Robert Hawkins

Thank you. Can the Minister provide sort of like a bar graph on the size of claims; so in other words, a bar saying we have 300 employees who have claimed under a hundred dollars; we have had, say, 40 percent claimed by, you know, from $100 to $500, and 10 percent -- you know, however the math works in a bar graph. And the reason I say that is because to make sure it's not perceived as a useless exercise, which I'm not in favour of sending the department on wild goose chases just for my entertainment.

What I'm hearing from constituents and GNWT employees is we have several thousand dollars...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think I believe the Minister sent me a draft version or some type of copy of the agreement. She nodded, and I remember going through it. I asked, or I'm curious, on cancellation provisions knowing -- my question's going towards cancellation provisions. So in other words, is there a way that the Minister can cancel this initiative so we can actually go out and find a partner who can actually bring real opportunity to support housing for much needed people and families. Thank you.

Thank you. So that's the answer I was looking for, is 30 days.

Are you able to tell me through some type of analysis -- first, my anecdote, obviously, unless you brought it -- I doubt it, but I'd be pleased if you did -- how often is that 30-day threshold of the standard is run over; in other words more than 30 days? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement today I talked about trying to find ways to empower people to -- actually, you know what, Mr. Speaker, I'll redirect my question if you give me the moment to leave. I would like to now point my question to the Minister of housing, and my question was a year ago I had asked her about how we could uplift housing opportunities, such as the Rockhill Apartment, and work with private industry to find new ways and innovative ways to provide social housing for people, innovative for business, and get people living a much healthier lifestyle.

Mr. Speaker...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I wish to direct my questions under the medical travel assistance program. It may not be solely in there so -- but I'm sure it's a good place to start.

I'm hearing from several GNWT employees about their medical travel and how their claims are not processed in a timely way. Does the department have a standard outlined whereby it says, you know, within two weeks, you will be paid your submitted and obviously approved travel claim? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And, by the way, I do recognize that a budget revenue is much different -- they're a different creature than the borrowing limit or the debt wall. But the thing is I'm looking at it from a bigger picture of the financial wherewithal so I'm just -- why do we keep saying $6.1 million when we know that's the placeholder number but, you know, when we're so tight on the budget on every aspect of it, it just seems -- wouldn't it seem more prudent to budget it at 3.1 as an example, being more realistic? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I think that something that keeps getting lost in this conversation is it doesn't need an election to make this change, just so you know. It's something that could happen on the fly, so hence, being prepared for whatever may come is really what I'm getting at.

So before I push off of this, I may return to this point of carbon tax, but my area of question next was going to be the heritage fund. And we can actually see the actuals for 2023-2024, just 3-point -- well, we'll call it $3.1 million. I'm just using round numbers for sake -- but it's prescribed as 6.1 in the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to pick up on one question before I go to the area I would like to explore. But one of the questions I think in my mind -- maybe it wasn't 100 percent clear, and perhaps it's -- I'll frame it this way: Is the department exploring options for a replacement carbon tax? Have they come up with scenarios or any type of framework if things change? Because I can't imagine the government sitting in complete absence of this in their mind and completely sitting on their hands while this is a live issue? So this is not more hypothetical. This is the fact that are they...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these strategies have yielded probably something, and I'll let the Minister explain what they have, but there's an enforcement perspective that doesn't seem to be there, including consequences. Mr. Speaker, how are we meeting these financial objectives without going over the wall, as they say, or hitting the financial wall? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, when we think of the whole budget -- and I'm not getting into the details of the budget specifically that hasn't been tabled -- it's something in the range of $700 million. We're being asked to take a lot of it at good faith, in other words. That's a lot of millions, Mr. Speaker.

So, Mr. Speaker, the Minister says the process. Well, we are in charge of the process. She is in charge of the process. So in other words, the people that can change the process are us. Mr. Speaker, the question really is designed around how can MLAs be informed as to what's actually happening behind the...