Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Miltenberger, would you like to reply?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’d like to thank the Member for his comments, and I won’t try to restate my comments that I made to Ms. Bisaro or Mr. Bromley, but I recognize the overlap that the Member is talking about.
The issue of this is not an Assembly budget, in a consensus government I would say that this is a collective process. If it wasn’t an Assembly budget and this was party politics, we would have walked in here today and this would be the first time you would be seeing the budget, and we would be having a discussion that would last probably a few days, and then we would vote. I mean, we work on this process basically year round, so we are definitely listening.
You commented that you were glad to see we are paying attention, yet we’ve got to think smarter. I want to assure the Member that we listen extremely closely to every Member, take copious notes, and we definitely give the Members’ comments the consideration they deserve. I just want to reassure that we are paying very close attention.
I won’t touch on his comment about his spewing hot air. I will let that one stand on its own merit. He needs no help from us to defend that statement.
The issue of the education and health issues are noted. I would point out with the Avens that we, in the not-too-distant past, concluded a fairly significant addition. At that time we had the foresight, as well, working with them, to give them a fairly large piece of land to be able to do expansions. We now know that there is a growing demand for seniors’ services, which is one of the reasons why we are working in the Sahtu to put in a long-term care facility.
In the road to Detah, all of us can talk and point to no shortage of issues back to that we have far more needs than we have resources, that things are taking a long time and are going to continue to take time just because we have to make choices. I have sat here for going on my 19th year with Members from the Sahtu talking about basic roads, and as they listen to the discussion around the territory about we would like better roads, we would like paving, we would like chipseal, and now the two MLAs I have been working with have raised that point repeatedly just to remind us that there are, in fact, some jurisdictions that don’t have any roads. We have to, as we make choices, keep those pressures in mind.
I thank the Member for his comments. We will collectively work to get through the review. At the end of the day, we will collectively vote on the budget of the 17th Legislative Assembly for 2014-15. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The last person I have on my list today is Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have a few comments that I would like to make to the budget. For the last two years the Minister has been saying that we are preserving our budget, keeping good track of our budget for the last two years of our term. Just looking at the budget, it is almost similar as last year. I was expecting maybe a $300 million budget this year just spread out amongst the communities.
I do appreciate the budget right now. There is $2 million set aside for the riding I represent, but there are a number of concerns in my riding, actually, with the project that is the Inuvik-Tuk highway.
Just one thing people would like to see is more training in the communities. That hasn’t happened. I am very surprised. It seems like every time we see a major project, whether it is oil and gas in the Sahtu, training takes a long time to be implemented. As soon as we hear of a project that’s going to happen, we need to start implementing right away these training mechanisms. I hope that starts right now because the employment rates are still the same in the communities, 30 to 35 percent. We need to improve that.
I was just thinking when my last colleague was speaking, just think of the boost we would give the communities if we were to give them $1 million for their own projects, the amount of employment that we could create in the smaller communities. That is thinking outside the box. I think that is what we need to do here. We have two years left in our term and I would like to see something like that happen.
With that said, I do appreciate the amount of money that is being spent in my riding. It could always be more, but I would like to thank everyone that worked together to get this budget in place. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. I just want to remind everybody that we are talking about the capital budget here. Minister Miltenberger, do you have any remarks?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the Member’s comments. I just want to point out that the prior year’s budget was $171.025 million. This year is $254.118 million, so we are not quite at $300 million. So we have added to the budget, but we do, as all Members recognize, have a very rigorous process. Over the years that has been tailored to try to deal with this because it is such an important issue and there are not a lot of resources, and that need for comfort, both to the public we represent and to the Members, that we have as fair and balanced a system as possible in trying to make the determination.
I appreciate the Member’s wish that we had even more money and that we could spread it around with more enthusiasm, but I think we would hit the fairness test. The Minister of Transportation will be up here and will talk to you about the Inuvik-Tuk highway and training issues.
As we try to pursue the Member’s suggestion that we think outside the box and be creative as possible, we are interested in being creative, but we also want to make sure that in 716 days when the new government comes into being, we have not stripped the cupboard bare, and that the incoming government has flexibility to carry on a lot of the good work. We have to hit that balance as we try to be more effective and creative in how we do this. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. I am sure we could all agree one wish is to have more money. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that we report progress.
---Carried
Can I have the report of Committee of the Whole, please, Mr. Bromley.
Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Tabled Document 107-17(4), Capital Estimates 2014-2015, and I would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. A motion is on the floor. Do we have a seconder? The honourable Mr. Ramsay.
---Carried
Opposed? Oh, one opposed. Mr. Hawkins.
Mr. Speaker, orders of the day for Friday, October 18, 2013, 10:00 a.m.:
Prayer
Ministers’ Statements
Members’ Statements
Returns to Oral Questions
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Acknowledgements
Oral Questions
Written Questions
Returns to Written Questions
Replies to Opening Address
Petitions
Reports of Standing and Special Committees
Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills
Tabling of Documents
Notices of Motion
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills
Motions
First Reading of Bills
Second Reading of Bills
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bill 22, Territorial Emblems and Honours Act
Tabled Document 70-17(4), Electoral Boundaries Commission, Final Report, May 2013
Tabled Document 107-17(4), NWT Capital Estimates 2014-2015
Report of Committee of the Whole
Third Reading of Bills
Orders of the Day
Thank you, Madam Clerk. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until Friday, October 18th, at 10:00 a.m.
---ADJOURNMENT
The House adjourned at 5:33 p.m.
