Rylund Johnson

Thank you, Madam Speaker. There has no doubt been a lot of talk about the COVID-19 secretariat and its budget. I'd like to speak specifically about the isolation centres today considering they make up over half of the COVID-19 secretariat budget. I believe that there is a consensus that the spending in this area is too liberal. There are a number of ways we could save money on isolation centres, whether that's increasing the number of hub communities, shortening the isolation periods, increasing rapid testing, making sure people have kitchens so they can cook their own food instead of being...

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm the first to admit that this is somewhat of an arbitrary number, but that's due to my frustrations in not being able to get what the projected cost savings in isolation centres are. I believe I've got a commitment that the $17 million we will approve tonight is not all going to be spent on isolation centres. We will reduce those costs. I hope I am sitting here on April 1st, and I look at what we spent in the various reporting, and it's $12 million, and we actually went and saved some money as I keep getting promised. I believe my duty as a Member is to approve...

I recognize that the Minister is willing to work standing committee, but I don't believe that was public engagement. I'm going to try this one more time. Does the GNWT recognize and acknowledge that deputy ministers -- I know they work hard and probably that's one of the problems is that they are so busy working that they don't have time to completely review a corporation. They have expertise in public service. They don't have expertise in managing a Crown corporation and energy interests. Does the GNWT recognize that is an inherent problem, that we have the wrong people on the board?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll start by saying that I feel kind of silly that this is the second motion to remove what I see as somewhat of a random number from the COVID secretariat. I believe I have to bring this motion to distinguish from the previous one -- I'm not sure if I'm allowed to speak to the previous one. Sorry, Mr. Chair -- In that this is just me doing my job as an MLA. I believe the projections of what we're going to spend on isolation centres and what we will actually spend don't line up.

This is an attempt to give clear direction to Cabinet and to the Chief Public Health Officer...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. For years, a governance review of the Power Corporation since its board was removed and replaced with deputy ministers has been requested. It's been promised by previous Ministers, but it has not been delivered. We now find ourselves with a new Minister asking the board to review themselves. My question for the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation is: what has happened in the last four years since the board was removed in regard to a governance review, and how much longer is this going to take? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am going to express some frustration. That is the first I have seen this motion, and it's moving to remove $8,277,000. I also am proposing a motion to move $5 million. The Minister of Finance just recently said we are picking random numbers. I have some questions about what this random number is as opposed to my random number. More to the principle of the motion, I do not agree with the things MLA Lafferty just said. I am in support of the COVID secretariat. I am specifically trying to remove money from the isolation centre costs because the projections for that and...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. It's been over four and a half years since the Northwest Territories Power Corporation board was removed and a board of deputy ministers was replaced. There have been a number of ministerial changes in that time, and I would just like to walk through why this is so important that we create a proper arm's-length power corporation and reinstate the board. This all began in 2014 and 2015 when back-to-back subsidies were needed for the Power Corporation because they simply were not running a sufficient budget for a rainy day or, in this case, a non-rainy day due to low...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes. I think I first heard these figures back in August, September, but it's been a while, when I remember the COVID secretariat was first announced. I hear the deputy minister saying that the gap there is the projected cost of the COVID secretariat. However, I have also heard commitments from the Minister of Finance, commitment from the Premier, that we will go find cost-saving measures. I have heard a number of really great ideas of how we can do that. They each have pros and cons, as I have said. Shortening isolation periods, increasing rapid testing, renting...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can I just get some more information on the parameters of the COVID secretariat federal funding, what exactly we could and could not spend it on? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm confident this supplementary will pass. I will hope for it, get a written response a later date that we are confident that we can get this money to our municipalities to include it in their calendar year budget such that they are not making cuts that they will then just get the money for and they're moving things around unnecessarily. Thank you, Mr. Chair.