Debates of February 3, 2006 (day 22)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Finance Minister’s budget included so much about our reliance or our relationship with the federal government that I was thinking last night that not only should the Minister of Finance become an incredible hulk, I think all 19 of us have to become incredible hulks and maybe we should even consider parking ourselves outside of Wellington Street in Ottawa and make it our full-time job to just lobby the federal government.

Anyway, Mr. Speaker, we know of the importance of getting a deal on resource revenue sharing and devolution, but that’s the big picture item that is with us all the time. However, there are very real, item-by-item things in our budget where we are relying on the federal government to give us money, not only the $500 million for socio-economic impact fund. I don’t think we are concretely solid on that. We still need to get a commitment on that, as well as the money from the Kelowna deal, the Northern Strategy money that the Minister speaks about on page 5 where we are supposed to get a housing unit. I would like to know from the Minister what are our impacts on that. There is $100 million over the next three years for housing that the previous government committed we are not certain of. Then there is a whole whack of money going to community governments that we are not certain on. I would like to ask the Minister what his proposal is. My assumption is that everything is up to debate until they are confirmed. I am assuming that you have to confirm it with the new federal government. I would like to know what his strategy is to ensure we secure these fundings. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 331-15(4): Federal Funding And The NWT Budget

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on a number of fronts, we are going to be approaching a new government. The Premier, of course, as soon as he is able, will be getting a meeting with Prime Minister-designate Harper. Myself, when we hear who the Finance Minister will be, will be trying to get some time with the new Minister of Finance. The Minister of Housing will do the same. We would employ much of the same strategies we have with previous governments about specific roles and the commitments made out there. We’ve already highlighted the areas that we feel are most critical on the list that we first need to make contact with. The Members mention a few of them. For myself as Minister of Finance, some of the more critical ones have to do with formula financing arrangements, the borrowing limit and, of course, resource revenue sharing is critical to us.

The issue of housing, specifically, Mr. Speaker, is something that comes out of Bill C-48 and the $1.6 billion federal contribution towards housing across Canada. The commitment out of that money, the amount that Ms. Lee mentioned, was looking initially at $50 million over two years to cost share some housing in the Northwest Territories. We will have to get down there as soon as Ministers are named to their portfolios, to get a commitment of how soon that money will flow. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Supplementary To Question 331-15(4): Federal Funding And The NWT Budget

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just concentrating on the smaller items but still vital, obviously, the $100 million over the next three years for housing that the Minister mentioned and also there is $12 million budgeted for communities, including $4.5 million from the federal Gas Tax Agreement. We don’t know at this time if it’s going to be multi-year funding. Then we have money for the water treatment plants. There are lots of partnerships between the GNWT and community governments that community governments really are relying on. Is it safe or can we be safe that the budget we are passing this session is reliable, or is there a possibility that we will have to revisit this in June, depending on what the federal government does? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 331-15(4): Federal Funding And The NWT Budget

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the funding amounts that we have included in the budget that’s going to be before Members identifies money we have accounted for. So legislation has gone through the federal Parliament, as well as Treasury Board. It’s a matter of just getting commitments of how soon will they flow and release some of those funds to us, but for the most part, they are confirmed money. The ones we have highlighted as issues are the large ones, as I have addressed yesterday, in fact. The housing money is something we need a commitment on. The $500 million impact funding is something we need them to commit on. That one flows outside of the budget process we are in. Yes, there are a lot of different facets we are going to have to get up to speed on. I know when new Ministers are named, they have to deal with issues from across the country and we hope to be front and centre on some of those initiatives to try to get some movement very quickly. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Short supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Supplementary To Question 331-15(4): Federal Funding And The NWT Budget

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With respect to the infrastructure money to the communities, it’s my understanding that those are multi-year funding in partnerships with the community governments and the GNWT and federal funding, as well as the federal gas tax. The former government, during the campaign, talked about making it multi-year. We are not certain about that. Could I just ask the Minister if the section that he has on page 5 is certain for now and not subject to change with the new government? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 331-15(4): Federal Funding And The NWT Budget

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issues with community funding that we have identified have been put in trust, the agreements are signed and arrangements are made. Our arrangements where we need to match have been identified. What we have included for community infrastructure and budgets, the federal gas tax agreements, those are agreed to, signed off, and will be flowing. So those are straightforward in those areas. If there are areas that we have to match again, it’s identified within the appropriate Ministers' budgets and we are confident in those areas. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Supplementary To Question 331-15(4): Federal Funding And The NWT Budget

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just to be clear, then, can we speak with the same certainty about the housing money, $4 million under the Northern Strategy and $100 million over the next three years now that the legislation has been passed? Is it okay for us to expect that the new federal government would honour that legislation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 331-15(4): Federal Funding And The NWT Budget

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The particulars that we are working on, the gas tax situation, that is certain. The $4 million that comes from the Northern Strategy trust is certain. The $100 million amount that we were talking about over the next couple of years from federal Housing, Bill C-48, has been through Parliament but it did not make it through Treasury Board. So that is the one that we have highlighted as an issue that we need to get the federal government to make a serious commitment on and see where they are going to go with that. The $100 million is over three years. It’s tied to the $1.6 billion for housing across Canada, so that piece of legislation has been dealt with, it’s just the Treasury Board section that deals with us. Thank you.