My question is for the lead Minister responsible for the strategic initiative committee on reducing the cost of living. As I indicated in my Members’ statement, there has been a continued reference to $140 million in subsidies to reduce the cost of living in the NWT.
I believe that these subsidies don’t actually reduce the cost of living; rather, they just make it possible for residents who are struggling to meet their basic needs. So for the Minister responsible: can the lead Minister please identify some of the initiatives the cost of living committee has considered that will actually decrease the cost of living for Northern residents? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Ms. Lee.
First of all, I have to disagree, Mr. Speaker. I disagree with the Member that the subsidies have not reduced the cost of living. It doesn’t reduce the cost of goods. It has a way of masking the true cost of things, but it does reduce the cost of what the consumers are paying, whether it be housing or power subsidies. You get a subsidy on your power and thus reduce them.
We are working with the ministerial committee on energy to look at all options, alternative energy options, including building hydro, because I believe and we believe that the government needs to look at the long term and make those investments so that we fix the problems for the future as well as what we are doing now. Thank you.
I obviously disagree with the Minister. Subsidies aren’t available to every resident of the Northwest Territories. Most residents of the Northwest Territories don’t get subsidies for anything. Most of the subsidies are for individuals who are under the average salary line, who require assistance just to meet the basic needs of living on a given day. I don’t see how they reduce the cost of living for the average employee or the average person in the Northwest Territories.
I would like to just follow up. One of the items she mentioned was roads. Clearly, roads are a way to reduce the cost of living, but I don’t remember seeing in the last budget and I don’t remember seeing in any of the supps any indication that we are going to be creating new roads or all season roads to any of the communities that don’t already have them. So how are roads, in fact, reducing the cost of living to residents? By residents I mean the vast majority of residents of the Northwest Territories.
I think more details of what exactly these projects are will be coming forth in the business planning review process in a couple of weeks. There are very specific investments being made to extend runways, for example. In some of the small communities we are improving road access. We are improving winter bridges to connect winter road icebridges, and we are making investments in alternative energy programs. So there are some real, specific things to help with cost of living issues in the midterm, short term and long term. Thank you.
Once again it sounds like we are still moving forward on things that we have already done and talked about. I don’t see any new roads being built to increase access, seasonal access, all season access, to roads.
One of the things that we’ve heard out in the streets to actually help reduce the cost of living are things like milk subsidies. I don’t see the cost of living committee coming forward….
I don’t actually see that many programs or services that are geared to actually reducing the cost of living for the vast majority of residents. Once again subsidies are for people who can’t afford the basic needs. Roads. There are no new roads, and each year we are not making it a little bit better, which actually….
Do you have a question, Mr. Abernethy?
The trucks are still charging the same.
Can you, the Minister responsible, identify any specific project, anything, that will be reducing the cost of living — anything, any project — for the vast majority of residents of the Northwest Territories? I am talking….
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Allow the Minister to answer.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Subsidies do reduce the cost of living. All of our programs are targeted at different people with different needs, whether it is housing, income security, senior housing, SFA, even health programs. If he is asking if we are going to be writing a cheque to 42,000 people tomorrow, he is probably not going to find that.
But we are looking at investments in commercial power subsidies. For many communities the cost of goods is a big issue, and if we could help with the cost of power for businesses, we are hoping that might help out in some way. The territorial power subsidy applies to everybody.
I just want to inform the Member and the House that I am the lead Minister for this committee. We work together with member Ministers, but the specific proposals with dollars and projects and details about what we are proposing will be presented to the Members for review in the next business cycle, which begins in November. We have to submit it.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 9, written questions. Item 10, returns to written questions. Item 11, replies to the opening address. Item 12, petitions. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.
