Debates of October 21, 2005 (day 15)

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 211-15(4): Corporate Tax Overpayment

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. But we have to consider most loans are paid over 20, 25 or 30 years. This has to be paid back within four years; almost $300 million. Mr. Speaker, this government can never be taken responsibly, until we show that we can deal with overpayments like this in a responsible manner. So we need to be seen as a responsible government, cleaning up the last government's mess. Would the Minister have his officials at least conduct an inter-jurisdictional review of best practices of how federal overpayments are done, and received and taken care of in their provinces? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 211-15(4): Corporate Tax Overpayment

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our fiscal responsibility policy that we put forward to the federal government, and how we deal with the federal government, is based on their terms that this overpayment situation has occurred. They're aware of it; they have the repayment plan that affects every jurisdiction. It's the same plan. It's a three-year plan, and it's also based on your population, of how much is repaid on an annual basis until the third year, which is coming up in the next fiscal cycle we have.

Everything we do is processed in accordance with the rules, and so on. So I think we're of a position, we've taken the situation as we have it, and worked with the federal government, and have been working with them around a number of other initiatives. But when we look at it, we are scheduled for that repayment coming up. We have taken that into account; it's built into our fiscal plan. Thank you.

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

Supplementary To Question 211-15(4): Corporate Tax Overpayment

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think we continue to avoid the fact that we're spending money that doesn't belong to us, and we've negotiated it into an interest-free loan, by avoiding it and putting it as a burden on the next government. So my awe-inspiring question to the Minister of Finance, whom I have a lot of respect for, is, what, then, will the Minister do to ensure that this government will conduct its finances with integrity and true responsibility, and we don't leave the next government and the next Assembly with any type of burden from our willy-nillyness on dealing with interest-free loans? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 211-15(4): Corporate Tax Overpayment

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, let me reaffirm to the Member, and this House, and to the people of the Territories, that this government is not dealing willy-nilly with the finances of the Territories.

---Applause

We, in fact, have taken full responsibility for this and have accounted for it. In the future, working with the federal government, if our fiscal responsibility paper is adopted by them, that would give us much ability to look at how we deal with our finances.

Ultimately, yes, as a government, we do have to look at every time this occurs, and in most cases, it's much smaller than that amount, than the $290 million that has been identified; but, unfortunately, this one was a very large one, and we would be able to deal with these on an annual basis without much impact on our fiscal situation.

As I stated, we did look at the options, and did a scenario, and if we decided to pay it back immediately and just sent the money back, what that would do for our fiscal picture. Our fiscal forecast would not change significantly by doing that. But I will, as I have mentioned to the Members in this House, look at what options are in front of us, and what we can do to make sure that the NWT remains in a sound fiscal position. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I look behind me and I see all these students from the school here in Yellowknife, and some day they'll be applying for SFA when they go to college. I'm sure people here wouldn't want to have their decisions made from an office in Inuvik or Fort Smith. So I would like to ask the Minister of Education, why are there no regional offices in the NWT with the authority to make decisions? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 212-15(4): Regional Student Financial Assistance Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In fact, there are no offices in the student financial assistance system that can make decisions that would have changed the situation the Member spoke of in his Member's statement today. The way our system is set, the officers have no power to overrule the regulations, and the regulations have to be followed explicitly. So a more important issue is, what can we do to make the regulations work for the students? The Member has brought an important issue to light here, where the regulations, in this situation, cost the government more money than if we had been able to do what was probably the sensible thing and pay for the travel. So I have ensured that we are taking a look at how we can address that issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Supplementary To Question 212-15(4): Regional Student Financial Assistance Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister talks about regulations. I'm sure these regulations aren't written in stone, and I'm sure we do have the authority, or I'd like to know if the Minister has the authority to overrule some of these decisions, based on facts, not on regulations. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 212-15(4): Regional Student Financial Assistance Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, the current situation is that the Minister cannot overrule the regulations. So the way that we deal with issues when they come to our attention, that we have a problem like the one that the Member has brought up, is we look at how we can change the regulations to go forward in ways that we can recognize better results. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Supplementary To Question 212-15(4): Regional Student Financial Assistance Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister look at establishing regional offices that have the authority to make decisions for the students, once these regulations are changed? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 212-15(4): Regional Student Financial Assistance Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have looked at this issue, in terms of student financial assistance officers. Given the nature of the program and how it works, in that all of the applications come in in a very short period of time, typically two times a year, there aren't enough dedicated staff to spread out across the Territories in a cost-effective way. I am certainly prepared to work with Members to see how we can strengthen the work of the regional offices, to make sure that they're working with students to help them navigate their way through the system. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Supplementary To Question 212-15(4): Regional Student Financial Assistance Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister spoke of dedicated staff across the Northwest Territories. I'm sure there are not dedicated staff or positions here in Yellowknife that could move across the Northwest Territories. So my final question to the Minister, with this particular constituent that I'm dealing with, the Minister says we can't overrule the decision. So will he look into this constituent's concern and make a good business decision, or is this a final decision? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 212-15(4): Regional Student Financial Assistance Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Ministers cannot overrule a regulation like this and change the situation retroactively. I am committed to looking at the situation and making a change to the regulations, to ensure that we don't run into this sort of situation again. My goal would be to establish a policy whereby travel assistance is provided on a cash basis, so that everybody can look after their own travel themselves, and we don't get into this sort of situation where we pay minute attention to where people are travelling from or how they're travelling. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board. Mr. Speaker, a few days ago, the Premier stood up here in the House and listed up a bunch of folks that the Workers' Compensation Board had consulted with, prior to building a new building. I was surprised to hear that Regular Members of this House were not a part of that list, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board why there was no notice given to Regular Members that the WCB was proceeding with this new initiative. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 213-15(4): Consultation On Proposed WCB Office Complex

