The annual budget for the Northwest Territories reveals much about a government: its vision, its effectiveness, its leadership and its capability to deliver. As part of the 16th Legislative Assembly, I cannot claim that we have earned high regard from our people on the basis of these standards.
We embarked on budget planning with good faith, confidence in the information provided by the Minister, and a common understanding of this Assembly’s vision and priorities. We had a commitment to positive change and agreement on the budget goals and the process to realize those goals. Yet subsequently, and with deplorable communication by this government, a mystifying focus on cuts over revenues and a demoralizing lack of opportunity for input from Regular MLAs, this government has produced a set of budget moves that almost appears random.
My teacher, Sai Baba, has emphasized that every time I point a finger at someone, I have three fingers pointing back at me. As a Member of this Assembly, I must take some responsibility for what I perceive as a failed process.
We have also had the challenges of starting this Assembly in the middle of a normal budgeting year, with an apparent need for reductions and with a lack of experience for some of us.
For the record, I will be working hard to have real input into improving the budget over the next few weeks in the House.
I am particularly disappointed at lost opportunities. Having just come through an election, we were all familiar with the significant issues and the real need to address them. We recognize that the NWT has a roaring economy, with some of the highest incomes and lowest unemployment rates in Canada, but we also recognize that there are many people and many communities not enjoying these benefits. Our social structures have not kept pace with our economic gains. There is an uneven distribution of benefits, and the cost of living is especially increasing in our small communities.
It was also clear that our environment is not being looked after. We established the priorities of local economic development, strengthening our social fabric and community capacity, celebrating and strengthening our youth and cultural diversity, and reducing and adapting to climate change — those to be addressed through careful program review and redirection.
There is much in this budget that concerns me: the centralization of staff from the regions; a lack of understanding of environmental issues; an absence of new support for social and mental-health services; little new revenue; and, compared to the substantiated and targeted change we had been led to expect, a haphazard loss of people and positions.
Mr. Speaker, I request unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues.
Especially lacking is a new, innovative response that recognizes the crucial realities and new approach required today. All of these that I've just mentioned are in conflict with our intent.
This session will be difficult, and we will all be working hard. As Regular Members we are unable to add items to the budget, only to delete or recommend change. As the leaders in a consensus government, the Premier and Cabinet have a responsibility to hear the Regular Members, and to finally allow us the input our constituents and the people of the NWT expect us to have.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Mr. Speaker, today we heard the Finance Minister deliver his Budget Address. This address is a culmination of weeks of speculation and frustration on the part of the public, the potentially affected employees, their families and, yes, MLAs like myself.
I’ve been an MLA for 13 years. Even taking into account the changes in the budgeting process schedule in an election year, this path has been fraught with miscommunication, lack of consultation and missteps on the part of this government.
The business plan reviews we would normally conduct at standing committees in the fall instead turned into a three-month status quo budget to get us to the end of June.
We could have extended that interim appropriation until the fall, but we thought that one full year was too long to be in office without a budget reflecting the priorities of the 16th Assembly.
Even so, in the time that was available, Ministers and their departments should have been able to come up with something much better than what we have before us today.
Most budgets contain some good news, and that’s certainly all we heard today in the Budget Address. But this budget and the process by which it was arrived at is flawed to the point that I’m not optimistic that it can be salvaged. If the interaction with Regular Members informing this budget is any indication of how much respect our input will receive during consideration of these estimates, I’m not hopeful.
I’m not one to shy away from a good debate or a good fight about anything, but as Regular Members, as Mr. Bromley said, we only have the ability to recommend additions or approve reductions. Our opportunity to affect change to this budget at this stage is limited.
In a budget already filled with too many reductions, what could be accomplished by further reductions? We could end up with something that is even worse than what was presented here today.
I’m not looking forward to the debate, negotiations and dialogue about this budget over the next four weeks, because I’m in a battle with my hands tied.
Personally, I would rather see the next four weeks devoted to this government taking this budget back to the drawing board and bringing forward a budget that demonstrates respect for consensus government; demonstrates that this is the people’s government and that quality programs and services delivered to our residents is our first and foremost priority; demonstrates respect for our public service, because the management of the human resource issues and options in this budget are completely unacceptable; demonstrates meaningful analysis of the effects of the reductions; demonstrates that the priorities of the 16th Assembly are reflected accurately; demonstrates that any reductions must be reasoned and not random; demonstrates that this government does not support centralization and privatization of government jobs and services; and demonstrates that the budget….
Mrs. Groenewegen, your time for Members’ statements has expired.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues.
I would like to see a budget that demonstrates it is premised on accurate fiscal information.
As a Regular Member, this is not my budget. The government has failed at every turn to communicate effectively. The budget cannot be redeemed by tinkering around the edges. The damage this budget will inflict is not repairable. Nobody takes a sledgehammer to their own house, because they know how much it will cost to rebuild it.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
