Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess I want to be clear that in responding to this question I’m not defending big oil and the way they set their prices. However, from the work from the Department of Finance, nothing has changed in the way we deal with the fuel price in the Northwest Territories or from the fuel tax that we have on fuel in the Northwest Territories. So the prices that are changed are as a result of what we were told when we raised this issue with industry, is rack price adjustments that happen throughout Canada. For example, when this issue was raised in my...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the process we have in place does allow for the review of the capital projects. For example, as we have recently gone through our budget process and approving the capital program that was established or the capital acquisition program that was established as part of our budget process there, when a project goes out and is tendered and prices have come in higher than anticipated, the department would have to come back to get more money or, for example, change the scope of work. So that would reduce the project itself. We would have to weigh that as to a...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, specifically in the area of capital carry-overs, it is a concern and as we’ve looked at it I guess we look at a term of we’re at the beginnings of a trend, I guess we can say. We’ve looked at significant growth, for example, in carry-overs from the previous years’ budget process and this year again further growth in that area. It is a concern for us. It is on the radar screen. We are looking at a number of factors and working with the departments as to what we can do as a government overall to try and curtail the type of carry-overs and looking at the...

Yes, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in some cases, yes, there are a couple of additional steps that are required because of the federal excise tax piece of it, but a number of the companies that have tax collector status on fuel sales have already done quite a thorough job. As they supply us information, it is very clear as to what happened.

Mr. Speaker, just to highlight some of the concerns, when we have problems with the administration or the processes of change an application to rebate taxes to entities that have used fuel for purposes of having a lesser tax rate than the one that is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our normal procedures are we have contact with the fuel tax collectors around tax season or regularly as we get input. We have some good tax collectors. The status of our fuel tax collectors is good. We also have areas where we are challenged in and doing further investigation. We normally would contact them initially with written correspondence around any potential changes and inform them through that avenue. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to provide an update on the fiscal position of the Government of the Northwest Territories. Since the Legislative Assembly approved the 2007-08 Main Estimates for the GNWT in March of this year, there have been significant changes to the government’s financial picture. The changes are positive and with prudent decision-making will help to establish a solid foundation on which this Legislature can plan future activities.

As Members are aware, appropriate and predictable territorial formula financing, or TFF, arrangements and an increased GNWT borrowing limit...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this goes on from quite a long process; it just didn’t come up overnight. We have worked with our tax collectors, those that have that status, in collecting the taxes. We don’t charge home heating oil any fuel tax. The problem is, as those that purchase the bulk supply, they buy under the home heating oil banner and, for the Northwest Territories, there is no limit to that. What happens as a result of this is the federal excise tax can kick in, because what we are saying in the Northwest Territories now is that everyone purchasing fuel would purchase...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the work that we are doing within Finance around fuel tax collectors -- and there are about 30 of them in the Northwest Territories -- comes out of a result of a number of things that have occurred. One, in the tax administration of how we deal with home heating oil versus diesel, or motive diesel as we call it. In the Northwest Territories, there is no distinction between that. When a supplier purchases from a bulk supplier, there is no difference when it comes in the Northwest Territories. In fact, they can purchase home heating oil and motive diesel...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the fact that in many procedures, not just in the Northwest Territories but all of Canada, we, as providers of health care service, would cover for surgical procedures, hospital bed time. In many cases when patients are released back to their communities or homes, they have to pick up their own tab on drugs and so on as a result of some of the procedures, so this is not a unique case. It would take for adding this one case to the list, we'd have to do a review to see if it's one thing or another; or, if we're going to add to this list, what's the...