Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, let me go back and double check. I mean, I'm showing various carry over amounts over the year over year, but I don't know that I have a total project in front of me. So at the risk of being inaccurate, again, I will confirm - I will make sure that we can get that to committee unless we get it here in the next few seconds from someone else in cyberspace. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, we spent $285 million in 20222023, which actually is a pretty significant amount when you compare it to what was being spent over ten years before that. And particularly considering those are postCOVID years that a lot of challenges were being faced, both private sector and public sector.

Madam Chair, at this point we would reconcile we reconcile the Fiscal Responsibility Policy in the fall. I have - and we do track it over time, and we'll be seeing the most recent up to date numbers when we come forward with the capital budget in August.

Thank you, Madam Chair. This is the last of the main highway. So, again, the highway has substantial completion, but you would still have an amount under the contract owed, just wanting to ensure that, of course, you have done due diligence to ensure that there's no deficiencies. If there are, you do hold back a payment to the contractor. When we're assured that there's no deficiencies, then the final payments would flow. So that level of assurance and due diligence hasn't been done yet and so that's why we're asking to just carry this forward to ensure that that is complete. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, there are - well, this is a funding that is entirely applicationbased, but it is applications for federal dollars, not for our dollars. So, again, you know - again, and I do want to make clear, I certainly wouldn't want any community governments or municipal governments thinking that we're not happy to be able to help and that MACA certainly would be able help. I can tell you there are 84 projects that are at least have - you know, moved forward. Five of those now, mind you, are waiting again for approval from Canada so not the GNWT. I'll stop there...

Thank you, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, at this point, we're still certainly anticipating to have an operating surplus, and as such and a sufficient operating surplus to be above the amount we would require to avoid being noncompliant with the fiscal responsibility policy. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, right now the Northwest Territories remains the sole signatory to the Freshwater Fish Marketing Act, a federal piece of legislation. That provides a floor. So it provides a guarantee where fishers are guaranteed a certain income amount that comes on a regular basis to them. Unfortunately what the offset of that is as well it's a guarantee and a floor, it also creates a bit of a ceiling. We aren't able to take advantage of the markets that we now believe to be available to the very good product that we have coming out of the freshwater here in the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, that's likely a question that requires not only the Department of Finance to be involved but also the Department of Infrastructure and ECC. So certainly can commit to taking that back to my colleagues and having that bigger conversation. It doesn't necessarily speak to the reason why we are seeing or certainly not the only reason why we're seeing this impacts here on this sup. A lot of our impacts some of the impacts are due to the floods last year but there's also some fairly significant amounts attached to health and social services here.

So one thing I...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, there's been significant contributions from the federal government overall to both the building of the fish plant and to the fishing industry. So I do want to acknowledge that, actually quite a significant amount. I don't know that it's going anything to this specific item although I will note it's my recollection that CANNOR was quite heavily involved in procuring some of the equipment that's gone in. Again, so there's been a lot of supports, but just not perhaps on this particular element of the fish strategy. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, so, Madam Chair, if we do exceed the amount that's available in the supplementary reserve, then that does potentially draw down on what would have been in anticipated or projected to be as a surplus. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, that is correct. Thank you.