Kieron Testart

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has long prided itself on its fiscal discipline through instruments like the fiscal responsibility policy, robust capacity, and the financial management board secretariat. And a keen ability to leverage federal funding into 75 or 100 percent dollars, our government has proven it has what it takes to manage complex fiscal challenges. That is why it's so alarming that the GNWT's largest ever projected operating surplus has evaporated now to such a severe deficit that the Finance Minister is asking the Prime Minister to raise the debt...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move the chair rise and report progress.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is it time for -- as we're on the power corp, is it time for the board to be -- private board to be -- or public board to be reinstated without deputy ministers to steer the power corporation towards sustainability and towards running the company like a business rather than a department? Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Infrastructure perhaps can speak to -- let's -- or sorry, you've given me a pickle. But structural -- so the structural debt of the power corporation, I suppose, whichever Minister wants to answer that question, I'll leave it in your hands.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to get to the bottom of these cost overruns that I brought up in my Member's statement. Can the Minister of Infrastructure speak to what appears to be a systemic problem with how we're budgeting projects? Let's start there. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to recognize former Premier for the Northwest Territories, and my neighbour, Joe Handley and his lovely wife Theresa Handley. Thank you for being here today.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you very much to the mover of this motion and the chair of the Standing Committee on Social Development. She's very passionate about this topic, and we spent a great deal of time at the standing committee talking about how we could incorporate these concerns into our report on Bill 8 when this issue of funding Indigenous communities and Indigenous students is relevant to every community in the Northwest Territories.

The school boards in Yellowknife, for example the English school boards, they have -- run a third of their funding comes from Jordan's Principle to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I apologize for the confusion. Mr. Speaker, how are we going to -- like, what is the Minister's solution to at least forecast these costs better so we're not constantly blowing up our operational surpluses and going to Ottawa to increase the credit card? How can we put a plan in place or a system in place that allows us to control these better? Because whatever's been done to date isn't working. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the two portfolios are closely intertwined so I understand the confusion there. Because when Infrastructure can't manage its projects or can't predict these projects, it impacts the finance side. Our entire operational surplus wiped out because of cost overruns largely driven by capital costs, especially around NTPC, which is this Minister's -- within this Minister's remit as well. So why does NTPC continue to fail to bring its costs under control, continue to post these large cost overruns that are driving us into short-term debt? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to acknowledge former Northwest Territories Premier Joe Handley who was named one of this year's Symons Medal recipients. The Symons Medal is awarded to outstanding individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to Canadian life, and former Premier Handley has no doubt earned this honour for his decades of dedication to northern society.

Mr. Handley has had an impressive career as an educator and public servant who has worked as deputy minister for numerous departments, including the housing corporation, renewable resources, and economic...