Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? Motion carried. Thank you.
---Carried
I am going to go to the Member from Monfwi for Motion number 40.
Mr. Chair, I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories review the disposal of residential property policy to ensure that Housing Northwest Territories' assets located on treaty territory, and subject to disposal under the policy, provide Indigenous governments with the first right of refusal. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? Motion carried. Thank you.
---Carried
I am going to go to the Member from Monfwi for Motion number 41.
Mr. Chair, I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories review the community housing support initiative program to ensure it is reaching its goals and full effectiveness;
And further, specifically, this committee recommends interviewing current and past recipients on the feasibility of supporting housing affordability and adequacy beyond the duration of their contribution agreement in order to evaluate the initiative's long-term impact on housing;
And furthermore, it is recommended that the Government of the Northwest Territories publish the results of the program review and share it with the Standing Committee on Social Development. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? Motion carried.
---Carried
I am going to go to the Member from Monfwi for Motion number 42.
Mr. Chair, I move that the committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories review all Housing Northwest Territories financial policies, including policies respecting loans and grants, to ensure treaty obligations are upheld;
And further, specifically, to ensure that policies safeguard against unfairly including treaty-related income such as dividend payments, or gifts, into an applicant's income and thus disproportionately impacting their eligibility or level of assistance;
And furthermore, this committee recommends the Government of the Northwest Territories make any necessary policy changes to achieve this. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? Motion carried. Thank you.
---Carried
I'll go to the Member from Monfwi for Motion number 43.
Mr. Chair, I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories review and revise the collection policy to ensure that the policy prioritizes the well-being and dignity of individuals and their right to adequate housing;
And further, collection action should not jeopardize an individual's ability to secure and maintain adequate housing;
And furthermore, the collection policy should establish clear accountability mechanisms to ensure that collections comply with human rights standards;
And furthermore, in its review, the Government of the Northwest Territories should engage individuals and communities experiencing housing challenges. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? Motion carried. Thank you.
---Carried
I am going to go to the Member from Monfwi for Motion number 44.
Mr. Chair, I move that this committee recommends that the Government of Northwest Territories respond to this report within 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? Motion carried.
---Carried
Thank you to the Member from Monfwi. Thank you, committee. We have concluded consideration of Committee Report 29-20(1), Standing Committee on Social Development Report on Housing as a Human Right. And we'll take a short break, 20 minutes. We'll come back. Thank you.
---SHORT RECESS
Thank you. I am going to call to order here. I want to go to Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move the chair rise and report progress.
Thank you. There's a motion on the floor to report progress. The motion is in order and non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion carried.
---Carried
Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Committee Report 29-20(1) and would like to report progress with 44 motions carried, that Committee Report 29-20(1) is concluded. And, Mr. Speaker, I move that report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Can I have a seconder? Oh, you guys are all excited today. How about I pick on the guy from Range Lake. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? Opposed? Abstentions? I didn't see anything. Okay, motion carried.
---Carried
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that Bill 36, Appropriation Act, (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2026-2027, be read for the third time. Mr. Speaker, I would request a recorded vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. The motion is in order. To the motion. No? Good try. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do have a few things to say.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to rise today to express support for the 2026-2027 Capital Estimates and to reaffirm our government's commitment to delivering infrastructure that meets the needs of Northerners.
Mr. Speaker, this year's plan outlines over $436 million in investments that will strengthen our communities, improve public services, and support economic growth. These investments include major projects in housing, health care, energy, and transportation, each one designed to improve the quality of life, build resilience across the territory. And in particular, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to point to a few capital projects that will be funded by this bill as follows:
There are tens of millions of dollars in funding to maintain and build schools in all communities across the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, Northwest Territories Housing Corporation has the second highest allocation of capital dollars after the Department of Infrastructure. This investment of $50.4 million reflects our commitment to advance available housing across the Northwest Territories.
The construction of the Dehk'e Frank Channel bridge. This bridge is a critical connection point between several communities, including the capital city and the rest of the country. It is nationally strategic infrastructure, being the land connection to Joint Task Force North, as well as being the link to existing diamond mines and a likely link to the future Arctic Economic Security Corridor.
We are investing significantly in highway maintenance and reconstruction across the territory. There are upgrades planned for key routes, including Highways No. 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, and 10. These investments are essential for ensuring safe and reliable transportation, supporting community access, and enabling the movement of goods and services. By improving culverts, road surfaces, bridge infrastructure, we are reducing risks from climate impacts and enhancing year-round connectivity for residents, businesses, and emergency services.
