Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't want to presuppose the work of the committee with respect to how the action plan is being formed and what it will contain or its detail. There is a lot of work happening across departments. We are all contributing to being part of the work on behalf of the GNWT as being just one Member at that table. So, Mr. Speaker, and I don't want to also -- to take away from the fact that the GNWT has bilateral agreements with multiple Indigenous governments and that we also sit at Council of Leaders and at IGCS. So there's a great deal of integration within the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, I agree, an excellent question and appreciate it, Mr. Speaker, and there will be divergence of views on this. I recognize that. It is an area that when we did engagement over a year and some, 2023-2024, it's an area that I, frankly, found interesting to read and learn more about. There is, again, divergence of view on it. But one of the views that the Department of Finance has here ultimately adopted is that folks who may experience some form of disability don't want to have to self-disclose in order to be able to gain advantage, and so what we would...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, Mr. Chair, I mean, I'm not going to ask the public service necessarily to run theoretical scenarios on things that may or may not happen in a space where they have previously done and been able to, you know, respond fairly quickly, that there's a lot of understanding within the department and our fiscal policy division of what the current circumstances are, what the current options are. They've had multiple conversations with the Department of Finance over the last couple of years every time there's been changes from the federal side. We have the option to zero out...

Sorry, Mr. Chair. Yes, they're for the transfer over. Thank you. They were previously -- yes, they were previously -- they were previously unfunded, showing as unfunded in Infrastructure, but they're being brought in and reflected for the fact that they were filled in or need to be filled. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's not that they're inaccurate. It's that at this point in time in the fiscal year, we don't have the actuals, so we are expecting or projecting right now that the year will end higher, closer to the $20 million range, which is where this year in the main estimates we have proposed to increase the budget to match closer to actuals from 2023-2024 closer to what we are projecting the ultimate number to be at the end of this fiscal year. Revised is done, I think, before, roughly in December, so -- I may be wrong on the timing on that. But it is not something that we had a...

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: 2023-2024 Public Accounts, Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4. Thank you, Mr. Speaker

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So the Indigenous development and training program supports professional development for Indigenous employees by giving skills training, work experience, depending upon what the circumstances might be. So there's what is provided as a grant from the Department of Finance to help support employees through their departments to undertake these opportunities. We have a budget for up to 40 grants per year, and it's -- the number of applicants receiving funding supported by their departments has grown over the last few years. We are now as of, I believe last fiscal, sitting at...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 19, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025, be read for the third time. Mr. Speaker, I would request a recorded vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, again, Mr. Chair, this is back to, as I suggested earlier, that not yet finally knowing, A, when an election will be called; and, B, who would be elected, when they would be elected, and when they might make whatever changes they might make. The uncertainties that pile up with that, Mr. Chair, we're not going to be coming out right now and saying what we will or will not do other than to say that we'll remain in compliance at this time with the federal legislation, and, obviously, as that may vary, then we would be in a position to decide whether we want to vary ours...

That we do regularly, Mr. Chair. So there -- and, again, happy to provide sort of as of January 30th, 2025, I do have a comparison of combined marginal personal income tax rates, retail sales tax, fuel tax, carbon tax, tobacco tax, payroll tax, corporate income tax, and taxes on financial institutions, which we don't have in the North. It's a full chart against all provinces and territories so, Mr. Chair, probably not something that you want me to read out here with four minutes on the clock, but I can provide it to all Members and certainly consider having it put forward. Thank you.