. As for whether or not there would be movement from within, and I wanted to note, Mr. Chair, that what I believe is before committee right now is the $1.5 million that is coming fully federally funded from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, or CanNor, but that is being...

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair, a few comments. I tried to catch most of the statements that were being made along the way. Firstly, with respect to the notion that the government was "fine" back in March and April when COVID-19 first hit, respectfully, Mr. Chair, things were not fine. The entire government shut down. At one point, I think we peaked with 188 staff who were redeployed in the course of the entire fighting of the pandemic. When 188 staff are redeployed, those staff members are not working in housing; they are not working in addictions; they are not working in social services; they are...

A lot of the barriers here are not new, nor are they unique to the Northwest Territories. They are barriers that are experienced across northern Canada, certainly. That is including the high costs of operating here, both in terms of the initial exploration and then in terms of developing a profitable mine site. There are also some concerns that continue to be raised, of course, around uncertainty and the benefits and importance of having certainty in the regulatory system.

Fortunately, Madam Speaker, we are taking some good steps to advance in dealing with some of those barriers. For example...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That is an excellent suggestion, and I can assure the Member that that conversation has already been held with the Chief Public Health Officer. It certainly is something that has come up, if not with the Business Advisory Council, then certainly in other circles where I am responsible for maintaining liaisons with. Essentially, it is to demonstrate or to show compliance with the Chief Public Health Officer, so businesses need to be able to demonstrate that they are complying with an order or an exemption, or whichever the situation for them might be, so that people, when...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don't have the details in terms of that agreement. I'll see if perhaps the deputy minister has it or else the Minister of Health and Social Services might.