Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Madam Chair. All departments have a 5 percent contingency, as well, which I realize isn't a large cushion on top of 25, but there is some additional cushion. I guess, what I want to say, number one, is that no one should be worrying about their salary at this point in time. If the Department of Finance has to use tools within its disposal, it will do that, so that nobody should be worrying about their salary right now. We will sort out what we need to sort out to make sure that everyone gets paid to do the work they need to do to keep people safe. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We were just looking at what the total budget is. We will make sure that it is prioritized, and I am confident that I can work with the Minister for ENR. If there is anything that we need to do to do that, I agree; we will be following all of the advice of the Chief Public Health Officer, including this. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I feel like we are all wearing sort of a collective Ministers responsible for supporting GNWT through the COVID virus hat right now, so it just so happens that I think the department of human resources or division of human resources might have had some of the most recent information on this. Just to reassure that on a broad scale, at this point, anyone coming in or out, coming into the NWT, it is suggested that they consider monitoring for their symptoms and consider whether or not they need to self-isolate.

As far as leave provisions, non-essential travel outside...

It's already been a commitment that has been made on my behalf as the Minister of Finance to do a much better job of communicating and sharing information. There are, of course, multiple channels, whether it's a website, whether it's email blasts, whether it's media releases. Certainly, if there are going to be, or when there may be, announcements that support small businesses and industry across the Northwest Territories, I am going to make sure that we marshal all of those opportunities and that we communicate effectively, clearly, and promptly to the people and the businesses in the...

Yes, our Chief Public Health Officer does have significant authority and has been very much involved with Cabinet and with all of the government in terms of identifying potential events to which she would want to exercise her authority to cancel an event, and she is doing so in a way that is responsive and continuously responsive as the situation has unfolded with COVID.

Notices have gone out to communities. Notices have gone out to Indigenous governments in order to bring their information in to the public health officer and to the GNWT so that all of these different parts can be working...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, all departments have been acting on emergency preparedness now for some time, and there are response plans being developed by every department. Business plans are being looked at by every department to plan for the contingencies, and I believe the next meeting of all deputy ministers, in fact, is this Monday to determine whether or not they need to run any special scenarios in anticipation of the change in situation. I hope that answers the Member's question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I do know that this act was one that had significant input from the entire House and was better for it. I'm not opposed to bringing things forward to the relevant committee, and I will certainly endeavour to provide an update to the committee as to the exact state of which policies and where things are at. I can't see why we wouldn't engage in that sort of a briefing; I just don't know what timeline it will take place in the current circumstances.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The full act is expected to be implemented in the winter of 2021, but there's a phased approached taking place, and some of the corrections regulations will be online, I anticipate as early as this spring. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate the indulgence. We are all working diligently this morning on a number of things. I have here with me Mr. Sandy Kalgutkar. He is the deputy minister of Finance.

Yes, Madam Chair. Thank you. Madam Chair, I am here to present the Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2020-2021. The supplementary estimates document proposes an increase of $28.7 million, comprised of the following items:

$10 million to fund environmental assessment and planning work to be completed in 2023-2024, to inform the potential construction of an all-weather road from Highway No. 4 to Lockhart Lake within the Slave Geological Province Corridor. Of this amount, 75 percent will be funding by the Government of Canada's National Trade Corridors Fund;

$10.6...