Michael Miltenberger

I would just like to clarify for the record for my young colleague for Yellowknife Centre, that a point of fact is when supplementary appropriations are voted on, we do see them, we see them visible all around us. They help us provide services to adults down south for health. They help fund projects. They help move money forward in the budget, so we can do the Tuk-Inuvik highway. Every cent that we put into supplementary appropriations and approve in this House is visible and brings added value to the Northwest Territories.

With regard to the Members, if there’s a wish, we can pull together an...

When they are asked to be involved or they are involved, they work with the host department or agency and they look at being efficient, not necessarily to save money but to make sure that they are designed in such a way to put the money they do have to the best, most efficient and effective use, and that’s one of the functions they provide. They provide a coordinating function; they provide a function where they can link in and get the people they may need to help work with the departments, to do the detailed planning in terms of the effectiveness of the design, the horizontal and vertical...

Everything that’s funded by GNWT money, I believe, has to be considered. We talked about leaving no stone unturned. That doesn’t matter if it’s the Power Corp, the health boards, divisional boards, housing folks. It doesn’t matter. We have to make sure that we manage all the money. This body votes on every penny that runs those 5,000 employees, all our boards, agencies and our own government departments, so we have to look at them all. As the Member asked, are all options on the table, and the answer is, once again, yes.

That issue was flagged in the budget address as well. We do a significant number of things already. We are putting some money in this budget to try to extend the staffing complements in Yellowknife, Simpson and, I believe, Fort Smith for starters. But we want to and we already do a number of things for seniors.

I appreciate the Member’s concern and we are intending on looking at those longer term changes, as well, that we need to deal with as this bubble moves through their lifecycle.

The actuarial tables may have the average person living to 89 for men, for example. The folks, if you do it...

Yes, if we’re going to do this in an even-handed, comprehensive way, all things will be on the table. We need to look at all solutions and how creative we can be. Things that the Member has touched on would be some of those factors to be considered. We can leave no stone unturned as we look at fiscal sustainability and, at the same time, honouring our commitment to protect the programs and services.

We have to come to a hard decision about limits to growth, how big a civil service can we afford. Even though we’ve had restraint, every budget, including this one, has some positions in it. Every...

Yes, we do track that, and we have some ideas and we get some feedback. A lot of it is the issue of family; some of it is the cost of living; some of it is retirement.

In regard to the Member’s earlier comment of an interest of committee, we’d be happy to get all and any suggestions that committee members have in terms of their suggestions, and if there are other suggestions in terms of involvement in the work we’re doing, we’d be happy to look at what they would propose as well.

Mr. Speaker, as I rise to present the last budget of the 17th Legislative Assembly, I would first like to thank the Members of this Assembly, who, through various standing committees, have worked with the Cabinet towards achieving the priorities of this Assembly within the limits of our fiscal framework. It is a credit to our system of consensus government, as the many successes and accomplishments of the 17th Legislative Assembly and the numerous challenges met and often tough choices made are because we worked together. This budget looks to conclude the work of the 17th Assembly and prepare...

Thank you. The role of a Minister is very difficult, that fine line between fulsome responses and being accused of not answering the question, so we try to err on the side of answering the question so that we can remove that complaint.

In regard to the Member’s specific question, the community of Inuvik has indicated to us in writing that they would like to see a very major gathering of this type that the Member talks about in Inuvik. Instead of the oil and gas show, they would like to convert it, not this coming year but next year, into a gathering that’s going to bring together all the folks...

Yes, there are discussions underway. The reason the Western Arctic Geomatics Centre is going to Inuvik is because of the fibre optic line and the work and opportunity that’s going to be created by having them located there. The college has been in meetings, there’s a working group forum. The Germans, among others, have offered up 20 percent of their volume for data processing in Inuvik. So, there are training opportunities, there’s going to be other opportunities related to service development, value added secondary industry opportunities. When you look at what happened in Kiruna, Sweden, $100...

That is an issue that bedevils every jurisdiction that has a lot of resource development, like Alberta. Probably many of us have been on planes, I know I have, when there’s a shift change coming out of Fort McMurray. So it is a challenge. What is happening with Dominion Diamonds, for example, they’ve taken that issue head on and they are doing away with their incentives and paying of travel back and forth to force the issue. It’s that kind of courageous corporate action that we’re hoping will bear fruit and add to our 2,000 in five year success. Thank you.