Michael Nadli

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m just taking the opportunity just to provide some comments on Education, Culture and Employment. I think the most common saying that our people hear all the time, especially in communities, is that education is important and now more than ever as we move forward to what lays ahead on the horizon for the North, especially in terms of the North’s role in the global economics in terms of resource development. It’s more important that people encourage, especially the young people, to try and advance themselves to higher levels of education and ultimately to try and get...

My follow-up question is perhaps my last one too. Has the Department of Finance considered perhaps the concept of an investment fund that the government would consider and implement right away? One of the concepts that’s been, already I think people know it, is the idea of a Heritage Fund.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] Today what I’d like to talk about is the finance and how the territorial government handles financing and $1.4 billion. If we think about that amount of money, it seems like a fair amount of money and in regard to how you want to look at it, and every one house gets a certain amount of money and how it should pertain to the residents that are living there. Our territorial government works on our behalf, or if there is $1 that is spent and if we evaluate how $1 is spent, we can get a concept of the way they operate.

Health and Social Services seems to expend a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I referenced in terms of trying to explain people that are unilingual, just an opportunity for them to understand the complexities of how this government disburses within the year the $1.4 billion it’s proposing to spend. My question is to the Minister of Finance.

I know that we seem to be kind of forecasting how it is that we’re going to spend this amount of money within the year. I would like to know if the Minister could apprise this House in terms of perhaps some consideration of a savings and investment strategy or plan that the Minister perhaps might...

It seems that the Minister of Finance might be suggesting that at some point there could be some form of an economic conference to involve small communities to ensure that at least they have a hand and input in terms of how it is that we could all help each other and work in unity to ensure that the economy is sustainable here in the Northwest Territories.

My final question is: Has there been consideration across perhaps each sector of the economy in terms of whether it’s manufacturing or transportation or tourism, but for the most part to try and ensure that at the receiving end the consumers...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, plus the Minister of Finance. I know we’re kind of in budget mode right now and we live in a very unique part of Canada, of course, called the Northwest Territories, and on a scale of advancing the economies, perhaps communities that live in a have-not kind of a domain as part of the Northwest Territories are kind of described as traditional economies. At the very high end we have a booming industrial-based resource economy. For the large part, these smaller communities and people are reliant on...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I need to commend, firstly, the Minister and the Department of Finance for bringing forth his budget. I think the primary focus in terms of priorities of this budget, it’s very clear that the greatest assets that we have in the North are the people. Therefore, the budget highlights a fairly big chunk of the $1.4 billion towards people resources. Given our greatest asset is our people and that we need to put greater effort in maturing that down the road, our people have at least a standard of education that is comparable to Canada, for that matter. At the same time...

I’d like to thank the Minister for his response. One of the suggestions that I’ve made is examining in terms of how unique communities are in their circumstances. I think I’ve floated the idea of perhaps a community economic model that could be perhaps profiled and maybe generically considered in terms of development strategies to try and help local economies be invigorated.

My follow-up question is: I know, I mean it’s a fact, that up here in the Northwest Territories we have a high cost of living. Fuel is expensive. Of course groceries are expensive, too, in small communities. Therefore, our...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] This time of year in the springtime a lot of people like to be out on the land, and in the mornings the birds sing and it’s getting warm again. In the communities the freight comes in from down south also with the barges. Because of that, items are sometimes expensive. However, we do need things from down south in the communities. Things that come in from the South is either by barge or trucking, so sometimes when they do get the items from the South this is what urges the children in the communities with regard to freight and food, and things are kind of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is just to perhaps explore options. As I indicated, elders have been living in homes for many years. They’ve raised their families and have paid rent for many years and they face an increase. I wonder if the Minister could tell me if there are options out there for elders to take over ownership of the houses where in some cases they have been paying rent for decades.