Bob Bromley

A reasonable question, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. General comments? I’m hearing no further general comments. Does committee agree that we proceed to the detail of the estimates?

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Would the Minister like to respond?

Mr. Speaker, I’m concerned about more and more instances of news reports about the supply of oil, which we all know is also getting more and more expensive.

Mr. Speaker, the International Energy Agency is the energy forum for 27 industrialized countries, including Canada. They share energy information, coordinate their energy policies and cooperate in the development of rational energy programs. One of the objectives of the organization is to maintain and improve systems for coping with supply disruptions.

On Thursday, May 22 — the very day that our Minister of Finance was presenting the budget...

Thank you, Minister McLeod. I’m not going to decide for anybody what’s sufficient here. But I’d say, and I repeat, it’s probably more appropriate in question period.

Thank you. Are there general comments on the departmental estimates by members? Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Nothing further, Mr. Jacobson? We’ll move on to Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for those comments, Mr. Minister. I don’t really disagree with any of them, except that I wouldn’t throw out history like that. I think we need to make use of the information we’ve got in the past.

I’d also like to point out we’ve done things in a rush here. We’ve got to get in gear. I disagree that we have to rush things, given that we have this $25 million unexpected surplus, which is about what we had anticipated in the reductions this year. So I don’t quite see the hurry that the Premier’s in.

My question is for the Minister of Finance. Given that our estimate of operating surplus at $44 million has risen now to $69 million — that’s a $25 million difference — and we’ve firmed up the Building Canada Fund…. I think we’re $12 million to $15 million this year and then $35 million per year. Given that our intent, laid out before that, was to have a net savings of $30 million a year, considerably less than the sum of these, do these affect the budget? Do these affect the perspectives? Is there a little more opportunity for doing things a little differently?

I understood the Premier’s...

Again, thank you for those remarks, and I appreciate hearing those things are happening. Again, we need a really comprehensive response. What authority does the Minister have? As Ms. Bisaro pointed out, this response is required from every department and agency in the Northwest Territories, and in fact, we need the help of industry and residents as well. What authority does this Minister have, over at least those other government departments, to get some mandatory action on this issue, for a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions?