Debates of February 25, 2005 (day 44)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am going to continue asking questions to the Premier, in regard to multi-year funding.

Mr. Speaker, I was concerned that the Premier may have implied in one way or the other that we should be accountable for that money. If that was the case, I am going to go back to Hansard and see if he was implying it. Because I think that that is a point of privilege and in no way would I imply in any way that we should not be accountable for our multi-year funding.

Mr. Speaker, I am talking about how these NGOs are being funded. I am talking about making their life easier. I am talking about stabilization of that problem.

Mr. Speaker, would the Premier be willing to go back and look into this problem for say any organization over 10 years that our government has been funding on multi-year agreements that get renewed year to year; that they have to put a new proposal in year-to-year funding, over and over and over again? Would he look at switching them and negotiating a mandate to switch them from three to five-year agreements, to make their life easier? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Return To Question 490-15(3): Multi-Year Funding For Non-Government Organizations

Mr. Speaker, we deal with a lot of NGOs, who have a lot of different mandates. Most of them are ongoing, but some of them do sunset from time to time. All that has to be taken into consideration.

Mr. Speaker, if there are NGOs out there who have been filing and filling out applications every year, filing these with the government and then repeating the process next year and want to talk about multi-year funding, they simply have to go to the appropriate Minister and negotiate that. We are open to that, we do it all the time.

Again, I say, they still have to account for the money on an annual basis; no question about that. Second is that whatever agreement we come to on a multi-year basis is subject by a vote by this House on our appropriation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 490-15(3): Multi-Year Funding For Non-Government Organizations

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate what the Premier just said, but the other day we were talking about multi-year agreements with the Finance Minister with regard to the City of Yellowknife. The MACA Minister told me the FAA Act handcuffs us for these types of discussions. I am not really sure I am getting a clear answer from three different Ministers.

Mr. Speaker, we can negotiate with these things. Let’s open up the door, let’s create a one-window approach. Who would this Premier suggest for all of these organizations to approach, yes, with the proviso, that the money is voted on in this House? Who would the Premier suggest that we should be approaching to create multi-year agreements? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 490-15(3): Multi-Year Funding For Non-Government Organizations

Mr. Speaker, any NGO or municipal government or anyone who wants to enter into a multi-year funding arrangement with our government would have to approach the appropriate Minister. If it is a municipality, you would go to the Minister of MACA; if it’s one that’s doing work on the social agenda areas, you would go to Education or Justice or Housing or whoever is appropriate. Mr. Speaker, they would have to come back to whichever Minister is responsible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 490-15(3): Multi-Year Funding For Non-Government Organizations

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this could be a hallmark of this government. We talk endlessly about hydro, the big plans of the future and whatnot. Well, let’s talk about the people who will be here after these diamond mines are gone, after these oil and gas things are gone; let’s talk about them. They are the ones underpinning our society.

This is just whitewashing the issue. Will the Premier take responsibility and say we are going to make it a mandate of this government to solve this problem? We are going to open the doors, we are not just going to send them here, send them there -- like I said yesterday on other issues -- let’s deal with it. Will he say my office is open, we are going to solve this problem. Will the Premier take that responsibility and deal with the problem? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Further Return To Question 490-15(3): Multi-Year Funding For Non-Government Organizations

Mr. Speaker, I have a difficult time and I certainly want to read Hansard to figure out what the problem is. If an NGO or anyone we fund has an issue with the agreement that they have, the contract they have, they would go to the appropriate Minister.

I don’t know that there is a big problem that covers everybody, because we do consider multi-year funding, as I have said before, but it is all subject to the appropriation in the House. I don’t understand what the big problem is. Individual agencies though go to the appropriate Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Supplementary To Question 490-15(3): Multi-Year Funding For Non-Government Organizations

I almost called a point of order on myself.

---Laughter

Almost. Mr. Speaker, I don’t know what to say. If I were to nail the Premier’s feet down, he would still out dance me. He would still out dance me, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I have people telling me their organizations are struggling because they put application after application in every year and they are waiting for the certainty at the 11th hour of March 31st.

Mr. Speaker, this government can shift with the times. This government can work with these organizations. This government has that mandate. We can address it. Mr. Speaker, can the Premier say today that he will work on this problem for creating the certainty that the NGOs are saying they want stabilized, clear funding? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Premier, Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 490-15(3): Multi-Year Funding For Non-Government Organizations

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Everybody wants stabilized funding. Right from the pipeline companies, to our government, to the federal government; everybody does.

That is a reality that we all have to deal with. We all have to be accountable for our money. I will say it again, Mr. Speaker. If a specific agency, Mr. Speaker, has a problem with filling out applications year after year, they should talk to the appropriate Minister, whichever one is responsible for that mandate, and talk about multi-year funding. We have multi-year funding agreements in place, we have some that are under negotiation. I don’t know which one the Member is referring to, but if there are one or two or five who are feeling they can’t do it, then talk to the Minister.

Again I will say, Mr. Speaker, everything we do is subject to a vote in this House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.