As described in detail in my Minister's statement earlier today, we also continue to ensure adequate funding to maintain and to continue engagement, advanced planning, and assessment work for the Mackenzie Valley Highway, the Taltson Expansion, and the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor.
At times, I may be asked why there are not larger sums allotted to these projects, given that they will be collectively requiring multi-billion dollar scale investments to reach completion. I do want to assure residents that we have sufficient appropriations with the proposals of today to do the work that is planned for this coming fiscal year. And as I noted during my statement, all three of these projects are progressing with greater pace than what had been seen in years gone by. This is reflective of the urgency that's being seen nationally in order to advance critical infrastructure that supports Canada's security and prosperity.
Work will also continue to design and build a transmission line between the Taltson hydro facility and the communities of Fort Providence and Kakisa. Funding allocated to this work is part of the 16 percent of this budget that will be helping to advance renewable energy initiatives across the Northwest Territories in order to support greater energy independence and sustainability.
For the sake of residents who may not be familiar with our internal processes, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to say a few words about the process of passing a budget through the Northwest Territories consensus Government. Unlike a government where a majority party might only inform other elected Members of the details when the document is tabled, in our system the process begins with significant information sharing with all Members of the Assembly.
First, the infrastructure acquisition plan, which is the foundation for the future capital estimates, is shared in the early summer months for comments from committee. Once developed into the capital estimates, these too are then shared with the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight, and I had the opportunity to brief our colleagues from the AOC towards the end of August and early September. This is an opportunity to answer questions, but it is also an opportunity for government to start to gain awareness of areas where there may be some concerns. And once the fall session begins, I had the opportunity and pleasure to meet with the chair of AOC to further discuss what areas of the capital estimates Members may want to see changed or enhanced in order to support their passage into an appropriation bill.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that once again this process has produced a positive end result that improves the capital budget with additions that reflect the priorities established for the 20th Legislative Assembly. These commitments will be advanced through supplementary appropriations and future capital planning.
First, we will allocate approximately $2 million towards the purchase of emergency backup generators for the Chief Julius School in Fort McPherson and the Chief Paul Niditchie School in Tsiigehtchic. I want to thank the Member from the Mackenzie Delta for raising this issue and highlighting an area of risk impacting the residents in his riding. But this also reminds us that to support priority focus on emergency preparedness, we need to ensure that all residents in all communities have access to adequate emergency sheltering.
On that note, Mr. Speaker, I'd also like to thank all MLAs who are Members of the Committee on Small and Remote Communities. Their ongoing work continues to shine a light on the particular challenges faced by small communities so that when there are positions being taken or policies being changed, we can keep that in mind. And with that in mind, we are further committing to assess whether other community muster points require emergency capacity, and we will commit to doing that work in the coming year.
We will also be providing $420,000 to complete 14 overdue school facility assessments in Yellowknife but, again, also in communities outside of the capital region, all of which would be outside of the established five-year cycle. This ensures our infrastructure decisions are based on current and accurate data. And on this item, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Yellowknife MLAs in particular for calling attention to this need. Again, as you see, Mr. Speaker, we also relied on the perspectives of others to remember that there may be others who are experiencing the same challenge.
As you can see, these assessments at $420,000 are not inexpensive, and obviously our fiscal capacity to deliver major renovations or replacements will continue to be stretched for the near future. But having these assessments ensures that decision-making about future projects is being done with the best available information.
Mr. Speaker, renovations to the N'dilo school will be added to the 2027-2028 capital plan following technical planning work, which will be happening this coming fiscal year.
Mr. Speaker, one last item: Work is continuing towards a better policy-based approach to support housing clients dealing with historical arrears from legacy homeownership. And on this, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank and acknowledge the work of the MLA from Monfwi, who has been a particularly tireless advocate on this issue. Obviously, just today, Mr. Speaker, we heard some 44 recommendations. I believe the approach that we are taking on this one issue is aligned with what we've heard in those recommendations today. It is my expectation that we will make this change this calendar year as quickly as possible with a view to seeing residents begin to benefit from those changes.
Last, Mr. Speaker, we will expedite the Mineral Administration and Registry System and online map staking projects, also known as MARS, in order to modernize our resource management tools and support responsible development.
Mr. Speaker, these commitments reflect our shared priorities. They reflect the collaborative spirit of consensus government, and they demonstrate our responsiveness to community needs and our dedication to building a more sustainable future.
