Bill Braden

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?

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?

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?

Okay, we're in question period, right?

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...

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

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...

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.

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...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions this afternoon are for the Minister of Finance and it regards the motion that this Assembly passed last February regarding the northern residents income tax deduction. Mr. Speaker, this is recognition by the Government of Canada, the higher cost of living in northern regions. We currently see a level of deduction of $5,475 but this has not been changed since 1991.