Thank you. That's good to hear, and I'm pleased that we are making progress in this area. Again, I have my own reservations. I know a number of my constituents and my own immediate family have reservations about this technology, but it is here to stay.
In those digital services conference and jurisdictional -- or sorry, in FTPs and things like that where the Minister is speaking to other colleagues, have there been any movements in other provinces that look promising for the Northwest Territories as well? I'm just wondering if we can get almost a sneak preview on that. Like, if we see those larger jurisdictions moving in a certain way, they can be the guinea pig for how to make this work. And I'm really interested in how we can make those frontline services, things like, you know, the motor vehicles registration and the one portal NT key stuff that we have -- we provide these digital services, and if we could use these tools to make them far more efficient than they currently are, it could save our staff a lot of time, it could save the government a lot of time as well. So do we see any kind of emerging trends and projects that we can -- we as Members as well can look at and see how other jurisdictions are incorporating this that the Minister can advise on? Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So there is work happening, particularly in Alberta, and I will say that there's motivation to looking to Alberta as certainly that our medical record systems and their medical record systems often have to interact when hundreds of Northwest Territories residents are going there every day for medical services. So they -- you know, they have -- there's a couple of different things happening with respect to both the online systems that they have, the digital health care card they have, the electronic medical records they have. So it's not just one thing that would need to communicate, and it's not just one system that would need to be built. But we certainly are talking to them about what we can both be doing to integrate the records, the communications, so on and so forth. So that is one area. They also -- Alberta also didn't -- well, FPT was held in Alberta so perhaps they took that opportunity to highlight some of their work. And they have done a lot of work in the space of procurement and a lot of work that -- a lot of drafting that has to get done for an RFP to be prepared, for proponents to be submitting, for analysis of the submissions to go through. And they are trying to create AI tools to make that entire system a lot faster and enable the folks that are doing the work to then be more focused on inputting the data that they need rather than having to start from scratch each time. So we are certainly gonna look back there as well and see if there's something that we can then start to use here to enable our staff to work more efficiently.
I think beyond that, Mr. Chair, there certainly is work happening on a number of jurisdictions around increasing digital wallets and type services. So you'd have your ID -- instead of carrying your health care card or carrying your driver's license, you can do those things through electronic systems.
But before I close -- I should be watching the time -- you know, everyone is well aware that there's some discomfort with these technologies, so at every one of these conversations the policymakers that I'm sitting with are live to the fact that we need to be balancing and ensuring that there's security and privacy and comfort and understanding amongst the public so that nobody is in a situation where they're being put into a system that they're not comfortable with. So that always is at the forefront of the conversation too. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Range Lake.
No, thank you. That was a bit of a navel-gazing question so I appreciate the Minister's patience with it. But that's why I wanted to ask these questions around the OCIO because the privacy concerns are at the forefront and to make sure that it is being done properly according to our rules and according to the standards that are set by our legislation.
So with that in mind, if another department is pursuing -- so I'll use an example with health. If NTHSSA is pursuing an AI-powered electronic medical record system as part of the replacement when that RFP goes out or if, you know, the geomatics -- if we're bringing in an AI-powered geomatics system to assist with online map staking, all that kind of stuff, does it first come through this office to make sure that things are done according to policy and that we're -- like, does the OCIO play kind of a gatekeeper role on this, or are departments free to kind of look to these kinds of things and pursue these on their own? With respect to the Minister's comments, which I totally agree on, that we need to make sure there's kind of a short leash on this technology so it doesn't get out of hand, so is there -- are those controls in place to make sure that when these new systems are pursued that they are, in fact, being pursued in accordance to policy and best practices? Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair,
I'm happy to have a chance to explain that a bit better. I agree that the public will want to know that we're doing that. Let me start with the deputy minister just to describe a bit what that process looks like in terms of the whole department.
