Bill Braden

Here we go again, Mr. Speaker, still under Ottawa’s thumb trying to get anywhere at all with resource revenue sharing and devolution. It’s tough enough that we can’t even secure our own independence with one of 20 people on a board. We are not even able to get that far with Ottawa. Will the Premier, indeed, once consultation is through, put forward a name that we know we have confidence in and insist that the Minister of Northern Affairs take that as the true and full voice for the NWT, Mr. Speaker?

You know, Mr. Speaker, when these boards were created, and we are going back about 10 years now, the NWT fought for a degree of representation and autonomy so that we knew that our voices were indeed going to be heard, along with those of many First Nations who also have designated spots on those boards. Just why is it that we are not pressing the Minister to accept our nominee so that we can be assured that our position is being heard as clearly as possible and not subject to the whims or biases that a federal Minister might want to have, Mr. Speaker?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. In the area of development and regulatory matters, the Northwest Territories does not have a great score card in the industry of mineral and oil and gas exploration, Mr. Chair. We often hear the statistic quoted that Alberta, on an annual basis, processes hundreds of applications for exploration of natural resources and, yet, a number of approvals here in the Northwest Territories, basically you can count them on a couple of hands.

The major deficiency that’s been identified, a chronic deficiency, has been the lack of capacity in the regulatory boards established under the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I stand in support of the motion by Mr. Ramsay. The basis of this is very much as I spoke earlier today, Mr. Speaker, to ensure that there is a standard of decorum and respect for those who are closest to us as we undertake our work and that this is a move, as regrettable as it is, that I feel compelled to support, not only as I said earlier, Mr. Speaker, for the people in this Chamber but for everyone who takes on the mantle of public service. Along with that goes the concerns, and the reputations, and the feelings, and the consciences of the people who are closest...

Mr. Speaker, Members of AOC engaged in pre-budget consultations with a number of communities this fall. The cost of living was one of our central themes. In one community with the Members that I was with, we were approached very directly by a worker who said this was something that would make a considerable difference for them. This has broad, broad support, Mr. Speaker. The work that the government is doing now, I guess I would like to ask to what extent will the government be sharing that with other committees and, more important, with the broader community here in the NWT to test the...

Mr. Speaker, it is something that in our motion we recognized as something that could have an immediate impact on wage earners here to manage the cost of living. Mr. Speaker, we requested that the Cabinet work with other territories, northern provinces and Ottawa to enhance this tax deduction, but we have not seen anything. In fact, in my question in June, the Minister said that we were waiting for further progress on territorial finance measures and resource revenue sharing. My question, Mr. Speaker, is have we got to the point with these two big issues that the government can now advance...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier:

Provide a written assessment of the impacts on the NWT of the federal government cuts announced September 25, 2006, and actions to mitigate these impacts in the following areas:

jobs in NGO and government sectors

funding and court solution changes

economic impacts

social service impacts

Mr. Speaker, I hope the Premier doesn’t hold back the horses in expressing just how upset and angry, as I said earlier, we are, and by we I mean the collective community on the impact of these. Mr. Speaker, my final question is one of the steps as it relates to the tourism impact that I addressed earlier today and the requirement for new legislation to be passed forward in Ottawa. Will our government formally protest the passage of legislation regarding the GST and the Visitors’ Rebate Program, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is encouraging to hear that we are putting together a paper. The motion of this Assembly in February requested quite specifically that the government initiate this with the other territories and the northern provinces. I am wondering if that specific request has been acted on at least in more recent weeks, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The quantitative assessment of how much and where is something I would pursue a bit later on, in fact in a written question. I guess I am seeking more an assessment of the qualitative impact on us. Is this something that through the Executive office, through other government ministries, what is the depth of hurt, of impact, of deterioration in our communities and in our programs because of these cuts, Mr. Speaker?