Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions today for the Premier and it gets back to my Member’s statement. Here in the Northwest Territories we’re on the verge of some pretty substantial undertakings. I know the JRP report is due out soon, we’re also talking now about an extension of the Ingraham Trail -- that’s the seasonal overland route into the Slave Geological Province -- which gets me to thinking, the last time I saw the numbers that the Government of Canada took out of the Northwest Territories in terms of resource revenue is somewhere near $300 million, and projections once the gas is flowing down the Mackenzie pipeline, once its constructed, is going to be over $1 billion. Now, if you add into that potential mine development in the Slave Geological Province, it’s a tremendous amount of money.
I’d like to ask the Premier today, what is the current state of negotiations on a resource revenue deal for the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The area of discussions right now on resource revenue sharing tied to devolution is one that we’re starting to look at a reengagement strategy with the federal government. There have been a couple of recent meetings that have been held at a staff level that shows that the federal government is interested in coming back to the table. I’ve contacted regional leaders about reengagement, as well, and we’ll be having further discussions on that.
There have been no real negotiations for quite some time and the numbers the Member has used, when you look at what was put on the table by the last federal Finance Minister, I believe the one that’s in place today, limits what we can do. There is a 50/50 scenario, as we call it, where we’d keep 50 percent of it and we would lose 50 percent through our transfer payments to a yet determined cap. We’ve since learned of that cap and that’s become an issue for us in meetings I’ve had with the Prime Minister and I’ve highlighted that’s a very serious concern for us. That is why I’ve taken the approach of looking at an infrastructure plan that would be tied to devolution and resource revenue sharing for future years. Thank you.
I personally am of the opinion that resource development is the key to the future here in the Northwest Territories and I subscribe to a lot of the things that the government is trying to do. But when we’re going out to the communities, especially in small communities where, you know, they’re disadvantaged, they don’t have the opportunities that larger communities have, it’s a hard sell. So I’d like to ask the Premier, how can Regular Members help this government deliver a resource revenue deal for our residents here in the Northwest Territories. Is there anything that we can do, as Regular Members, to help the government achieve that goal? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I think there’s a lot Regular Members can do in helping us get the message out there, whether it’s to our northern leadership, aboriginal leadership, how we work together, the information, if there’s a request for more information. If you’re hearing back that there needs to be a certain type of information put out, let’s get together and develop a package we can put out there. The message we send to Ottawa is an important one. They pay attention to what we say and do in this Assembly. So I think there’s much we can do together in getting the message out about the North and the need for moving on with devolution/resource revenue sharing. Thank you.
I thank the Premier for that and do look forward to us trying to work together to arrive at that goal. I threw some numbers around earlier and, you know, the $300 million and the potential for upwards of $1 billion on resource revenue taken by the federal government from the resources here in the Northwest Territories. I’m wondering if the Premier and the government can put together what is at stake here. What are we talking about in terms of the revenue that Ottawa is taking, what our stake is under the plan that the Premier has talked about, the 50/50 with the cap, and what that really means to the Government of the Northwest Territories going forward? Can he provide us with an updated forecast? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, in fact, I’d be pleased to put that information together and set some time up for Members of the Assembly to look at where things are at, and to look at this reengagement process we are now having some discussions on and looking to move forward in that partnership. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Your final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know I’m not supposed to ask opinions or ask Ministers for their opinions, but I’m going to go with this. I want to ask the Premier whether he believes that he and his government can deliver a resource revenue deal by the end of the life of this government for the residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I’m optimistic that we can, working together as leaders across the Northwest Territories. Not just the Government of the Northwest Territories but the aboriginal leadership across this Territory, the community leadership across this Territory can work together to develop a plan to bring that plan forward together as one group of people in the Northwest Territories. Not a difference between who we are and who we represent, but one people of the Northwest Territories representing a diverse group, of course. But I believe if we decide to work at this and put some effort and energy from our side in the North, I believe we can address the issue of who should be making decisions in the Northwest Territories and who should benefit from those decisions. So I believe we can put a solid plan in place and we have to work together to get that done. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
