Caroline Wawzonek

No, it will certainly not be lost, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department is very committed to this work. And as I said, this is really the work that's gone on is part of what has already been going on and what's already in place under the Indigenous recruitment and retention framework, the Human Resources Strategic Plan, the Diversity and Inclusion Framework. So while this policy is certainly connected to those things and that work is ongoing, as such it is connected. And the work is ongoing, and it will certainly not be lost. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, when we started the 19th Legislative Assembly, Members put forward, as one of its priorities, ensuring that government procurement maximizes benefits for Northwest Territories' residents and businesses. We knew that procurement policies had not been meaningfully updated for several years, and we wanted to make sure we were getting as much value out of every dollar as we could.

In January 2021, I appointed an independent advisory panel to engage with Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations, elected leaders, the business community, stakeholders and residents, on...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Nahendeh, that Bill 84, An Act to Amend the Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation Act, be read for the third time. And, Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Also happy to clarify that, Madam Chair. I do think these are all questions that folks may have generally in the public. So the main estimates every year has included upon it is a page that has all of the borrowing and every year, including when we do the next main estimates process or when the next Assembly does the main estimates process, that page will have on it a new borrowing plan. That borrowing plan would take into account our cash balances for the in terms of shortterm borrowing, it would take into account the cash balances that we're at once we know what...

No, thank you, Madam Chair.

You know what, Madam Chair, since you've turned it back to me, I was remiss to not thank yourself and the chair of the AOC more directly. It actually has made the process let's go ahead and say fun. Thank you, Madam Chair.

No, thank you, Madam Chair.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Priorities for Critical Minerals in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, right now what we do have is there are staffing appeal regulations that come in under the Public Service Act. There are staffing appeals that are reviewed by staffing officers who are independent from the public service, independent from the Department of Finance. So there is a process in place. That said, I know there's often concerns raised, and it was raised during the review process, about whether or not this is sufficient or adequate to make sure that people are, in fact, benefitting from the processes we have in place. So that was part of the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there has been a suite of things that have happened in the Department of Finance for the human resources over the last four years, and certainly the Affirmative Action Policy and the work we've done to review it is part of that. Seeing it to its end would certainly be nice towards the end of this Assembly but, Mr. Speaker, the Member's already noted, we only just were able to table the report in terms of what we heard and what we've been recommended to do and, as such, it really would not be appropriate at this point to be making a change at the dying days...