David Krutko

Thank you. General comments. Maybe I will just ask the Minister again if he would like to respond to general comments that were just given.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to talk about the devolution process and the lack of coordination, consultation and respect that our Aboriginal leadership should get from a government-to-government relationship.

The Gwich’in Tribal Council submitted a letter dated April 19th last year to the government on issues that they felt had to be discussed prior to a devolution agreement-in-principle going forward. The agreement was signed, as we know, last September, with no consultation and now I’ve received a letter from the Premier to Mr. Nerysoo, some seven months after they received the...

General comments. Mr. Hawkins.

Before we go, I’d just like some direction. I know there were a bunch of questions or general comments made yesterday. I wonder if the Minister wants to respond to them now or wait for the other general comments.

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: tabled documents 4, 30, 38, 62, 66, 75, 103, 133, and 135; Bills 4, 14, 17, 20; Ministers’ statements 65 and 88. What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to take this opportunity to reply to the budget address. Again, we are at the end of a government which, basically, we had high hopes coming in here, especially with the priorities we set in the 16th Assembly, to look at things such as reducing the cost of living. I’d like to thank the government and Members of the House for putting the initiative in regard to the power rates across the Territory and reducing the cost of living in that area.

I think, again, that’s one thing that we’ve done as a government, but I think that we still have to realize that we have a...

I’d like to ask the Minister if there were any other proposals put forward than the 5 percent cap. Did we consider a 15 percent cap or was the 5 percent cap something that the federal government wanted? I’d like to know from the Minister if we considered other options than the 5 percent cap of gross expenditures under the agreement-in-principle.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Finance. One of the concerns that have been raised in regard to the AIP and devolution agreement is the formula being used for other net fiscal benefit and the government having a limit on the cap of 5 percent of gross expenditures under the agreement. I’d like to ask the Minister of Finance if we have taken into consideration mega projects such as the pipeline down the Mackenzie Highway. I think we’re looking somewhere in excess of $900 million. I’d like to know if the government has done an assessment on how this formula is...

Does committee agree that the Minister can bring in witnesses? Mrs. Groenewegen.

Again, I have to remind the Premier that we do have a legal and constitutional obligation to the land claim governments where the government clearly stipulates that they shall involve the Aboriginal governments in the development and implementation of a northern accord or a devolution agreement. That is on constitutionally protected land claims agreements. But yet, by submitting a letter with six outstanding issues that they wanted to address, which basically states that they are putting forward suggestions on how we can improve the agreement, and also include them in those discussions. So...