Members of Cabinet met yesterday with federal Ministers to discuss increases to federal health care funding.

Premier Caroline Cochrane was joined by Minister of Health and Social Services Julie Green and Minister of Finance Caroline Wawzonek in a meeting with federal Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities Dominic LeBlanc and federal Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos.

Today, Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek presented the 2023-24 Budget, the final budget of the 19th Legislative Assembly.

Budget 2023-24 prioritizes initiatives already set in motion to ensure their sustainability and successful transition into the next Assembly. Improvements to the capital budgeting process, strengthened debt management policies and a projected operating surplus of $178 million will allow the Assembly to end in better financial shape than it began.

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is seeking input from Indigenous governments, Indigenous organizations, and residents of the Northwest Territories (NWT) to replace its Affirmative Action Policy with an Indigenous Employment Policy and an Employment Equity Policy.

The Northwest Territories Liquor and Cannabis Commission (NTLCC) is seeking public feedback about NWT liquor stores, product pricing and selection, and NTLCC’s communication about the safe consumption of alcohol.

NTLCC invites NWT residents to share their thoughts by completing the online survey at https://haveyoursay.nwt-tno.ca/ntlcc-product-survey.

Survey results will help NTLCC identify how it can improve the overall customer experience in NWT liquor stores.

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has released Indigenous Employment Plans (IEP) outlining how all departments and agencies will increase Indigenous representation and leadership in the territory’s public service.

Guided by the Indigenous Recruitment and Retention Framework, IEPs include short, medium, and long-term goals and department-specific actions to increase, develop and maintain the number of Indigenous employees by:

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has released a workplan that outlines the activities the GNWT will undertake over the next twelve months to improve procurement processes and practices by the end of the 19th Legislative Assembly.  

The workplan is separated into key categories:

Last week the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) passed Bill 53, An Act to Amend the Liquor Act, to address various administrative matters.

Amendments to the Liquor Act will:

Members of the Legislative Assembly approved the $328 million Capital Estimates for the 2023-24 fiscal year. This includes money for critical infrastructure projects in communities across the Northwest Territories (NWT).

Check against delivery 

Madam Speaker, as the Minister responsible for the public service I can say without question that employees are the GNWT’s most important resource. An engaged workforce that is committed to its work is critical to the delivery of quality programs and services to residents across the territory. This is why the Government of the Northwest Territories, like many other public and private sector employers in Canada, wants to ensure that public servants are engaged and satisfied at work.

Today Caroline Wawzonek, Minister of Finance, announced a change to the territory’s approach to the NWT carbon tax system to align with new federal government requirements. The change includes the introduction of a bill to amend NWT carbon tax rates, as well as proposed changes to how the GNWT offsets the carbon tax’s impact on the cost of living and economic development.