Daryl Dolynny

What we’re hearing from the Minister today, if we compare this to last year’s public accounts, we’ve increased somewhat a number of our tax assessments from the previous year but this is translated, I believe, to a substantially larger assessment of dollars being recovered. Just my quick math here, showing about $2.7 million recovered, which is incredible.

Given these startling numbers, what measures are the Minister or the department prepared to change on how we deal with the self-reporting tax for both tobacco and fuel?

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Who likes tax audits? I clearly don’t and I can speak for many, as well; however, the need to validate compliance with tax laws is paramount, and unfortunately, a tax audit is such a measure of testing this effectiveness. I will be asking the Minister of Finance today questions pertaining to our two self-reporting tax categories of tobacco and fuel.

Tax assessments for tax law noncompliance are a critical measure for government performance and transparency.

Can the Minister of Finance share with the House how many tax audits were performed for both self-reporting tobacco...

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Miltenberger.

I can answer that question for the Minister here because it was answered in that report on page 3. I quote, “Todd Slack (YKDFN) asked if there had been any sampling done before the new highway was constructed. Erika Nyyssonen (GNWT-ENR) said that DOT did not do any baseline sampling before the road went in.” So, Mr. Speaker, this is clear evidence that the DOT failed to provide the necessary liability aspects for potential risk to workers and contractors.

Does the Minister know if there has been any baseline sampling done that he is aware of or the department has done during the construction...

Thank you, Mr. Moses. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We, being the Members of this House and the public, were led to believe the work on the Highway No. 4 bypass, which went through some potential high-risk arsenic hotspots, was vetted by our Department of Transportation, ENR and the Giant Mine Remediation Team. We were assured that there was an eye on safety and liability aspects of potential risk to workers and contractors. My question today is for the Minister of Transportation.

Yesterday I tabled a 2008 Queen’s University study, where the author clearly recommended more sampling be done further away from the roaster...

Thank you, and I do apologize. I didn’t mean to get prescriptive in the detail of that question, it’s just the topic did open up and I apologize to the House. So I’ll back up the bus here and get as general as possible.

Will this $40 million advancement in the project, does it deter from any other projects that the department had in the queue for this fiscal year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For years we’ve been hearing about our sound fiscal strategy of surpluses, paying down our short-term debt and maintaining a $100 million cushion to our current $800 million borrowing limit. Yet for years there have been a number of pressures that have negatively impacted this fiscal framework. Such things as the personal and corporate income tax estimates for the 2014-15 season that created more than a $30 million void in tax revenues. Plus if you add on top of this fiscal pressure such things as the recent fire seasons of approximately $55 million and last week’s $20...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Tabled Document 115-17(5), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2015-2016, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you.