Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't want elders to leave their home communities either. If we removed the income threshold for all elders, all seniors across the Northwest Territories, we would have people that would -- that had large pensions that were able to access the program. And so that's why we have the program that is new to this Assembly, is the income assistance for seniors and persons with disabilities so that if people's monthly income is not meeting their needs that that program is where it will help them meet their monthly needs, and it will cover their full utilities. Because we don't want elders to have to leave their home communities if they aren't able to meet their monthly living needs. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Rule 7.2(7)(2), I have received follow-up information for the following oral questions from the first session of the 20th Legislative Assembly: 774, 839, and 869. These follow-ups will be printed in full in today's Hansard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents: 2026-2027 Main Estimates; 2026-2027 Government of the Northwest Territories Annual Business Plan Update; and, Letter from Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, dated September 2, 2025, to the Board of Directors regarding the 2025 Direction Letter to Board of Directors. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for NTPC. Tabling of documents. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Additional Information for Follow-up to Oral Question 839-20(1), Emergency Back-up Generators in School. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Response to Motion 64-20(1), Naming of the 50th Street Affordable Housing Complex. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I now call the Committee of the Whole to order. I am going to go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. What is the wish of committee?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And committee wishes to consider 2026-2027 Main Estimates, Department of Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly and the Department of Finance. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, we'll take a short break. Thank you.
---SHORT RECESS
Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 449-20(1), 2026-2027 Main Estimates. We will now consider the Legislative Assembly. Does the Speaker wish to bring witnesses into the chamber?
Yes, I do.
Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the chambers.
Would the Speaker please introduce his witnesses.
Thank you, Mr. Chairperson. On my left is Harjot Sidhu, acting clerk of the Legislative Assembly. And on my right is Miranda Bye, deputy clerk, Members and precinct services.
Okay, thank you. The committee has agreed to forego general comments on the Legislative Assembly. Does committee agree to proceed to the details contained in tabled documents? Committee?
Agreed.
Thank you. We will defer the Legislative Assembly summary and review the estimates by activity summary, beginning with expenditures on behalf of the Members starting on page 8. Are there any questions? Seeing none, no further questions. Please turn to page 9.
Legislative Assembly, expenditures on behalf of the Members, $9,011,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Moving on to the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, beginning on page 10 with information items on page 12. Are there any questions? Seeing none, no further questions. Please turn to page 11.
Legislative Assembly, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, $717,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Moving on to the Office of the Clerk, beginning on page 13, with information item on page 15. Are there any questions?
I am going to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can the Speaker just explain what are the two additional positions being added to the Office of the Clerk. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. For that detail, I'll turn to Miranda, please.
Thank you. I'll go to the acting deputy clerk.
Deputy clerk.
deputy clerk.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the Member for the question. The two positions in this budget are a new position for information and technology, an IT specialist with the Office of the Clerk. And there is an intern position that had sunset last year and is being added again into this year's budget.
Thank you. I'll go back to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Okay. Is the intern position, like, externally funded, or that's always been internally funded but you're saying it was sunset last year and the position -- there was no position this past fiscal year but now it's being reintroduced. Can you just explain whether there's been someone all along but it's been somehow funded differently, or if there was sort of a position missing and now there's going to be an intern position once again. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to Mr. Speaker.
I will start and then I'll turn it to the deputy clerk if we need further. So it's funded internally, and it's an internship like anything else from other departments within the government. So you apply and sometimes you don't get the funding available, and so we have to find it internally through that. With your permission, Mr. Chair, I'll ask the deputy clerk to fill more on there. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the deputy clerk.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is an internship that we had initially applied for two years of funding for. We were approved for that but weren't able to fill the position for the first year. So we were funded last year for this intern, and now that has lapsed we are funding that same intern with internal resources for the second year.
Okay, thank you. I'll go back to the Member from Yellowknife North.
