Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning is pleased to provide its report on the progress review of the mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories, 2016-2019, and commends it to the House.

The 18th Legislative Assembly's decision to set out a four-year mandate for its term represents an important evolution of consensus government. For the first time, all 19 Members agreed on defined actions to advance the priorities they set. These were set out in the Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories, 2016-2019 and approved...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 384-18(2): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2017-2018, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 384-18(2) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration and formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Mr. Rami Kassem, the owner of Javaroma, who provides fantastic catering for our building here, and makes sure I can stay away from those committee meetings. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Also, under court services, we have some funding for courthouse cells, secure interview rooms, and a common lobby for a courthouse. I know that our courthouse facility here in Yellowknife is not owned by the government, and has undergone a number of retrofits over the years. Is any more work anticipated past this point of this project, or are we going to continually see large appropriations, as this is around $795,000 in retrofits? Are we going to continue to pay these kinds of rates for the facility we are currently renting? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, and thank you for that clarification from the Minister. I will move on to asking about the perimeter fence. Again, this seems to be funding that is allocated to address the security concerns that emerged after that escape. Is that correct for this $414,000 fencing project? Thank you.

Thank you to the Minister for that answer. What is the nature of this investment? I am sorry if I missed that. We are not talking about building a new building, here? Are we making additional space to an existing asset? What are we approving, here? Thank you.

Mr. Chair, I move that consideration of Tabled Document 383-18(2): Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2017-2018, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 383-18(2) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will certainly encourage and potentially facilitate those discussions with the Minister's department. We have an immigration framework and action plan that's currently in development as of this year. Kind of what I was getting at with the last one: will the Minister find a place for family reunification in that framework, even if it is just advocacy items that will go to the federal government? Will he make it clear when we develop that strategy that family reunification is on the agenda, even if it is not directly our responsibility? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that we rise and report progress. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to thank the Minister for that commitment. I didn't even ask for it, but it's very good to see this is being taken seriously. I've been told by some members of our community that they are looking to leave the territory to find a more favourable environment for family unification. Currently, it is a lottery system. I wonder if the Minister has any information on if any of those lotteries were awarded to northern families and if the current process that the federal government operates is benefiting Northerners or if all those lottery visas are going to southern Canada.