Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we would be prepared to put our information out there. Our fiscal position, the infrastructure piece of it would be part of that as well as all instruments that we have within our authority. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we have done in the past, or the process that we can use going forward is, for example, around the business plan areas, having a number of Ministers present to the committees. The Social Programs committee can be one of those when we talk about this initiative that affects a number of departments and look at doing in that area, as well if there’s a request from any committee of any initiative that we would line up the appropriate Ministers or myself, as Premier, to make presentations with committees. So we’d be prepared to work out an arrangement....

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have not had discussions on the area of a military presence in the Northwest Territories and where they would be located. We know there is an increased presence. For example, the Forward Operation Location in Inuvik has been busier this last fall and winter than it has in the last number of years. So they have stepped up some of their work and their presence in the Arctic already. We haven’t had any direct discussions about a further enhancement of that area. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the problems we find is we have to look at some of the avenues that have been used by previous governments and if they’ve actually produced a result. Our goal would be how can we deal with this. Right now each department would have to come forward and make the reports to committee at business plan stages as well as in this forum. We can work as a Cabinet to look at a number of initiatives that may help in the long term, or try to find some short-term solutions. A lot of the problems we find, and as the Member has raised, is the cost of living...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we, as the 16th Assembly, haven’t had opportunity to come up with a proposal as of yet. There is some ongoing work on how we can strengthen our position, what are the key pieces we would like to present as being what we would call solutions to the issue of Arctic sovereignty. A solution is that we are here and we can help the federal government in that area. So we don’t have a proposal yet. There are meetings coming up within the new year that can help us along this way and further discussions about what avenues might be available to us. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would be prepared to try to arrange a meeting with the Member and his community leaders when we can find some time; probably early in the new year at some point, but I would be prepared to set some time up with the Member and go into his community. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The one thing I have learned having the Finance portfolio and the whole taxation side and how fuel moves from one location in the territory to another or even from one tank to another, how the categories can change. The big issue will be, as we look at developing a program, is how it would be administered and how do we ensure people are putting the right claims in is an area. That’s something we can work on. I think it’s an interesting area and I would be prepared to sit down with Members to see if we can work this out a little further and look at what we might be able...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it would, as an Assembly of the Northwest Territories to have our infrastructure built, a Mackenzie Valley highway, a highway right from coast to coast to coast, as we’ve said in a number of our plans, previous governments, like the number of documents put out there, that would be a goal of ours to try to continue. We need to sit down as the 16th Assembly and reaffirm that, and that’s the process I think we should be using in this case. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe the last time there was a differentiation between the type of gasoline for transportation versus agriculture or fishing, I recall many years ago it was referred to as purple gas. It was used in equipment outside of transportation. We, as the GNWT, hadn’t put that in place. We could look at options of doing that. We would recognize a certain amount of lost income. The problem I think that becomes bigger is the administration of something like that. How it would work is something that we would have to work around, as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would have to agree with the Member on putting more resources where programs are working. As an Assembly, we are going to have to go through the exercise of coming up with some of those key priorities and then try to find the funding to put into those areas, but we are going to have to look at how we do that. There are going to be challenges across the board. We are going to have to reallocate internally, as well. We need to have that discussion. As I committed, we will do that through our business planning process. Thank you.