Bill Braden

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. My question at this time is for Mr. Handley as the Minister responsible for the Executive and it relates to the broad swath of cuts to numerous programs that the federal government announced late last month. The question I would like to ask, Mr. Speaker, is, from a government-wide perspective, what is the overall impact on our territory of the federal cuts on programs and services here in the NWT, 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?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How, then, does this $18 million surplus translate? What does it really mean for us here in the Assembly and for our communities and for the programs and the people that we serve, Mr. Speaker? Does this mean we will be able to look at some other options or some new options in initiatives or spending, Mr. Speaker?

Mr. Speaker, does this mean we have $18 million in new funding that we can find some programs or some additional things to spend it on, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question this afternoon is for Mr. Roland, Minister of Finance, and it relates to the fiscal update statement that was presented to the Assembly at the start of our day. Mr. Speaker, increasing our surplus for the previous fiscal year from $18 to $36 million is a positive sign. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister if he could explain, in brief, how did this happen? I'd like to think that it was upon the wise counsel and prudent management that committee has provided to the Minister, but I will ask for his answer to what happened. Why are we coming up $18...

Okay. So to some extent it was a revision of federal transfers or payments or contributions, then, Mr. Speaker. Is any of this subject to clawback in future years, Mr. Speaker? This is an aspect of our formula financing deal with Ottawa that has caused us considerable disruption, so are we going to have to look at having any of this amount clawed back in future years, Mr. Speaker?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Literacy, volunteerism, tourism, museums, public health, are but a few of the programs here in the NWT which are devastated by the scattergun approach of federal cuts announced September 25th.

Mr. Speaker, no doubt there’s room to find savings of a billion dollars in the federal budget that now tops $200 billion, but once again the NWT is suffering disproportionately from ill-advised and uninformed federal program actions.

Mr. Speaker, we’ve seen rallies in the streets, postcard campaigns, letter writing. Few actions have caused such vocal and universal dismay among our...

Okay, we're in question period, right?

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...