Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Another aspect of this mandatory education awareness program might be for somebody who is knowledgeable in such a program to actually go into the small communities and train someone or some agency within that community to deliver that, as opposed to sending people into the community to do it. It could be something that could be added on to an already existing function within the community; sort of a train-the-trainer type program. Would the Minister seek out the curriculum or format of these programs and see if it would be viable to train people in the small...

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I had a text all prepared here with a wonderful Member’s statement, but I think I’d just like to off-the-cuff, briefly comment on the situation as outlined in the budget today by our Finance Minister.

I guess Mr. Ramsay has referred to the pace at which we spent money in the previous Assembly and to some extent I agree with that. Our current Finance Minister, who was not the Finance Minister in the last government, used to stand up in this House on a very regular basis and talk about the debt wall. Sometimes when we were in committee meetings and planning...

The motion is in order. It is not debatable. All those in favour of the motion to report progress? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Thank you. I will now rise and report progress.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly do look forward to the formation and appointment of such a committee. I would also like to see though -- and I would ask the Premier if he would concur -- that the terms of reference for the mandate of this committee needs to not be restrictive in terms of where they might go in terms of identifying opportunities for this government to assist northerners regardless of where they live, and what other kinds of corporations they have in their communities to access support and help. That the terms of reference would not be restrictive and let this be decided...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess that's my point. I find that interesting, because these are our communities, these are our constituents, and I don't know why we would limit our interests in seeing benefits flow just to these things that have been mentioned. I don't know why we wouldn't want to assist. So if a community or a corporation or an aboriginal government were interested in some of these things that the Premier has referred to, where's the office, where's the central agency, where's the access, where's the entry point, where's the window for them to get support from this government...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Then to allay peoples’ fears about a mass exodus of corporate taxpayers in the Northwest Territories, then what you are saying is it wouldn’t be realistic to assume that if someone had the lion’s share of their activities taking place in the Northwest Territories and had a corporate office say in Edmonton or Vancouver, that they could legally file their corporate tax return in another jurisdiction to obtain a lower rate. Could the Minister confirm that that is the case? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Finance Minister, what was our corporate tax rate at the time that we received those filings, which resulted in what we came to fondly refer to as tax windfalls? Thank you, and what was the rate?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before my colleague Mr. Delorey gets a chance to recognize my constituency assistant, I thought I should jump up and do it.

---Laughter

I would like to recognize Wendy Morgan in the gallery. Wendy was my assistant in part of the 13th, the 14th and now in the 15th Assembly. So I want to thank her and recognize her today. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 1, Appropriation Act, 2004-2005, and would like to report progress and, Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.