Kevin O'Reilly

I want to thank the Minister for that. During the review of the department's 2020-2021 Main Estimates, the Minister committed to look into the need to continue the Surface Rights Board; I've got that in Hansard here. This is a very helpful commitment because the legislation itself contains no provision for any kind of review. Can the Minister tell us how he intends to carry out this review, in consultation with Indigenous governments and the NWT?

Thanks, Madam Chair. Can the Minister make a commitment to come back to the standing committee within six months with a report with her findings on that? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. Last week, I raised some concerns around the continued funding for the Northwest Territories Surface Rights Board. There are some great people on that board and their work seems reasonable, but there are zero disputes that have come forward in the seven years since enabling legislation was passed. In light of this, I question the need for such a body. It also entrenches the antiquated free-entry system for mineral rights acquisition, a regime that seems out of step with even the Mineral Resources Act passed by the last Legislative Assembly.

The Harper government's...

Thanks, Madam Chair. Yes, it is the Consumer Protection Act that I was asking about. Is it on the legislative initiatives priority list for this department? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I think I have spent the last seven or eight minutes trying to understand what the relationship is of the contributions listed on page 374 to the line items on 373, and I haven't gotten to the bottom of it in a way that I can understand. Probably, with the Minister and her assistants there, I am not going to get to the bottom of it in the next 24 hours. I am going to have to go offline and ask them to better explain this. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair. As I said, I just keep getting more and more confused here. All of this money on page 374 flows through from the district offices to third parties? Is that what I believe Mr. Martin said? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair. If it flows to the district offices, is it coming from the Housing Corporation, and then it's given to the district offices? It just seems like kind of a weird way to set this up. Usually, the contribution pages in the other departmental budgets are where our government is providing money to a third party, but this is to the district offices. Is that correct? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I think page 374 outlines contributions in a number of areas. Is this money, then, that flows from the Housing Corporation to the local housing organizations, the LHOs? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Mine is along the same sort of lines. Can someone tell me where all the technical advisors are located and whether there have been any changes in positions proposed in this year that's coming up? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Actually, it doesn't lie with the Department of Justice. Yes, the regulation will determine how it's going to roll out, but MACA needs to be there to support the communities. If that requires additional resources on MACA's part through the School of Community Government or whatever the other tools are, that's a MACA responsibility, and I think MACA should be prepared to stand up to the plate. As I understand it, they've already started that work. Thanks, Madam Chair.