Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Maybe if the Minister could elaborate a little further, and I'll set this out clearly so I completely get a good picture of this. As I see it, we get a deposit on the bottle, the bottle goes out, gets returned, the deposit is returned to the customer who returns the bottle, but we leave the bottles with the depot. Do we pay the depots a contracting fee, is that why we leave them the bottles? I would think that we would take the bottles and do something with them if that's the case. How does the depot make their money? Do we pay them separately on contract and the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Speaking on that note, I do appreciate the fact of the breakdown of what other income means, as well as the actual breakout of the numbers, but you did bring me to another subject under other income when you referred to the deposit of bottles. I assume the deposit of the bottles, that fee goes back into a fund that pays out people when they return the bottles. Is that correct?

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Minister. The Minister indicated that next year we would have to be a little more aggressive, to the tune of $20 million. I am looking for a forecast of what we may expect. Is it the Minister’s intent that we could be looking at hiring freezes, wage freezes, discussions with the unions on drastic changes? He set out a very passionate and aggressive target for himself, which I admire. In his position, you have to be good. So I am waiting with glee to see some of these ambitious projects. Are hiring freezes, wage freezes or discussions with unions some...

Thank you, Madam Chair. First I want to make an observation. When a Member has a very good question, I seem to hear the click and it appears the Minister is reading from notes. So I have to compliment his staff on his excellent replies back.

Madam Chair, I just happened to notice under expenditures and categories, it does cause me some concern when I read under grants and contributions, 42 percent of the budget goes to grants and contributions. When we are scrambling to make adjustments with our payroll tax and just tax in general on people, it causes me some stress that we could have...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Then at this time I'll ask the honourable Member if he will provide a briefing note to all Members. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday in the budget address there was a line item of $300,000 directed at assisting land-use planning studies, new technical investigations and other items related to development. Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister of Finance is when will tax-based communities receive similar treatment? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I may draw your attention to page 4 of the budget address, there’s a quote in there that says current projections show this virtually unchanged at $70 million. That refers to our deficit. Now it also points out, going a little further into the quote, it says, from the Finance Minister yesterday, we project a $46 million operating deficit for 2004-2005 and that was with some very classy intervention with raising some taxes, creating some revenues, finding some money. But the obvious question that has caused me some concern is, has the Finance Minister...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm going to apologize for this one because it could because it has been a long day, but I don't think I quite understood the answer. Like I said, I stress it could be because it's a long day. Are they getting a fee for service and the bottles are being left within as an incidental? For example, are they able to do what they wish with the bottles, or is that incorporated in the fee for service? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That's good news. Who maintains ownership of the bottles once the money has been refunded? Who retains ownership once the bottles are returned for money? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Referring to page 3-20 under other income, $180,000, we see quite a substantial change. Could the Minister supply me with some information on a breakdown in that regard? Thank you very much.