Date
February
14
2005
Members Present
ITEM 1: PRAYER
Assembly Members
Debates of February 14, 2005 (day 35)
Topics
Statements
Member’s Statement On Resource Revenue Sharing
Bill Braden
Great Slave
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. A brand new day, this is what Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams is proclaiming today.
During the ceremonies that were held earlier today, Mr. Speaker, to sign a new resource deal between his province and Ottawa, Prince Edward Island was also involved in that same historic deal, Mr. Speaker. After weeks of contentious debate, this province, Newfoundland and Labrador, is going to get $2 billion. Over the next eight years, they are going to be able to keep every dollar of their potentially enormous wealth coming off of their offshore energy fields. Mr. Speaker, they are going to escape the dreaded clawback from Ottawa and they will even get to keep the coveted safety net of equalization payments if their economy falters. It’s a great deal for Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island, Mr. Speaker, a bold and progressive step by the Prime Minister in recognizing the right and duty that each province has to protect their own resources.
How familiar this all sounds, for here we are in the NWT like those other two provinces watching billions of dollars, our legacy, shipped out of the NWT in the diamond packets and the oil and gas pipelines while Ottawa returns a paltry eight percent to us. Ottawa stands to reap billions from our lands over the next two decades. We are told that the Prime Minister understands our plight and that there are talks underway to redo the formula financing agreement and get a framework deal in place for resource revenue sharing by this spring.
I am concerned, Mr. Speaker, that with just about every other province now jumping on the bandwagon and declaring their demands for the same thing, that our situation is going to be left behind again in the face of overwhelming demands from other provinces.
On Friday, Mr. Speaker, the Premier said we must have a resource revenue sharing agreement in place before the pipeline is completed. I want to put my faith in the Premier and the Prime Minister to deliver, but we have a very brief time to make this work. In failing this, I am absolutely committed to supporting the words of our Premier in our interest for resource sharing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause