Bob McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Glen Abernethy will be absent from the House today due to illness. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. We have tried to find new and innovative ways to break down some of those walls. We’ve tried bilateral negotiations, for example, with the Dehcho First Nations where we had a working group of senior officials to try to resolve some very long-outstanding land issues. We thought that we had made good progress because the senior officials were able to resolve almost all of the outstanding issues, but at the 11th hour they were all rejected out of hand. But I think at least we’ve had some good dialogue and I think a much better understanding between both governments. We’ve also kept the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It is not our intention to decentralize any of these positions. We’re a very small unit to begin with and we cover quite a number of files, including federal and national meetings, and so we don’t expect to decentralize any of them.

All departments on all initiatives we consult and consult and consult with the residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

I know the federal government does provide some funding in some cases to Metis locals. Certainly, I’ll apprise the federal interlocutor for Metis, Minister Valcourt, the next time I see him, which shall be soon.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. To my left I have Martin Goldney, deputy minister. To my right I have Richard Robertson, director of finance and administration.

That’s correct. That’s funding from the GNWT. We review it on a periodic basis. Thank you.

Yes, I do, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to present the 2015-2016 Main Estimates for the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations. Overall, the department’s estimates propose an increase of $110,000, or 1.2 percent, over the 2014-2015 Main Estimates. These Estimates continue to support the objectives of limiting expenditure growth in order to sustain the long-term sustainability of the fiscal framework.

Highlights of the proposed estimates include:

$201,000 in forced growth for collective bargaining adjustments;

$25,000 in forced growth to increase the level of core funding...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We are going to continue to push on this one. We are also making sure the Aboriginal governments are aware of it, to see if we can, together, push on this very important matter. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. As three northern neighbours, we get together on a regular basis, and as a matter of fact, we just met recently in Ottawa as the Northern Forum. Obviously, the cost of living is a big topic for all three territories. We’ve worked together to try to find ways to reduce the cost of living and we’ve looked at approaching the federal government to increase the Northern Resident Tax Deduction and what we’ve found is it wouldn’t benefit the lower income levels. It would benefit primarily the middle class and middle-income earners. So we are endeavoring to work together.

When I discussed...