Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister of Finance. In discussing the budget and the long-term benefits of such a budget, I was wondering what the government plans to do to increase the employment rates in the small communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated in the budget address, there’s going to be $925,000 put in for an employment program through the Rural and Remote Communities. I know the Member was fully supportive of this. We have a Small Community Student Employment Program for $350,000 as well.
Also, we have beefed up the SEED money so that businesses or small communities and entrepreneurs in communities have more opportunity to possibly get help. We have a whole raft of improving skill areas with labour market literacy, mobile trades training, additional support for apprentices, other training programs and we are, as well, indicated, we beefed up the tourism funding and we will, of course, we have increased, almost doubled, the CHAP funding for communities as well. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, there are big areas of concern in small communities when the communities find work and the tenants in public housing when they find work and then they are unable to work due to the costs and so on. Has this government discussed a way of dealing with that issue? It seems to hamstring the people from actually going out and finding employment and so on, because as soon as they find work, their rent goes to a point where they can no longer afford to remain working but they should be working. I was wondering if the government has talked about a strategy to address that seriously too. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the area of housing is a critical one. We do have resources identified and we have a plan to move ahead, working with committees and communities and the Housing Corporation, to review both critical questions of how we offset the CMHC housing funding that is declining as well as the housing challenges that exist in various communities from houses that don’t get filled right away to other program structure the right way. Are we providing disincentives to work? I think those are all the areas where the Housing Corporation, along with other related departments and Members, is going to take a look at how to make those improvements. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, talking to health providers in the small communities, their response on what is driving the costs in small communities seems to be addictions. Talking to local people in the small communities, their solution seems to be on-the-land programs for people with addictions. Has this government talked about how to decrease the cost of health in small communities? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, the health costs are, indeed, a pressing issue. If we start first with the personal responsibility, the simple things of diet, exercise, don’t smoke and don’t abuse alcohol would diminish in a very dramatic way our health costs, and we have not yet been able to come to grips with how to encourage Northerners in all communities, wherever they may live, to make those right personal choices. In the meantime, we continue to invest millions of dollars in counselling programs, addictions programs like Nats’ejee K’eh. We have community programs that are being funded, including in the Member’s riding. Deninu Ku’e First Nations are given assistance for an addictions counsellor position, and as well in Lutselk’e there is money there for both mental health and addictions programs as well as youth addictions initiatives. There is additional funding.
We know there could always be more money used, but we are doing the best we can with the resources we have. I know the Minister, through her Foundation for Change, is looking at ways for us to come to grips with that fundamental cost driver of how do you get people to make the right personal choices. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Infrastructure like youth centres and day cares and access roads are all things that will, in the long term, decrease the cost to government. My question is again for the Finance Minister. What is the government doing to shift much needed infrastructure resources in this government from larger centres, where it is not essential, to the smaller communities where infrastructure projects are essential? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated, we are in the third year of a very ambitious capital planning process of over $1.1 billion, a record amount. We are going to be moving into the year after this coming fiscal year of 2013 into a much more normal -- humble as it were almost, on a comparative basis to what we have just been spending -- capital plan of about $75 million. We currently have made some significant changes on how we do capital. There will also be added attention and rigour to the system that Cabinet and committees come up with to view the capital projects, because there is going to be a small pot and a huge demand. We also cannot take our mind and eye off of the fact that we still have to, as well, pick away at our deferred maintenance budget, which is still over $300 million. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
