Robert Bouchard

We’ll defer bill number and title under consideration of clauses. This bill has three schedules attached. We’ll deal with the three schedules first. We’ll go to page 98, Schedule A.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Committee, we’ve concluded clause by clause. To the bill as a whole?

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Next I have Mr. Dolynny.

General comments? Mr. Dolynny.

Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber.

Minister Miltenberger, I’ll get you to introduce your witnesses to the Chamber.

Clauses 161 to 180.

---Clauses 161 through 180 inclusive approved

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think Ms. Bisaro covered a lot of the questions I had, but I will ask some of the questions a bit differently. I have concern with the fact that we’re equating these positions and this funding through our devolution fund reserves that we have, but after the devolution money has been spent, this becomes part of the cost of the GNWT. Obviously, on top of the positions we’ve added to devolution, we’re adding five more positions into Yellowknife. Is there any way we can make these term positions and we look at the assessment and the effectiveness after the devolution money...

I’ve just got a question about the ones that are going down. Is that based on the fact that the cost of living is going down in some communities? I would assume most of them or all of them would have gone up. So what would the differences be and why would there be a negative?

Thank you. I guess, would we have not negotiated these allowances in the process, or would we not have known that number or estimates based on April 1st when we went into budget?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m sure the Minister has been briefed about the meeting. At that meeting the fishers asked for the subsidy. The department indicated the price is going to go up. The current fishers are asking for that price to be actually subsidized to that level right now so they can see how the industry will react to that type of price currently.

Is the Minister willing to commit to looking at that type of subsidy to increase the price for fishers on the Great Slave Lake? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.