Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, part of the transition we went from our formula financing arrangements which we initially looked at extension of a year and then, as a result of the First Ministers’ meeting, got into a full-blown process that we are now entering into. That is the equalization panel and territorial formula financing. Part of that process was setting a base or a floor for transfers to the three territorial governments. That is what we have been able to build this budget on. We know, for example, that is what benefited us this year, 2004-05, where we got a little bit...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is correct on formula financing. We are, at this time in our life as a government, heavily dependent on transfers from Ottawa, and receive up to 75 percent in any given year of our revenues from the federal government through transfers. We are hoping to turn that around, by the way, but it has been a slow process. The work that has been done recently has been driven by the federal government. Provinces and territories have raised the issue about formula financing and how it wasn’t working and meeting the needs that the initial program was...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, governments from time to time find themselves in a position where they have to look at broad cuts across the board. We, as well, have looked at making some reductions and have implemented reductions and also, through this process we are entering into, are entering into more of the same. At the same time, when residents of the Northwest Territories are calling on us to provide more nurses, more doctors, more teachers, more social workers and they are saying we are not able to address the needs that they are being impacted by in their communities because of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we go through our exercise as a government, looking at how we spend our money, we look at a whole lot of areas to try to ensure that we don’t spend needlessly in areas, but there’s always a call for more money in different areas, whether it’s NGOs, within government trying to be prepared for a lot of the development that’s happening. Through the normal working of each department, when they are given targets, they look internally to see what areas that they can look at reducing before they go out to other areas. So as you will see as we go through this...

In reducing expenditures, we took care to minimize the impact on services to the public. We looked to internal efficiencies and then to areas where the impact would only be felt within the government itself. After that, we looked at where we could reduce service levels or program support that would have minimal impact on the public. However, public impacts will be felt. It is simply not possible to reduce government spending by $40 million over two years and not have some impact on public services.

Mr. Speaker, there are many unmet social needs in each of our communities and sectors of our...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Weledeh, that Bill 19, Appropriation Act, 2005-2006, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is correct that at this point we have booked a loss for the Sirius operations of $3 million, and we entered into a process and had a court-appointed receiver put in place and followed through a process of trying to have the Sirius operation go as what we would call a going concern, meaning that it is a fully operational business, feeling that would be the best value we receive for that. We did enter in that process. The "receiver" entered into the process. It went out for bids to receive those. We looked at those proposals. We, as a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me correct my initial response. We have three positions vacant in the year right now, in 2004-05. It has averaged from three to five, so we are about in the area of four percent average over five years' vacancy rate. Not four percent, but four positions average over the five-year period. We continue to try to attract people to those positions. It has been very difficult. I think if we were to survey those in the private sector, we would find that they are having just as much difficulty in getting that type of professional to come...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will deliver the Budget

Address on Thursday, February 10, 2005. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is what we are going to do now, go back and review our situation, how things have unfolded to this date and look at what we need to do to strengthen our position. It is timely that we do a review of these agreements, but we have to do this in a comprehensive way to make sure the avenue we choose, the road we go down is something that will be supported by this Assembly. We do have to look at what’s left for the future. We know the non-renewable resource industry, at some time an operation will close down because it has used all the material there. So as a government...