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can only assume that the reason for that would be that the Worker's Compensation Governance Council sees the stakeholders in that operation as labour and employers, and those are the groups that have been consulted. I know that I have talked to the chair, and have invited him to make a presentation to the standing committee here, so they can discuss the issue of the construction of a new facility. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 213-15(4): Consultation On Proposed WCB Office Complex

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the meeting scheduled for next Wednesday, a briefing between the WCB, the Minister responsible for the WCB, and the Regular Members of this House, only took place after enquiries were made to the Minister's office to make that happen. I would like to mention to the Minister that assessment rates and monies that are paid to the WCB come out of the pockets of employers here in the Northwest Territories, our constituents, who have every right to come and visit their MLA, when they see assessment rates for next year going up. I would like to ask the Minister responsible for the WCB if his intention was to share these new assessment rates, that are proposed for 2006, with the Regular Members of this House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 213-15(4): Consultation On Proposed WCB Office Complex

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I had, in fact, planned to do a Minister's statement on those rates, at one time in the House, but the WCB released the information publicly through a press release, so I didn't feel it would be appropriate any longer because the information was already out there. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 213-15(4): Consultation On Proposed WCB Office Complex

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does it concern the Minister, at all, that in the proposed 2006 assessments that the WCB is proposing, that mining operations will decrease by 20 percent, and virtually every other sector of the economy will see an increase to their 2006 assessment rates? Does the Minister have any issue with that? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 213-15(4): Consultation On Proposed WCB Office Complex

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The rates that are established by the WCB are entirely based on actuarial studies of the numbers of accidents, and the cost of those accidents, to each of the rate categories. So if those are the being established, it's to ensure that there is no cross-subsidization between one sector and another in the business. I know that the WCB has been quite vigilant at making sure that their accident fund is fully funded, so that there won't be any surprises for employers. I think that they are looking at ways that they can ensure the stability of the funding. But changes will always happen, depending on accidents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Your final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 213-15(4): Consultation On Proposed WCB Office Complex

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to also ask the Minister, I know the proposed new building is going to be built or located in the Frame Lake South area in Yellowknife, an area that's already plagued with traffic congestion, and, obviously, has a nice waterfront view. I'm wondering, is it better that the WCB be located in this area of the city, or downtown where it's currently located? What options were pursued to have that building located in the downtown core of Yellowknife? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 213-15(4): Consultation On Proposed WCB Office Complex

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member has asked for my opinion as to where the building should be, and it's not really mine to give an opinion on that. I can say, though, in response to one of his questions, there were a number of different alternatives considered. One was the space right beside City Hall. Members will be aware that the city council rejected the old Gerry Murphy site, or a site near the old Gerry Murphy Arena, as a possible location. The WCB looked at assembling land in the downtown core, and they had some discussion about space off of School Draw. So there were a number of different spaces that were looked at. It was quite a public process, when they did start looking at finding land to assemble. They sought RFPs, and where they sought by RFP, submissions for space. As I understand it, it's entirely a business decision based on cost, and ensuring that it makes economic sense for the WCB to build a building.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement, I spoke highly of the importance of literacy, so I have a question to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister please tell the House how much money is being spent annually on adult basic education programs, and also, specifically, the percentage to the smaller communities? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 214-15(4): Adult Basic Education

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can answer some of that question quite easily. Adult literacy and basic education programming in the Northwest Territories has a budget of $2.4 million. We've had programming offered in 30 of the 33 communities in the Northwest Territories. To list off the percentage though, I can't do that. I have my listing here by dollars by community, and I would be happy to share that with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 214-15(4): Adult Basic Education

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister tell this Assembly what is being done to identify the specific needs of each community in terms of adult basic education, or does the Minister subscribe to the philosophy of one size fits all? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 214-15(4): Adult Basic Education

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, clearly, one size doesn't fit all. We have a number of different options in different communities. In some communities, the adult educator and the principal of the school work together to provide different types of programming, so that it's not all the same sort of curriculum. In other communities, there's more of a challenge to get the community to work together. But it is up to the adult educator and the college to work with the community, and the expectation is that they will work with the communities, to determine what is most appropriate for delivery in that community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 214-15(4): Adult Basic Education

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, research indicates that people with low literacy are twice as likely not to have jobs, or to access training and ABE programs. What is the Minister doing to ensure that literacy programs meet the needs of NWT residents, in order for them to improve their quality of life and take advantage of economic opportunities? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.