Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, being an interim budget does mean that the departments are getting sort of roughly 20 to 25 percent of their usual or of their expected amount based on last year's budget, but it's not including any potential changes that may come. Any potential changes that may come as a result of the priorities setting or other initiatives that that would be part of the budget that's going forward in May and June, but there certainly is you know, this will give them the opportunity to at least begin their work as of April 1st. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to say there are three pages here working from Yellowknife South. Always pleased to have their support and assistance. Michael Bell, Caleb Doering, and Seth Gordon. Thank you for all your help here today.

yes.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following four documents: Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 20232024; Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 20232024; Restoring Balance: A Fiscal Sustainability Strategy for the 20th Legislative Assembly; and, Evacuation Support Program Data as of February 14th, 2024. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's also some pretty exceptional examples of public/private partnerships that came in on time and on budget not the least of which is the Tlicho AllSeason Road. That said, I do agree that there is certainly a need to ensure that all capital planning has a good news story at the end of the day no matter what the financing arrangement might be. There's been some changes in the last Assembly to the capital planning process to have more planning, to have more dollars in the planning so that the cost estimates that we have are of a greater certainty and that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is certainly a role that I think every Member of the House would be taking seriously, and I certainly would do so as well within my capacity. As part of the budgeting process, Mr. Speaker, I instituted and intend to continue doing a budget dialogue process. It's an opportunity where I have specific meetings with Indigenous governments here or within the Northwest Territories. I also have a separate specific meeting with NWTAC, the representation for the municipalities, then do public sessions and sessions with other stakeholders. These are going to be...

Mr. Speaker, I'm happy to speak to that. Mr. Speaker, I spent a fair bit of time in front of committee last Assembly. I expect I'll spend a lot of time in front of committee again. I've also already made efforts to share information with committee, both in terms of sharing the fiscal strategy, which I'll note, Mr. Speaker, in the past, certainly in the four years ago and my knowledge of past Assemblies, a fiscal strategy was not shared in advance, was not shared with committee, was not made public. We've already made better than that. We shared with committee. We then took it out to the public...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, any I think this actually often does come up in asking why we can't do multiyear contracts or multiyear funding agreements. Every appropriation is a year over year appropriation for the government. So in other words, we get the ability to spend public dollars only based on one year at a time approved here by the Legislative Assembly. So when we come forward in May/June, if the Legislative Assembly decides not to approve something that in this interim period we had proceeded with based on past activities or past practice, then those contribution agreements...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're all happy to share on this side of the House. Mr. Speaker, the carbon tax regulations that were changed came about as a result, quite frankly, of a significant amount of outcry by the public. So it was very apparent that members of the public were wondering when they would see an equivalent amount of relief to what was being promised by other jurisdictions across Canada, the regulations lie within the Department of Finance to make those changes, and in response to what was really a very strong, very clear request from the public those changes were...

Sorry, Mr. Chair, I'm having some trouble hearing. I think it is actually maybe I think Mr. Courtoreille heard it so let me pass it over to him, please.