Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up on my Member's statement around the shortfall between the NIHB program and what GNWT's paying, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Could she provide the latest cost -- what it's cost our government to cover the shortfall from NIHB. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe the shortfall for 2023-2024 was $7 million, and the shortfall for 2024-2025 was $13 million. However, I'd just like to add that these two years, we were provided the first time ever a supplementary additional payment on top of what they normally give us, which was a total of $25 million for each year. And previous years before this, as long as we've been administering NIHB, they've never been -- they've never given us that money. So the years before, we could probably calculate $20 million, $25 million on average, that we've been overspending. And with the cost of inflation, it's only going up. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you for that. And obviously the concerns I brought up in my statement were certainly verified by the cost it's costing us.
To better alleviate some of the time zone challenges and certainly better communicate with departments and residents, has there been any consultation with NIHB regarding moving the NIHB office to Yellowknife where it should be to be in our time zone and for it to be able to have advocacy here as we know we are a contractor, not advocates, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know that within Indigenous governments and the GNWT over the years, you know, we work closely with the northern region district. However, the NIHB, like, program is housed for not just with us, with Nunavut as well, in Ottawa. And due to the fact that our two territories administer the program, they provide the Indigenous governments with navigators, like so there's NIHB navigator, I think at least within Inuvialuit, and then there's an NIHB navigator with Dene Nation. And that's what they've committed to be supporting residents in the Northwest Territories. However, there hasn't been any question of having an office here because GNWT administers the program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate that. I just think how good it will be to have that office right next to the medical travel office here in Yellowknife, would make way more sense. Having said that, I know the Minister has been working with ISC, working on a new agreement. Can the Minister please provide when she would anticipate that the new agreement will be finalized. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's ongoing conversations between my department and Indigenous Service Canada. You know, we need to have an agreement before March 31st as our agreement did expire last March 31st. So that's the work that we're working on right now. And the important piece to understand is that when the new government was -- when they prorogued and then the new government was elected, they didn't resume conversations on a lot of this until after the budget. So we've been in mad meetings with ISC trying to make sure that this agreement is what we need for the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
