Agreed.
Thank you. Moving on to the Office of the Chief Information Officer, beginning on page 172 with information items on page 174. Are there any questions?
The Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, okay, first question, so we have heard that about a year ago, January 2025, the CRTC, the Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission, announced that they were going to introduce some sort of subsidy for internet services in the North, and so I wonder if the Minister can update us what is happening with this promised subsidy for internet. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I am going to go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wish I could give more information on what they are doing with that subsidy. I would certainly also like to see it introduced. Our understanding, the last time that we checked in with them, which staff in the department certainly do, is that they're still trying to figure out exactly how that might unfold, how it would be administered, and -- yeah well, how it would be administered. So, again, we'll continue to remind them that they've made this -- or this -- that they've created this obligation and that folks are very much on baited breath to see it. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I'll go back to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Okay, so we will keep waiting on that one.
I know that there has been a reorganization of the technology service centre into finance. I think it falls within -- generally within the chief information officer over the last few years. And so my understanding was the idea was to find efficiencies there. And so can the Minister explain what kinds of efficiencies have been found? Were there any redundancies in positions that were able to be streamlined? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I am going to go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, I don't -- this was something that was underway prior to now but certainly wasn't, to my understanding, necessarily an area where the combination of the two things would lead to dollar savings so much as it would lead to improvement in how the department was functioning, where you previously had technical staff with expertise in one area, technical staff with related expertise in another area, but no ability necessarily to provide redundancy or backup one to the other. So that problem has now been eliminated. Areas that there have been some savings generally aren't -- again, not necessarily from -- expressly from the fact that there's been a combination of TSC under the OCIO, but they have made some changes that I think are related with respect, for example, of moving our -- one of our cyber security softwares has saved about $100,000. Renegotiating our long-distance expenses has saved us over $300,000. And even just changing our boardroom video conferencing software systems, again, $200,000. So approaching about a million dollars in savings by just adjustments in terms of the software and outsourcing the hardware that we use. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I'll go back to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Okay, no, I'll leave it there. Thank you for that information. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. Is there any further questions? No further questions, please turn to page 173.
Department of Finance, Office of the Chief Information Officer, $26,307,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Moving on to the Office of the Comptroller General, beginning on page 175 with information items on page 177 to 178. Are there any questions?
I am going to go to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, can finance provide more details on the $5.5 million increase in funding for employee medical travel assistance and the $2 million for employee dental services? Medical travel has continued to increase over time. Is there an expectation that it will continue to increase in future budgets? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the funding request is being driven by growth in the public service, which then increases of course the number of individuals who are eligible for receiving benefits as well as their dependents, as well the rise in airfare costs post-COVID that have really not seen much reduction, not significantly so since then. Changes in flight schedules impact the availability of flights and also can lead to increases in hotel accommodations for folks who are coming from areas where some flight schedules have been reduced. In addition to that, Mr. Chair, there's been a significant change in dental referrals and the need for medical travel associated to what were really often fairly simple and routine dental services previously, but then with the loss of a number of dental services during and post-COVID, that has resulted in significant cost changes in that regard. As far as do we see them continuing, there are a variety of efforts underway to see that they are not continuing. Really, those are being led by the Department of Health and Social Services predominantly in terms of trying to address medical travel efficiency, medical travel referrals, and dental service availability. On our side, for staff specifically, a couple of the changes underway and coming soon would be to provide public servants with the ability to do their own travel bookings. We made an effort to roll this out as a bit of a test, determined that that was more complicated than we had hoped, but we do have a contract in place right now and are hoping to make it available more widely so people can make their own bookings. It takes a step out, makes the system hopefully easier for folks, and hopefully then does provide savings if people are making their bookings in a more timely way. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go back to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Well, that's interesting and good news and probably will alleviate a lot of stress for people on the last-minute end of things.
I have a question from the business plan, and I apologize if this is not the correct area or activity to discuss it. I might have missed my chance under the policy group; however, I would note that in the business plan update that the Insurance Act and Payroll Tax Act have been dropped from the legislative initiatives listing in the business plan. And I recognize that all of Cabinet has done an undertaking to prioritize legislation coming forward in this Assembly; however, I'm curious as to why this one fell off. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Well, Mr. Chair, I mean, there was obviously -- there's only so many people who do the policy work which provides the drafting instructions and then so many people who do the actual drafting thereof, and it was determined that neither of those two areas were considered to be priorities given the limited months available and some of the other needs that has arisen in the interim. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And yeah, no, fair enough. I suppose, too, that my understanding of the insurance act is not so much that we necessarily control what insurance companies do in the territory rather we allow them to provide their products in the territory. I do have more policy questions in that area, but for the interest of time and everyone's tiredness, I will stop there. Thank you.
Thank you to the Member. Is there any further questions? No further questions, please turn to page 176.
Department of Finance, Office of the Comptroller General, $145,120,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. There are additional information items on page 179 to 184. Are there any questions? Thank you, Members. Please return now to the department summary found on page 157 with information items on pages 158 to 159. Are there any questions? Seeing no further questions, committee, I will now call the department summary.
Finance, operations expenditures, total department, 2026-2027 Main Estimates, $354,984,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. I am going to go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that this committee defer further consideration of the 2026-2027 Main Estimates for the Department of Finance at this time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. The motion is in order. The motion is non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried. I will now rise and report progress.
---Carried
I will go back to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move the chair rise and report progress.
Thank you. I will now rise and report progress. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
It's been a long night. Thank you.
Thank you. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Tabled Document 449-20(1) and would like to report progress with one motion carried. And, Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Can I have a seconder to the motion? Member from the Sahtu. All those in favour? All those opposed? Unanimous -- too late.
Recorded vote.
The Member from Range Lake. The Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. The Member from Monfwi. The Member from Frame Lake. The Member from Great Slave. The Member from Mackenzie Delta. The Member from Yellowknife North. The Member from Thebacha. The Member from Yellowknife South. The Member from Kam Lake. The Member from Hay River North. The Member from Hay River South. The Member from Inuvik Twin Lakes. The Member from Nunakput. The Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. The Member for the Sahtu.
All those opposed, please stand.
The Member for Yellowknife Centre.
I don't quit.
Any abstentions, please stand. Very close vote. 16 in favour. One opposed. Zero abstentions. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Reports of Committee of the Whole. Third reading of bills.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Orders of the day for Friday, February 6th, 2026, at 10 a.m.
Prayer or Reflection
Ministers??? Statements
Members??? Statements
Returns to Oral Questions
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Replies to the Budget Address (Day 2 of 7)
Acknowledgements
Oral Questions
Written Questions
Written Question 26-20(1), Physician Recruitment and Retention Yellowknife North HSS
Written Question 27-20(1), Medical Travel Yellowknife North HSS
Written Question 28-20(1) Paramedic Contracts
Written Question 29-20(1), Application of Waters Act Provisions to the Sale or Transfer of Mining Assets
Returns to Written Questions
Replies to the Commissioner???s Address
Petitions
Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills
Reports of Standing and Special Committees
Tabling of Documents
Notices of Motion
Motions
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills
First Reading of Bills
Second Reading of Bills
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
- Tabled Document 449-20(1), 2026-2027 Main Estimates
Report of Committee of the Whole
Third Reading of Bills
Orders of the Day
Thank you, Mr. Clerk. This House stands adjourned until Friday, February 6th, 2026, at 10 a.m.
---ADJOURNMENT
The House adjourned at 7:24 p.m.
