Michael Miltenberger

Thebacha

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 2)

I will look at Hansard. I agree with the Member that as we look to take over land, water, resource development, we want to be fully up to speed and up to date on all the rents, I think is how the Member referred to them. There are also other areas across the land, for example, where we want to look at are we putting the proper value on things like water. As we go forward as a territory looking at all these issue post-devolution, we will be looking at that and we will be having that discussion with Members, and I’m sure with Northerners as a whole.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 2)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In regard to the response to listening to the MLA feedback, we have been listening very carefully. This document has gone through extensive consultation work with committee. We went through interim appropriation to allow for that cycle to take place. In addition, we got feedback when we finished the review of business plans from committees, which we are going to respond to through the supplementary appropriation process and we’ll have that debate. I would point out the asks in that letter; the combined asks, of my recollection, were in the neighbourhood of $4.3 or so...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 2)

As I indicated in the budget address, there are no new taxes in this particular budget. We do have some projects that I think are going to be a real boon economically as well as for building the North, like the fibre optic line. We do know with the conclusion of devolution and the resource revenue money that will flow, the A base funding that will flow, that we will have some additional revenue there as well. If our projections stay on target and there’s not any kind of negative downturn in this fragile global economy that we’re still in, then we anticipate there’s going to be some continued...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 2)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the Member’s comments. The issue of the escalation of operating expenses of government, I mean, that is a stark reality. As I laid out in the budget address, we are committed to restraining and constraining the growth of government and ensuring that our revenues exceed our expenditures so that, in fact, we can do the replenishment of our cash reserves and look for efficiencies within government. We are committed to, as I’ve already indicated, decentralization. The Premier has made that commitment in the House today. The Member is indicating that we should...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 2)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That’s still work to be done. We’ve structured and set up a Heritage Fund. We’re waiting for resources to put into that. A lot of work is going to be done between now in the fiscal years one and two here, as I’ve indicated, as we look at managing our resources and building up our cash reserves and where we can anticipate things in two years or so down the road where we get additional revenue from devolution, then we’ll be in a position to be able to decide in the interim what we want to do and how we want to structure it and then be in a position to actually have...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 2)

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’ll just go through the list as I made notes. The issue of the tradition of no shoes or not having new shoes and breaking with tradition, in fact I thank Mr. Bouchard, the Member for Hay River North. He sent me over a couple of printouts that he obviously got off the Internet that shows in fact over the last 40 or 50 years the majority of the federal Finance Ministers didn’t in fact get new shoes. In fact, nobody is quite sure where this tradition started, it seems. In regard to the tradition here, I know it is a tradition but it was my sense that we are asking people...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 2)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This budget comes three months into the fiscal year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Members of the Legislative Assembly who worked individually and collectively to contribute to the interim appropriation for the current fiscal year.

We have started the 17th Legislative Assembly with a difficult fiscal reality and Members worked hard to help build this first budget of the 17th Assembly. We appreciate the advice of the standing committees during the recent business plan discussions. We are reviewing and considering the committees’ recommendations, and...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 2)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2012-2013.”

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 2)

In fact, I was, if my memory serves me correctly, the Minister of Finance at the time as we dealt with the very many bumps in the road that were there with the Deh Cho Bridge. We’ve managed our way through that, I think, in a very constructive way. The project is nearing completion.

The Member has indicated that he has had indications and he has had some sources tell him things. I don’t know who those people are. I can tell him and can tell you in this House and the people of the Northwest Territories, we have a project that is nearing completion, that once it is built everyone will stand up...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 2)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think our first priority as a government and Legislature is in fact to put all our efforts into making sure that the bridge gets concluded, that it gets opened and operating and generating the revenue that has been budgeted for and will provide that service to Northerners as well as help lighten our fiscal burden.

The questions the Member has raised have been discussed. Has there been a formal debriefing? Has there been a formal forensic review and post-mortem? No, there hasn’t at this point. In due course when the project is, in fact, concluded and up and running...