Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I believe we’re on page 113, wildlife. I guess my first question is I see there’s been a $1 million reduction in wildlife research and management. This is a time when I know we’re all aware we have serious issues. Why the drop there? If I can get an explanation on that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last March the government adopted sweeping devolution legislation without one iota of public review. Members of this House insisted that a meaningful process for public input be put in place. The process now in place is pitiful. The outreach to citizenry on the seven substantive acts is limited to a few newspaper ads inviting people to go to the government website and fight their way through menus to get to a place that they purportedly can leave comments and ask questions.

Then what happens? Constituents report that the response time to questions posted to the site is...

Then there’s the understanding that we would have surplus. Perhaps it’s not in the Fiscal Responsibility Policy. Fifty percent of our infrastructure budget would be based on surplus. If I could just get the deputy minister or the Minister to fill in that part of the equation for me.

Just for my clarity, that means we are no longer in a surplus position at some point to the three-quarters of the way through the year or whatever. Is that correct?

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thanks for the Minister’s response. Yes, that would seem to be the appropriate vehicle. So maybe I’ll just ask the Minister to commit to making sure that there’s come discussion and consideration in the Financial Administration Act, the new version dealing with that renewal to provide that transparency in a practical way, monthly or quarterly or something like that. I’ll leave it at that. Mahsi.

How do we decide, I guess, and just cut to the chase on the last part of that, how do Members know what we’re choosing to put into short-term debt? Where is the transparency there and how can the public become informed about that during the normal course of events?

Thanks for the Minister’s comments there. Perhaps there’s another way to deal with this issue. I mean, I understand Mr. Hawkins, but those are drums that are in our possession. These are drums and contaminants that are being left out on the land in remote situations that by law are, I’m sure, supposed to be cleaned up but aren’t, simply because of this mechanism that’s been removed. Perhaps there’s another way the Minister could conceive of dealing with this in another section of this department. I’ll leave it at that. I’m just raising the issue and it sounds like it’s not going to happen in...

Thanks for that information. What sorts of things are eligible for short-term debt? I assume that this is not debt that is self-servicing. It’s debt that we intend to simply pay off with revenues on the 1st of April of each fiscal year. What sorts of things would go into this? What sorts of things would we borrow under this short-term borrowing category?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That indeed sounds positive and I’d be curious to learn more about that. Maybe there will be an opportunity.

Now, I see our opening balance on the fund is continuing to increase or at least remaining stable. Are there any plans? Is that part of the equation here on getting this electronics recycling going? Are there plans for those dollars or is that the amount we want to continue to maintain in the fund? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. What’s the definition of short-term borrowing as opposed to long-term borrowing?