Debates of March 8, 2005 (day 51)

Page 2-23, Ministers' offices, operations expenditure summary, $3.665 million.

Agreed.

Page 2-25, Ministers' offices, grants and contributions, grants, total grants, $173,000.

Agreed.

Contributions, total contributions, $515,000.

Agreed.

Total grants and contributions, $688,000.

Agreed.

Pages 2-26 and 2-27, Ministers' offices, active positions.

Agreed.

Page 2-29, executive offices, operations expenditure summary, $4.685 million. Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a question on the $50,000 increase in contract services for the executive offices. Maybe just give me some clarification on what that entails.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, the $420,000 is up from $370,000. That’s a whole number of items. Contract services include our auto, office space lease, the Northern Strategy development, $125,000; Bear Facts newsletter, $22,000; NewsLine services, $24,000; trademarks and copyrights, $30,000; ethics counsellor, $30,000; equipment leases, $30,000; recycling and waste paper management, $9,000; and, miscellaneous as needed and when needed services, $88,000. Mr. Chairman, the $50,000 difference is made up from a number of small increases in all a variety of contractor services we do. I don’t have the specific one for each one of those services. Some of them are new. For example, the Northern Strategy development is something that wouldn’t have been in last year’s budget at all. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Villeneuve.

No, that’s fine with me. Thank you.

Thank you. Page 2-29, executive offices, operations expenditure summary, $4.685 million.

Agreed.

Pages 2-32 and 2-33, executive offices, active positions.

Agreed.

Page 2-35, Public Utilities Board, operations expenditure summary, $331,000. Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess I’m not sure if we went through page 2-30 on the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards. Are we not providing any funding to that organization anymore? Is it sunset? Is there a different department that’s going to be providing them with any NWT government funding? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Before we do that, does the committee wish to go back to page 2-30?

Agreed.

Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you. Just a quick question on the Aboriginal Achievement Awards. It doesn’t look like there are any estimates for 2005-06. Maybe the Premier could just make some clarification on that one.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, if the Members look at the 2004-05 year they’ll notice that we had nothing in it in the main estimates for 2004-05, but in the revised mains we put in $30,000. What we do is, this sunsets each year and we ask departments to contribute towards the $30,000 from across the GNWT and we come up with that. So our intention in future years, of course, is to continue to contribute $30,000 to this very worthwhile cause. So this year you will see again a revised mains with the $30,000 in it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess I was just wondering, why not just include it if it’s going to be there anyway? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, we could in future take a look at doing it through Executive and have it as a standing part of our budget each year. The original contribution at one time was originally made out of RWED and then it was decided that wasn’t appropriate, that all departments should contribute to this cause. Many of the people who are selected from the Northwest Territories come from different areas. Sometimes they are long-time elders who have contributed that way. Sometimes it is people who have contributed with sports and so on. The best way is just to have it coordinated through the Executive but each department contributes. If the Members wish, when we do the next year’s business plan, we can revisit that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Villeneuve. Thank you. Page 2-30.

Agreed.

Go down to page 2-35. Public Utilities Board, operations expenditure summary, $331,000.

Agreed.

Pages 2-36 and 2-37, Public Utilities Board, active positions.

Agreed.

Page 2-39, Beaufort-Delta regional office, operations expenditure summary, $83,000.

Agreed.

Pages 2-40 and 2-41, Beaufort-Delta regional office, active positions.

Agreed.

Page 2-42, work performed on behalf of others, $236,000.

Agreed.

Page 2-43, information item, lease commitments - infrastructure.

Agreed.

Can we go back to page 2-13? Mr. Braden.

They are just handing out the motion right now. Are there any questions? Mr. Braden.

Very briefly, Mr. Chair, just to set the context. In committee’s review of the budget and the draft mains, we were acutely aware, of course, of the changes and the impacts that were to happen and, in fact, did happen as a result of Ottawa’s uptake on the NWT’s agenda. The Premier should take no small amount of credit in that. But we also were well briefed and quite appreciative of the reliance that we now have on these panels, the Expert Panel on Equalization and the Council of the Federation panel on fiscal imbalance. They kind of have a lot of our fiscal future and wellbeing in their hands, Mr. Chair. So committee wanted to send a message to the government, to this department, as the lead hand, if you will, to make sure that, I think the word aggressive was in here. Is it in here? No. Okay. I am looking at the wrong motion, Mr. Chair. Anyway, the point of this motion is to give the government the strongest mandate possible to go to these panels, communicate our approach as strongly and clearly as we possibly can, and that we collaborate with the Aboriginal Summit, in effect our governance partners here, on how these two organizations can make an impact at the panel level. That is why we wanted this motion put on the floor, Mr. Chair. Thank you.