Mr. Speaker, I’d like to give voice today to some concerns about the proposed budget that have been heard from our communities.
NWT communities are generally pleased with the budget, except for the process followed. Budget development lacked any public consultation and effectively handcuffed the communities’ own budget processes.
As a result, at the NWT Association of Communities’ annual general meeting, held in Simpson last month, the membership passed the following motion:
“Whereas the Government of the Northwest Territories…announced in January that it will cut approximately $135 million in expenditures; and
“Whereas it is unknown what impacts the cuts will have on public services.…
“Whereas no consultation has been undertaken by the GNWT, and no rigorous fiscal analysis providing justification for the proposed cuts has been made available to the public or community leaders, and given the negative impacts the cuts would cause to families and communities in the NWT.
“Therefore be it resolved that the NWTAC immediately urge the territorial government to defer any decision on job cuts until the government’s analysis and rationale for the need for the cuts has been made available for public review and consultation.”
While the NWTAC is appreciative that core funding for communities will not be reduced — that it will remain at last year’s levels — they’re very concerned about core funding for future years. As the motion from the AGM states, NWT communities are concerned about the effect position cuts will have on our communities.
As well, communities have been adjusting to the GNWT’s New Deal for several years. Control of one’s own destiny and resources is great, but communities, especially small communities, lack the human resource capacity to take on these downloaded responsibilities.
To MACA’s credit they’ve been providing assistance to communities to help them over this hurdle as much as they can, but that assistance has been shrinking every year.
A particular concern of the NWTAC is the projected loss of the position of emergency planning coordinator. This position exists to assist communities in developing emergency plans and to work with communities after a disaster or an emergency has occurred.
The emergency planning coordinator is, at this time, still dealing with the aftermath of the Fort Good Hope flood in 2005 and the Aklavik flood in 2006, trying to get home repairs done for the impacted residents. Who will help our communities be adequately prepared for any and all emergencies when this position is gone?
Mr. Speaker, I request unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues.
Who will help our communities be adequately prepared for any and all emergencies when this position is gone? Who will help our residents, following a flood or a forest fire, to access the federal funding they are due when this position is gone?
In closing, our residents, our voters, through their elected local governments are telling us to delay this budget — that it lacks analysis, rationale and that the proper consultation was not done. Sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
