Thank you, Mr. O’Reilly. Mr. Kalgutkar.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Member is correct. There is $7.5 million set aside in 2016-17 to continue to address the low-water issue at the facility. We are still getting data from the Power Corp to assess whether the water levels are coming back. I think the indications are that they are coming back. When we have a better understanding of what their diesel usage is for the first part of this fiscal year, we could likely make an assessment of whether we could allocate some of that funding to more Arctic Energy Alliance programs. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Kalgutkar. Mr. O’Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. Just so I understand this. If all this money then is not spent subsidizing diesel, then it could be reallocated towards an investment in renewables in the current year? Would that be done through a sup? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O’Reilly. Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Chair, we would have to be back to FMB and seek that authorization. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister McLeod. Mr. O’Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that. I look forward to having more of a discussion about this in the context of this Energy Plan that the government is going to develop. We can’t continue to throw money at diesel without increasing our investment in renewables and taking a longer term view to getting us out of this problem in the first place. That is more of a comment. Thanks, Mr. Chair. That is all I have.
Thank you, Mr. O’Reilly. Take that as a comment. Next we have Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I move that committee continues sitting beyond the hour of daily adjournment to conclude the item under consideration. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Motion is on the floor and has been distributed. Motion is in order and is non-debatable. Question has been called. All those in favour. All those opposed. Motion is carried.
---Carried
We will now continue on page 145. Deputy minister’s office, grants, contributions and transfers. Are there any questions? Are we agreed?
Agreed.
That brings us to page 146. Deputy minister’s office, active positions, information item. Any questions? Agreed?
Agreed.
Okay. That brings us back to page 144, deputy minister’s office, operations expenditure summary, activity total, $92,440,000. Are we agreed?
Agreed.
Thank you. That brings us to page 148, fiscal policy, operations expenditure summary, activity total $42,278,000. We’ll defer this page and go on to page 149, grants, contributions and transfers. Any questions? Are we agreed? Oh, Mr. O’Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. A couple of things here I wanted to pursue. Presumably this is the section where taxes are dealt with in some measure. I’m just wondering, the federal government made a commitment to increase the northern resident tax deduction. They didn’t index it. I’ve raised that here in the House, and I know the Minister was just at a Finance Ministers’ meeting in Vancouver, I think, on the weekend. It just came to my mind that I should ask him, was there any movement towards indexing of the northern resident tax deduction at that meeting, and has he had an opportunity to work with his colleagues from Nunavut and Yukon? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O’Reilly. Minister McLeod.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, there was no discussion on the indexing of the Northern Residents Deduction, but it is an issue that I should raise with my northern counterparts to see how we can address it. But it wasn’t raised at this particular meeting. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister McLeod. Mr. O’Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes. I’m thinking that, if there could be a letter sent by the three Finance Ministers from the three territories, that might help get some attention of the federal Finance Minister. If our Finance Minister could also see fit to include something in the letter about the need for Canada Revenue Agency to tell Northern residents what the value of a flight out of here is, rather than us having to guess and then get audited continually, that would be really helpful. This is a really bothersome thing for folks here, and I’m hoping that the Minister can undertake to do some work on that because it’s a real source of consternation, if not problems. I’m wondering if he can undertake to take that on when he’s dealing with this issue of indexing of the northern resident tax deduction as well? How do we value… CRA should just tell us what the value of those flights are. We shouldn’t be just left guessing. Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O’Reilly. Minister McLeod.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I take the Member’s point and I will commit to working with my counterparts from the northern regions to see how we can address this. We get together with our financial colleagues again I believe in December, and we’ll have an opportunity through business plans, I think, to have further discussion. But I do commit to the Member that I’ll keep this on the radar, and this is one that I will raise. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister McLeod. Any further questions on page 149? Ms. Green. Sorry, I didn’t see your hand.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a question of clarification. We’ve heard some discussion about the new NWT Child Benefit, but looking at this page, it doesn’t look like it’s new, or else it isn’t added in here. I’m not sure which it is. This is the one that’s going to be coordinated with the Canada Child Benefit. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister, or Mr. Kalgutkar.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Member is correct. This is the one that’s going to be coordinated with the initiative that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is currently undertaking. I believe, if I recall, the NWT Child Benefit is proposing to go up to $2.5 million in total annually, so I think you’ll see that down the road, but it wasn’t implemented in time for this budget. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Kalgutkar. Ms. Green.
Thank you for that answer. Those are all my questions.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Any further questions, committee? Mr. O’Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair, and I apologize. I should have asked, the Northwest Territories Heritage Fund is on this page, and it’s in our mandate that there’s going to be a review of that legislation undertaken. I’m just wondering if the Minister can tell us when that is going to begin. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O’Reilly. Minister McLeod.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we’re currently working on an options paper and we will provide that to the Regular Members. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister McLeod. Any further questions? Mr. O’Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. Just so I understand, is that going to happen in 2016-17, this year, or can the Minister give us a date when we might get that paper? Thanks.
Thank you, Mr. O’Reilly. Minister McLeod.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, it’s difficult for me to give a definite date right now, but we’re just early days in this and we’re trying to develop an option paper as to the Member’s concern. As soon as we make some progress on it… I’ll keep Members updated as to the progress, but we do understand that it is the mandate of the 18th Assembly, so we’ve committed to doing that and I will keep Members updated regularly on the progress of that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister McLeod. Any further questions, committee, to page 149? I see none. Going on to page 150, fiscal policy, active positions, information item. Any questions? Agreed?
Agreed.
That brings us back to page 148, fiscal policy, operations expenditure summary, activity total, $42,278,000. Agreed?
Agreed.
Thank you. That brings us to page 152, liquor revolving fund, operations expenditure summary, $63,000. Any questions? Agreed?
Agreed.
Thank you. That brings us to page 154, management board secretariat, operations expenditure summary, activity total, $9,726,000. We’ll defer this and move to page 155, management board secretariat, active positions, information item. Any questions? Agreed?
Agreed.
Agreed. That brings us back to 154, management board secretariat, operations expenditure summary, activity total, $9,726,000. Agreed?
Agreed.
Thank you. Okay, that brings us to page 157, office of the chief information officer, operations expenditure summary, activity total, $2,413,000. We’ll defer this and move on to page 158, grants, contributions and transfers. Any questions? Agreed?
Agreed.