Thank you. I'll go to the deputy minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank the Member for the question. So just to give the Members an overview of how the process would work with respect to procurement of a new IT system, it generally works the same as procurement for anything, so there is -- you engage -- the department engages with the procurement shared services and the Department of Finance who then engages with that client department to find out what they need and what kind of procurement tools they will need to undertake that. So for an IT program, typically it would be an RFP so that we can get a very robust picture out there to the public as to what we need. But we also work with the OCIO to ensure that -- and that was really one of the advantages of centralizing IT services, because when they work with the OCIO, the OCIO can look at the applications we already have and determine whether something that we have already is suitable for what the department needs. So that's another step that we take in that. So that's generally how they all work together, as a centralized service with IT and procurement to ensure departments have the IT support they need. And then they each have -- each department has a business partner which has a direct line to the Office of the Chief Information Officer. So on an ongoing basis, their IT needs are met, whether they need a new application through procurement or just maintenance of existing applications. So that's how we support those departments.
I would also add that in terms of procurement shared services, we are planning on beefing up our expertise in terms of specifically IT procurement which is a real specialty on its own. So we are going to have a specialized IT procurement officer within procurement shared services as well. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. Is there any further questions from Members? Okay, seeing none.
Department of Finance, Office of the Chief Information Officer, infrastructure investment, $7,509,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Next we have is the Office of the Comptroller General on page 38 with information items on page 39. Are there any questions? We'll go to the Member from Great Slave.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. Can the Minister please explain how long this replacement has been noted as a needed replacement, I guess. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. It does -- it is something that gets replaced every five years. That is its expected service life. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And will we be staying within the PeopleSoft Oracle Planet World experience, etcetera, Mr. Chair? Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Yes, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go back to the Member from Great Slave.
Yeah. No, nothing further. Thanks.
Any further questions from Members? Okay, seeing none, I'll continue on.
Department of Finance, Office of the Comptroller General, infrastructure investment, $1,200,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, Members. Please return now to the Department of Finance summary found on page 32.
Department of Finance, 2026-2027 Capital Estimates, $50,309,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Committee, that concludes our consideration of the Department of Finance. Thank you, committee, and thank you, Minister. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses from the chambers.
We're going to stop here. We're going to have a 30-minute break, and then we'll come back. Thank you.
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Committee, we have agreed -- order. Order.
Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 385-20(1), 2026-2027 Capital Estimates, Department of Justice. Does the Minister of Justice wish to bring witnesses into the chamber?
Yes, please, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the chambers.
We will continue on. Thank you, Sergeant-at-Arms. Would the Minister introduce the witnesses.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. To my left I have Charlene Doolittle, deputy minister. And to my right, I have James Bancroft, assistant director of corporate. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. The committee has agreed to forego general comments. Is the committee agreed to proceed to the details contained in table documents?
Agreed.
Agreed? Thank you, committee. The Department of Justice begins on page 64, and we will defer the department totals and review the estimates by activity summary.
Beginning on page 65 with correction services with information items on page 66, are there any questions? I'm going to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I'm looking here on page 66 of the project listing for corrections. Could the Minister please explain the North Slave correctional complex harm reduction cell. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll pass that to the director. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the director.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That NSCC harm reduction cell is a cell that's being repurposed from the existing high security area of the building into a harm reduction cell with soft surfaces and lack of protruding points. This was originally identified through a violence/threat risk assessment report that the facility was lacking this infrastructure, so we're remedying that recommendation now. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go back to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you for that explanation. I'm curious -- I'm happy to hear that this work is happening. I'm glad that the department is actioning that recommendation. But what was the correctional complex doing to reduce harm to inmates who maybe needed a space like this previous to this being retrofitted? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will go to the director again. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go back to the director.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This cell enhancement will allow for the similar level of programming to be delivered for an inmate that's suffering a crisis, whether that be through withdrawals for alcohol or drugs or other behavioral issues. The manner in which the facility would have addressed those risks is similar to -- or it will be similar, however the facility that this is going to be allowing for will be a much safer environment for the offender while they're experiencing those moments of crisis. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. I'll go back to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, no, it's good to hear that we are creating a safer environment for folks who are experiencing extreme distress. So more of a comment. Thank you. Nothing further.
Okay, thank you. Are there any further general comments from Members? Okay, seeing none, I'll continue on.
Department of Justice, corrections services, infrastructure investment, $1,140,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
