Floyd Roland

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 1, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 1, 2005-2006, be read for the second time.

Madam Speaker, this bill makes supplementary appropriations for the Government of the Northwest Territories for the 2005-06 fiscal year. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the project had increased and it expanded for that facility, which was to increase the client space from 1,500 square feet to 4,300 square feet. As well, there’s a construction of a mezzanine that will increase useable floor space by approximately another 2,300 square feet for total space of 6,500 square feet and that’s primarily the reason why the cost has increased. The Minister of Health and Social Services may have further detail on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I guess we’re just going to have to agree to disagree. I don’t think there’s anything that I can state that would be satisfactory to the Member about the moves that have occurred here. The rules have been followed. The rule that she uses and has quoted there is one where we’ve made a decision to transfer, and the decision has been made and then you notify the Members of that change. What we’re doing here is the decision has been made to accept the proposal, which kicks this into gear to come back to this House to say we need your approval for this...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, as any Minister would bring forward, if it is the request, the approval of dollars would come to the FMB table if it is approval seeking direction, other than that it would go to the Cabinet table. In this case this has come to both. The information provided by the Minister requesting this was to proceed with this track and it was granted on the basis of then going forward and getting the approvals of this Assembly through the financial process, and that’s what we’re into right now. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I guess we could go around the clock on this. I have stated that the process, the guidelines that are here, we use when we make changes to a project. Whether the Member feels we're just using it to get around to say this is the formal process that we're now using…I've spoken to the Minister. He has indicated to me that when this project came up and why it hadn't proceeded in that year, why they needed to carry it over and re-identify it, it was identified at that point to the committee members that there were alternative options also being looked at.

M...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I guess the Members may want to debate the merit of moving the project, but to try to call into question the process that’s established in saying we dislike the fact that the project or the idea of the project, the money being moved is in question. Let’s have the debate around the merit, the value of moving the project from one community to another. The process is identified. If the plan goes ahead, the dollars would be coming back to the Assembly, to the committees in the 2006-07 business plan to have that project established. What they’re seeking at...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I guess to stick to the process, we have followed the rules that are in place. From time to time the Ministers' departments have need to change the plan that has been presented before the House and it has to come back to this House for approval. At this stage, a political decision has been made and agreed to, but now to move the actual dollars we need the approval of this House. We’re following the rules that are set out and we’re seeking the approval of this Assembly. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, as I stated earlier, the money did not disappear. The authority to spend the money was given and the money was not spent. The authority remains on that project and the substantiation of that project, and was identified in the infrastructure acquisition plan in the 2004-05 one under CAP 14. It was identified, it's there, it hasn't changed, it has not disappeared and remains. I guess that's where the grey area that some have referred to may be setting up, because the money is still there under that project. It has not been taken away, it has not been...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, as projects are established and begin to move forward, if there are changes to those projects, Ministers of the appropriate departments would notify Members in writing of the proposed changes, whether a project value would increase or decrease. Normally, though, if a project is not proceeded with but is still on the books with no changes to it but for one reason or another it hasn’t proceeded, no notification comes forward until the formal notification as we are here through our capital carryover process. Then all the projects that did not proceed or were...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, as the process unfolded and the Minister had come forward with this plan and one other department had declared this space as not being used in the future for government purposes and looking at the plans, at that point the plan had come forward to change communities for the Territorial Treatment Centre. On the basis of the information provided to us, we reviewed it and had approved the plan to proceed. On that basis, we have now come forward with the plan and are asking for approval of this Assembly in moving those dollars. Thank you.