Robert C. McLeod

As we go through the business plans, the next set of business plans, we'll have some information for Members. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, as I have often, I will inform a meeting with the Minister of Finance again, I will make an argument. They take it back to their Cabinet, and they can do it through an order in council, is my understanding. So they can make it happen fairly quickly, depending on the time that we go down there and present our case. I do not have the exact timeline for that. We are just working on it now. As soon as I do, I will inform Members. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I take the Member's point, and I have had this question, I think, the last two budgets we have gone through. I will make the commitment that the balance of the Heritage Fund will show up in the business plans and the main estimates. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we will use this section to deal with some of the issues they have, but we will bill them back. Thank you.

When you first discuss issues with the federal Ministers, initially they're not receptive to them. You just have to convince them as to why you need it, and then you get support from the folks in the Northwest Territories. We've had those discussions. I can't say whether or not he was receptive, but we make a case and they look at it based on the case we make and make a decision based on that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we have a fairly good idea of what those costs may be, and I will have that discussion with committee before I have it on the floor of the House, out of my respect for the process that we go through in this building and my respect for committee.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, to my far right, I have Ms. Tara Hunter, who is the Deputy Secretary of Human Resources. To my immediate right, I have Mr. David Stewart, deputy minister of Finance and deputy secretary of the Financial Management Board. I got the name right. To my left, I have Mr. Sandy Kalgutkar, who is the deputy secretary to the Financial Management Board. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have to apologize to the Member. Of course, you know, we are doing some preliminary work and some preliminary numbers, and I think I made a commitment earlier in the deliberation to go back to committee and have a discussion with committee on this particular issue. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Yes, Mr. Chair, once the legislation is passed and we have an idea of a cost, if there is an opportunity to bring it forward through a supplementary appropriation, then that's a direction we are going to take. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to present the 20182019 Main Estimates for the Department of Finance. These estimates total $234 million, which includes the GNWT operating contribution of $76.4 million to the NWT Housing Corporation. Overall, the department’s estimates propose a decrease of $1.2 million or 0.5 per cent over the 20172018 Main Estimates.

Setting aside the changes in the contribution to the NWT Housing Corporation, which you will review with Minister Cochrane, highlights of Finance’s proposed 20182019 Main Estimates include:

$600,000 for a new training program that will provide...