Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This project is currently on pause as we look at reconfiguring how best to move forward. A lot of the issues related to the one customer, the payback period, which was very, very accelerated by the standard for this type of project with this type of significant investment, the routing of the transmission line, how do we address some of the other broader, longer-term needs of the Northwest Territories with grid connections and the ability to look at putting whatever surplus power there may be to use in communities, in buildings, other potential ventures.

There’s a number...

The funding that is here is based on what was previously used to get us to this point and now it’s specified for the use to move forward with those negotiations, so at this point it’s anticipated that this money would be sufficient. Thank you.

I want to restate, as well, my answer. This is a federal government INAC process. It’s their work. For the most part, they’ve treated the territorial governments and the other groups as stakeholders. The only thing that has now changed is the fact that we’ve signed an agreement-in-principle that indicates that within the next couple of years we’re going to be taking over, as Northerners, jurisdiction and authority over land, water, and resource development and that we don’t want any major surprises. We have our position clear on the website. I can commit to the Member that we can pull together...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just two quick responses. Yes, all the money, the $17 million or so, when the project is complete and starts generating revenue, that money will be reimbursed to us. It’s not just a Crown corporation but it’s our Crown corporation of which we are the one and only shareholder. We are also, for the most part, their banker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Margaret Melhorn, deputy minister of finance; Sandy Kalgutkar, deputy secretary to the Financial Management Board.

The Premier has made a great effort to nurture that relationship. He’s put out common documents, pan-territorial documents. We’ve dealt with issues, health issues, on a pan-territorial basis. In fact, as we stand here today, the three territorial leaders, along with the Minister Aglukkaq, representing the Canadian government, is in Nuuk, Greenland, to talk about issues of great importance in the circumpolar world. So it’s a relationship that there is common, there’s strength in common effort that we are small in population, large in geography, but we have huge political ties and a vested...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. You can only consider this any type of speedy process if you accept the fact that it’s okay to wait 45 years, from 1967 until today, for the basic rights that other Canadians enjoy. If the Member is suggesting that we should be prepared to wait another 45 years, to still in that time period, we stay here as second-class Canadians because we don’t have those rights, I would highly disagree and say it’s high time that we move on this.

The federal government is currently taking in the royalties. The federal government is currently taking all those royalties. We do not get...

I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2011-2012. This document outlines an increase of $11.002 million in operations expenditures for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.

The major items in the supplementary estimates include:

$4.2 million for the Department of Finance for the costs associated with development phase activities on the Taltson Hydro Expansion Project incurred by the NWT Hydro Corporation.

A total of $2.9 million for the departments of Executive and Justice for funding to support negotiations on the Devolution Agreement.

$763,000 for the costs...

Thank you. Yes, the letters are basically there. We’re just waiting for the appropriate individual’s name to be able to put in there, find out if there’s any change in key staff that we have to contact, but there will be basically a full court press on all those issues that we’ve talked about, and others, to move forward with all time constraints that we now face as a government. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We’ve signed an agreement with Canada to start a process, a non-legally binding process that will allow us to negotiate the elements that were assigned in the AIP, and resolve those issues to come to a final agreement for all Northerners. Thank you.