Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I, as well, have touched base with folks from my constituency and those that are involved. This program affects government employees and our programming is internal. A lot of the people outside hear it from those that they talk with in passing about the problems within government, computer programs and so on, but I’ve also heard from those who are involved in this process and feel that once the system is up and running the way it was designed, it will be a much better system. We’re hopeful that we can get there and get there soon, but there are issues...

Mr. Chairman, I am here to introduce Bill 9, Write-off of Debts Act, 2007-2008. This bill authorizes the write-off of the debts listed in the scheduled to the act.

Pursuant to section 24 of the Financial Administration Act, Legislative Assembly approval is required for the write-off of government assets or debts exceeding $20,000.

Pursuant to section 82 of the Financial Administration Act, the write-off of debts owed to a public agency exceeding $20,000 and the write-off of debts owed to the Workers' Compensation Board exceeding $50,000 must receive Legislative Assembly approval.

The write-offs...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, that Bill 17, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 4, 2006-2007, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill makes supplementary appropriations for the Government of the Northwest Territories for the 2006-2007 fiscal year. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that Bill 13, Change of Name Act, be read for the third time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, that Bill 17, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 4, 2006-2007, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, no, it is not 50 percent of the actual expenditures. For example, out-of-territorial hospitals, the revised estimates we have is in the neighbourhood of $13 million; $13.6 million. Physicians is over $3 million, and a number of other organizations, Metis health benefits over $1 million, extended health benefits is $6.8 million. So there's substantially more being spent already. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think this government can speak by action and the fact that if you look at our budget, what we have done in our term to address those costs in the Northwest Territories, establish programs; for example, the Income Support Reform Program and a number of other areas. We have invested a lot of money in that area, so I think our record speaks for itself that we have become more involved. When you look at the total cost of spending on social programs by the government, we have done and carried a fair bit of weight in trying to address those concerns in the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will give you what I am familiar with and then I will go to Mr. Cleveland for more detail. As we looked to properties that have been transferred to the Government of the Northwest Territories in previous years by other governments or as we purchased properties for our use, we have done estimates on the potential liabilities and more, at least to where I'm familiar with, negotiate that in a transfer in recognition of that. For more details how that's happened, what may have happened prior to that, I'll go to Mr. Cleveland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think the fact is, as a government, we’ve heard the concerns about funding to NGOs. The study that was done was initiated through Yellowknife Health and Social Services with the organization partly to look at how they could seek funding from other sources and, as well, for Yellowknife Health and Social Services to address how it would put forward its submission to the department on forced growth. The government, overall, has heard this concern through our business planning process and we’ve looked at it and looked at the categories of NGOs and how they...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, yes.