Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Premier on the AIP. The devolution AIP is a roadmap that sets out the course of negotiations for the final agreement that the final agreement will follow. Five Aboriginal governments have already indicated some portions of the AIP are not in their best interest. Aboriginal governments have reiterated their substantive concerns with the AIP to the GNWT. The Premier wishes to include Aboriginal in the final agreement and if this requires a departure from the existing terms of the AIP to accommodate the interests of the Aboriginal, will the Premier...

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In that design, is the Premier in active discussions with the Aboriginal governments in designing a regulatory process that sits well with the Aboriginal governments of those regions? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, talking to health providers in the small communities, their response on what is driving the costs in small communities seems to be addictions. Talking to local people in the small communities, their solution seems to be on-the-land programs for people with addictions. Has this government talked about how to decrease the cost of health in small communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister of Finance. In discussing the budget and the long-term benefits of such a budget, I was wondering what the government plans to do to increase the employment rates in the small communities. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Infrastructure like youth centres and day cares and access roads are all things that will, in the long term, decrease the cost to government. My question is again for the Finance Minister. What is the government doing to shift much needed infrastructure resources in this government from larger centres, where it is not essential, to the smaller communities where infrastructure projects are essential? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, there are big areas of concern in small communities when the communities find work and the tenants in public housing when they find work and then they are unable to work due to the costs and so on. Has this government discussed a way of dealing with that issue? It seems to hamstring the people from actually going out and finding employment and so on, because as soon as they find work, their rent goes to a point where they can no longer afford to remain working but they should be working. I was wondering if the government has talked about a strategy to address that seriously too...

Mr. Speaker, the employment program, trade spending, child funding, reduced power rates are all good, but we need environmental cleanups, infrastructure and housing projects in all of the small communities to make the situation better. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I will be talking to the budget. I noticed three years of drawing comparisons between large communities and small communities that there would be some shift of government resources on larger communities to small communities. Mr. Speaker, in reality, I am convinced that this government cannot or will not make that shift, at least not in a significant way. Mr. Speaker, three years ago I noticed a huge deficit in government infrastructure in and around small communities. This government responded, but compared to the big money being spent in large centres, there is still a...