I am proud of the balanced and forward-looking capital plan we've developed. I am proud of the changes that we've made as a group here. And I look forward to working with Members to ensure these investments deliver lasting benefits to residents across the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife South. To the motion. Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the middle of Jay's fever, I admit I did not spend a lot of time writing this particular speech, but I did spend several months up to this amazing World Series run being briefed by our fantastic Legislative Assembly staff and by the Minister of Finance on what this capital budget includes.
Notably, Mr. Speaker, it includes the historic win for housing that Members negotiated in the last operational budget. That enough is reason for me to vote in favour of this budget. However, members and constituents we represent rightly point out that this is not enough, that there's never enough for our crumbling infrastructure of roads, schools, houses, and healthcare infrastructure. And I agree. What is there right now is upgrades to assets for accessibility. That is important. There is a new patrol facility for the winter road used as a point for renewable resource officers to monitor caribou harvest. That is important. There are upgrades to next-gen 9-1-1 services. That is important. There's ISIP funding to most of our communities. Quite important. There are small community health care critical upgrades. That is incredibly important. There is the construction of the Dehk'e Frank Channel Bridge, a critically important asset that impacts the whole territory. And yes, there are outhouses which are critically important when you need them, Mr. Speaker.
There are many other critical projects and assets that are funded in this budget. Right now, I don't see a future where we have enough money to spend on all the infrastructure priorities we have as a territory. We will be perpetually behind in addressing our urgent infrastructure needs without significant generational investment from our federal partners. In the meantime, what is very important is to spend prudently and plan as carefully as we possibly can, that any large-scale project that we take on, including the big three, that is Taltson, MVH, and the Slave Geological, need prudent planning and O and M transparency for whether we can afford long-term costs, from toilets to highways, houses to hospitals. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. To the motion. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we'd all want more for our constituencies. We know that. We know, Mr. Speaker, that the reality is there is only so much revenue to go around. You know, you talk to each Member, and they'll tell you that, you know, obviously, they want more. There's infrastructure needs. There's program needs for the regions as well. And, obviously, we've seen our fiscal sustainability drastically reduced, mainly because this side of the House and in cooperation with Cabinet, fought last year to get the $150 million for housing that we required. And, yes, it may not be enough. Well, we know it's not enough but certainly it's a start, and that $50.4 million is included in this capital budget, Mr. Speaker.
What we need, Mr. Speaker, is more focus on economic development. The issue is not our spending, it's not a spending problem, it's a revenue problem, Mr. Speaker.
Major projects are great. You know, the Finance Minister alluded to them. The Member from Great Slave alluded to them. And that's great, and we continue to advocate for those, and we plan for those, and we reap the rewards from those. But that's simply not enough, Mr. Speaker. We have the natural resources. We have an abundance of minerals, of natural gas. We could become self-reliant on energy and provide an economy like we've never seen before, Mr. Speaker, in this territory. We just need to have the wherewithal and the focus and the strategy to do it. I say again, and I say it every year, we still remain resource rich and cash poor, Mr. Speaker.
I'm not going to take a lot of time; I think the Minister summed it up well. I'd like to thank all the Members from the accountability and oversight committee for the work we've done this past fall and leading into this session to get some of these additions to the capital budget. Again, we didn't get everything we wanted on there for each region, but certainly we did get some significant additions in there. I certainly appreciate the work that everyone has done here. I certainly appreciate the work from Cabinet and specifically the work from the Minister of Finance in our collaboration and our back and forth negotiation to get these additions into the capital budget. And I will be supporting the capital budget. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. To the motion. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today just to talk about how here in Canada we have the Indian Act. And back in 1967, the Territorial Council, or the what is known now today as the GNWT, was created under the Indian Act. And today, right now in this House, we represent the Crown here in the Northwest Territories for the Indian, Metis, and Inuit.
A good portion of the budget that comes from the Government of Canada is approximately $1.8 billion that we get that comes into general revenues in this government. But in March of this year, I want to point out that when the budget was put together and it was voted in this House that the budget was -- previous budget of 2023-2024, the budget was $2.29 billion. We increased it to $2.5 billion. The deficit was $1.7 billion, and we moved it up to $1.8 billion. The borrowing limit of this government at that time was $1.8 billion. The borrowing increase went from $1.8 billion to $3.2 billion. And we also included in that same budget a housing budget of $41 million. The total that we approved in this House for this government for this fiscal year was $1.75 billion.
Mr. Speaker, when I put my name forward to be the MLA for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh in the 19th Assembly, I brought forward a wish list to this Assembly. And what I was told -- and I mentioned this before -- is that the train left the station because I came in midway through a four-year term, and the train was already moving down the track. And I even asked the Premier of the day if I was able to put the wishes of my four communities onto the capital plan, and the Premier of the day had said that I couldn't do that because the train already left the station. She said she'll try to put the wishes of my riding onto the train, so it gets on the capital plan, but what happened is that that train left and we tried to throw that luggage on the train. It just bounced off.
