Debates of August 15, 2007 (day 10)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to address some questions to the Premier in relation to the long sought agreements-in-principle on devolution and resource revenue sharing. Mr. Speaker, there has been tremendous sustained work through the spring and the summer, I know, to try to achieve something prior to the end of the life of this Assembly and this government, but we’re not there. However, the Prime Minister, on his rather casual swing through Yellowknife the other week, did offer a little bit of insight into the situation and he was quoted as saying we’re closer but not there yet, regarding the AIP negotiations. Mr. Speaker, could the Premier interpret the Prime Minister’s remarks for us and tell us what progress has been made and what remains yet to be finalized in our AIP negotiations?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Return To Question 120-15(6): Devolution And Resource Revenue Sharing Agreement

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I can provide more detail. Mr. Speaker, as we’ve said before, there were six outstanding items between ourselves and the federal government and I won’t go through each of them, but I will say that there are only two that are still outstanding. One has to do with the issues around net fiscal benefit. The other one has to do with the amount of money that would be transferred when federal employees and services are transferred to GNWT.

Mr. Speaker, in the case of net fiscal benefit, we are not going to accept a bad deal. We’d sooner have no deal. The Prime Minister has committed that northerners must be the primary beneficiaries of resource development. We take him at his word on that and we have included, in the draft agreement-in-principle, those words. The negotiators didn’t want to have those words in. They wanted to leave us to negotiate a cap on our net fiscal benefit. That doesn’t make us very comfortable. I think we have made some progress in having their negotiator agree to put the words back into the agreement-in-principle, but the negotiator is briefing the responsible Minister I think this week, but possibly next week. That was one issue. We are not going to accept anything less than a good deal for the North.

Mr. Speaker, the second issue was around a base transfer. That one is a fairly small one to resolve, in my mind. It may need a political solution and I intend to try to achieve that with that situation. Mr. Speaker, that one, we’re only a few million dollars apart. The federal negotiators seem to believe that they have reached the maximum in their mandate and they’re asking to go back and talk with the Minister responsible.

So, Mr. Speaker, those are the two issues. A base transfer, the amount of money, which is not a huge amount in the bigger scale of things, and second is on net fiscal benefit where we’re not ready to accept a deal that puts a cap on what we will receive. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 120-15(6): Devolution And Resource Revenue Sharing Agreement

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A condition that has always been before us, and I referenced it in my statement, is that while I think it was in the words of Minister Nault, a former Minister of Northern Affairs, that we do not need to see absolutely all northern governments signing off on the agreement, but there needs to be a very strong majority of northern governments ready to participate in this kind of deal. Without, as we unfortunately experienced in May, without the Tlicho, the Akaitcho or the Dehcho on board, is it feasible that we will still see Canada signing off even though these three governments, at least to my knowledge, Mr. Speaker, have not indicated their willingness to join into this AIP, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 120-15(6): Devolution And Resource Revenue Sharing Agreement

Mr. Speaker, the best of my knowledge in a negotiation and in any discussions, the fact that only four out of seven aboriginal organizations have signed on has never been an issue with the federal government. They have not raised that at all. They are satisfied with the four that we have been working with us. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 120-15(6): Devolution And Resource Revenue Sharing Agreement

Mr. Speaker, the timing of potentially achieving this deal, while we all, in this Assembly, certainly desire to be able to put this checkmark beside our performance and our legacy here, Mr. Speaker, the life of this Assembly technically and legally ends at the end of August. The government, of course through the Ministers, continue until the new government is signed on, probably sometime in mid-October. That leaves really only days in which an agreement may be finalized. Mr. Speaker, is it really appropriate? Is it really practical? Is it realistic? But the government is going to continue to pursue this AIP in the life of this Assembly, considering the extremely limited time that we have before the next Assembly would be coming on board.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 120-15(6): Devolution And Resource Revenue Sharing Agreement

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was elected as Premier for the life of this government. This government is alive and working until the writ is dropped. Until that happens, then, yes, we will continue to pursue this negotiation. Now, Mr. Speaker, I might add that this is complicated a bit by the shuffle of Ministers in the federal system. Even as I speak today, I am not sure who is the lead Minister for the North, so there are some delays there. But, Mr. Speaker, we will continue to press on this. That is our job. We will do it for the life of this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Final supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 120-15(6): Devolution And Resource Revenue Sharing Agreement

The Premier has cast one other aspect to this relating to the uncertainty and the frustration of dealing with Canada when he had just indicated that while we have, for some 24 hours now, a new Minister, Mr. Chuck Strahl, I wish the new Minister luck. The Premier has indicated that he doesn’t know, as of today, who is the lead Minister for the North. This is a rather disturbing situation. Could the Premier outline what is the source of this confusion? If Mr. Strahl does not carry this mandate as the Minister of Northern Affairs, who does and under what authority? Just where does that place us in terms of knowing who is in charge, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 120-15(6): Devolution And Resource Revenue Sharing Agreement

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Until l see the clarification on the roles, I will not make assumptions about who has what responsibility. Mr. Speaker, I am told that Minister Prentice, for example, is the lead Minister for the pipeline. That pipeline is in the North, so I don’t know what else may be in terms of division of responsibilities between these two Ministers, so I can’t make assumptions. But we will continue to work hard on trying to achieve an agreement-in-principle in the meantime. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.