Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the concern that is being raised. For that office space, a request for proposals went out in late summer. It was issued, and a number of parties put in proposals. What had happened was the space that was required in the RFP was not met, and based on the number of calls that were made trying to secure the location, it was decided at that point that one of the proponents did have a suitable space, but didn’t make the cut-off time for the RFP. It was contacted and discussions were entered into and an agreement was made. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, first of all, when we look at the amount of $411,000, it is a substantial amount and that is why we try to improve on the way we get things done and the third-party accountability framework and how we work with our own staff and that process.

This has not been a growing trend. It fluctuates from one cycle to the next. For example, in 2000-01, the total amount for write-offs was $2.6 million; for 2002-03, it was $134,000; in 2003-04, $162,000. The total amount we are looking at for 2004-05 is in the neighbourhood of $500,000. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The operation concluded, seized to exist, in March of 2002 or approximately that time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, we have no information that would bring that into question, if there was political pressure when these things were going forward to make things go away or just deal with it. We feel there are processes in place today that would take that into consideration. If a Minister were to try to put undue pressure on one of the deputies in saying we want to see this one flow through, we have a system in place where the deputies are reporting directly to the Premier. There is a reason for that separation. If I, as a Minister, were to try to put undue pressure on...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the member is accurate in his assumption of the policies as they work now. We do make an accounting of advances on a quarterly basis and encourage that information would get back to the departments before they proceed. In a number of these cases, for some reason, that wasn’t done in the past. As stated by the Minister, there have been a number of changes in the way that we deal with these. That policy is in place about proceeding on to the next year and doing it on a quarterly basis. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, first of all, I just want to put it on record that the reference Mr. Dent made to the individual who worked on this file no longer being with the government, there was no direct relationship between what occurred on the file and that individual being with our government. Just to be sure on that portion. Now, the third-party accountability framework portion is more the relationship that we would set up with the organizations from a government perspective to an organization receiving money. It’s not the relationship between an employee working in the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the guidelines are clear that there should be a proper accounting for the funds that are distributed, and there should be a reporting back of those. As the departments go forward in looking at how those expenditures are made, and if they were in accordance with the proposals put forward, they would be dealt with in that appropriate manner. I know the issue of concern was raised with committee, and we’ve notified the appropriate department. I believe, in this particular case, Mr. Dent may have information to respond to that particular issue that the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the situation with the Metis Heritage Association, the first funding started to flow in 1997-98 and then a further contribution in 2000-01.

For the Metis Nation on the language contribution, it was 1998-99. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to provide an update on the government's fiscal situation.

The budget I presented in this House in March laid out a fiscal plan that would allow us to achieve the goals of NWT residents while achieving fiscal sustainability. The budget did not make dramatic changes. We wanted an opportunity to consult with northerners before finalizing our plans for the term of the 15th Assembly. As Premier Handley noted in his sessional statement yesterday, this House has consulted with NWT residents to help us set an overall vision and goals for the government and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in Ms. Lee’s Member’s statement, she hit all the points that are very accurate in the fact that we have a very heavy workload for the individuals in the payroll office. As the Premier stated earlier, as a government, we’ve decided to live within our means and tried to do what we can with what is available. Unfortunately, on this side of the equation, we are not considered frontline workers, so when the government looks at reduction scenarios, it’s that end of the boat that ends up taking a fair bit of the brunt of any reduction scenarios of past...