Bob Bromley

I guess the draft should be coming out very soon, obviously, if the final is expected by the end of the month. This time frame stretches us, I would say, based on that, into the spring, and yes, we want to get it right to have a strategy that public groups can support and be ready to resource the strategy adequately.

The budget address noted that funding for a strategy would be brought forward as a supp before the next main budget, which is good news. Since we’re gathering comment on the final draft strategy now, will the Minister commit to contracting peer review from outside experts so that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Previous programs to help businesses acquire renewable energy equipment and technology have been cut back. These programs promoted business prosperity and success, by cutting the consumption and high costs of electrical and heat energy. Given our reliance on fossil fuel, greenhouse gas production is also cut, an important bonus. But even with adequately funded programs, many businesses can’t take advantage because they lack the seed funds to go ahead. Programs provided up to $10,000 for projects of up to $40,000, but first you need to have the $30,000.

The savings...

No questions.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. If I could get an update here, I note that Yellowknife District Education Authority No. 1 includes funding for K’alemi Dene School in Ndilo and I know the Minister is well aware that they’re looking for their own educational authority. Actually, they have their own, but it’s sort of been on hold and they agreed for some period of time to be under the umbrella of the Yellowknife District No. 1 and now they’re striving to be on their own. Will that be happening this fiscal year? Thank you.

Thank s to Mr. Devitt. Just for my own learning here, I think it might have been a couple of million or something like that a couple of years ago, half a million, and now down to $20,000. How do we define things as controllable asset versus infrastructure expenditures? Because this clearly seems like an infrastructure expenditure to me, but somehow it’s being designated a controllable asset. How do we know what’s what? Thank you.

The Minister keeps holding up this document. I’m not talking about this document. I’m talking about the current year’s budget that we’ve fallen short on. This government has failed, and when the government fails to put the funds to work and those funds can’t be spent as intended, why does the government not come back to committee for input on reallocation? Termination of program development without consulting committee defies our principles of consensus government. This year we might have said move dollars back to Inclusive Schooling until we get a meaningful start on early childhood instead...

That’s it, Mr. Chair. Thank you.

Thank you. At one point it took a number of years to actually complete the program. Is the ALCIP program down to a two-year program now? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions follow up my Member’s statement earlier today and are directed to the Minister of Finance.

The budget reallocations Regular Members insist upon are our priorities and when approved become the will of the House. So how does that shake out into action through the Executive once the budget has been passed?

When I was a public servant, I’d allocate the funds to projects, keep track of my costs, and plan my work to avoid being caught with money unspent and no work to show for my time. That should pretty much be how this government runs its spending on a macro...

That’s great news. What would have happened last year with the extra dollars budgeted for utilities? How would they be reallocated? What’s the process there?