So, anyway, after I got re-elected, I wrote a letter to the Premier on February 15, 2024, outlining the wishes, again, for Dettah, N'dilo, Lutselk'e, and Fort Resolution. Because the chief and council, the Metis council, those are the ones I have to work with. So I submitted the wish list. And on February 23rd, I got a reply back from the Premier acknowledging receipt of my wishes. But that's over a couple of years now. But not long ago, on October 22nd, I was asked to resubmit the wishes of my four communities so that they could try to get onto the capital plan. And we got a reply back that the stuff that I wanted to see for my community -- I'll give you an example.
In Lutselk'e, we got dust problems in the summertime. Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, of all the five regions of the Northwest Territories, we had the highest funeral rates this fiscal year alone. I think we got 33. In Lutselk'e, the problem there is health issues with the dust. And I kind of stress it often because even this morning I had a breakfast meeting with the Chief Marlowe, and he was very upset that we couldn't get it onto the capital plan to look at putting chip seal into the community of Lutselk'e. Even if we were to put it onto the capital plan or do a study on it, even if it takes two or three years, let's just try and find a way that we could work with Cabinet and take a look as to how we could try and to address these issues that come from my riding. But it didn't make it onto the capital plan, in this budget.
The other issue that keeps coming back to me is the issue of Jordan's Principle for our kids in our community. Not only that we're --
Member for Tu Nedhe-Willideh.
Thank you. Anyway, I just wanted to say that the capital plan that's been put together this year was put together -- I guess in my view is that even though we're a Crown, there was no consultation, no accommodation, and that's a big concern to me because when I go to Dettah and N'dilo, I go to the chief and council meetings, nobody from this government, from infrastructure, comes to that community. Same thing with Lutselk'e. Same thing with Fort Resolution. So here we are now, Mr. Speaker, is that it's really tough for me to come here and talk about this because, you know, like we said we're really poor as a government, but we're rich in resources. But the day is going to come that we as a government, we could be legally challenged by Indigenous governments on Crown consultation and accommodation. And that's concerning, especially when we get $1.8 billion from Ottawa.
So the wishes that I put forward, it's still my hope that we could still work together with Cabinet and government because we're already halfway through our term. We still got another two years. The last six months of government, we're in election mode. So between now and then, I'll continue to work with Cabinet to look for ways as to how I can get my luggage into the capital plan.
So there's a lot of issues out there. And it's right, We got a lot of issues that are confronting our communities. But for today, Mr. Speaker, as much as I would like to continue to look for ways to work together and represent my four communities, it's really tough. But I would like to look at a way forward. I'm trying to make consensus government work. But for now, Mr. Speaker, because I got a huge list here of needs from my community and it's not even being looked at -- we had a couple projects that were undertaken in partnership with Housing NWT. We, this year, already knew coming to this government that housing policies of government wasn't really working for our communities, and I had to figure a way as to how I could address the issues in small communities with housing.
We already know that Government of Canada, back in 1991, stopped the homeownership assistance program, home improvement, emergency repair programs. The programs that we really need, it ended. But today, we got a lot of HAP houses in our community are reaching out to the 50-year lifecycle, and they're really in desperate need of repairs. And if we don't address that soon, then we already are in housing crisis. It will only add to that. So I am grateful that we got some money to do this work.
Further to that, we also got additional monies to help the community of Lutselk'e for the homes they received from Government of Canada. They got funding for ten homes. But the thing is that they needed help with lot development. So, again, I approached Housing NWT, and again, they were really understanding as to how we could work together because housing is still a top priority in this government. And, again, I'm very grateful that they were able to help us out.
I'm happy to hear that we got the monies for some of the technical report for the N'dilo school. That is much needed. But we still need help in the community halls for Dettah and N'dilo. That's under DPW; that's been paid for. That's undersize. And the kids in Dettah are using that school, the gymnasium for the kids. N'dilo, it's the same thing. The gym that's there is also used for a community hall.
So, again, Mr. Speaker, as much as I like to push really hard for what I need for our small communities because I hear from the chief, the council, the Metis presidents, and local people in the community, there are a lot of issues. And I don't know if you noticed but I didn't ask any questions of the health Minister this week because we work closely together trying to look for solutions. The same thing with Vince -- sorry, the Minister of MACA.
Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
