David Ramsay

Mr. Speaker, in the Minister’s statement earlier today, he had advised the House that Ruskin was going to come up with a revised construction schedule sometime by the end of February and, as I mentioned in my statement, time is money. If this project gets delayed, it will undoubtedly cost more. I am just wondering why it is that Regular Members have not seen the contract between Ruskin and the Government of the Northwest Territories for the remainder of the work on the Deh Cho Bridge Project so that we can better understand what our liabilities are and what would be eligible cost overruns...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve got a few questions today for the Minister of Transportation. It gets back to his statement earlier and my statement earlier about the Deh Cho Bridge Project.

I want to start off by thanking the Minister. Concerns were raised in this House a year ago in regard to some deficiencies with the project and the quality assurance on the project. I’d like to thank the Minister for directing the department to conduct the Levelton Report, as it’s called, and come up with the 14 recommendations contained in that report. I know that work is proceeding to address those concerns...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to speak today about the Deh Cho Bridge Project. I appreciate the Minister’s statement here earlier today.

I was happy to see the Finance Minister mention that Regular Members will be getting an update from Minister Michael McLeod later in this session. I look forward to seeing that. I’m also looking forward to Auditor General Sheila Fraser’s report on the bridge project, which should be tabled in this House in four weeks’ time. I want to thank the Minister of Transportation and his department for all the work that they’re putting into ensuring that the project...

Mr. Speaker, the Finance Minister is saying today that the federal government hasn’t made a determination on whether or not the Opportunities Fund would be booked as a liability for this government. In fact, we will have to wait until April to hear that. Is that what I am hearing the Minister say today? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request unanimous consent to return to item 9, oral questions. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure when we had the discussion collectively on pupil/teacher ratios. I don’t recall that discussion taking place, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister, is the Minister saying today that by the end of the life of this government in September -- that’s three years that this Program Review Office was up and running -- this government would have made one decision in regard to work coming out of that office. One decision in three years. Is that going to be accurate, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the budget address the Finance Minister talked about streamlining government operations and improving effectiveness and efficiencies within government. After that statement is made in the budget address, there are four bullets. The only bullet I can find that actually speaks to those words that I just spoke is $300,000 for implementing the Shared Financial Services Model. I’d like to ask the Finance Minister where is the other work on streamlining government operations and improving effectiveness and efficiencies within government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is never easy putting together a budget to try to cover off everything and be everything to everyone, but there are a few things in here that I just want to comment on, if I could.

There is a lot of good news in here too, but there are some things here that I just have to provide a little bit of comment on. Like my colleagues, as we go through the detail and we get into the budget session, I will have much more to say on these things, so I am going to get going on some of these highlights.

Again, health care spending for me has been an issue for a number of years. We...

Mr. Speaker, it just so happens the government is $35 million short of its current, I believe it is a little bit more than that, but if we had to book the one loan we have in the Opportunities Fund, I believe that was $35 million. What would that do to the Territory’s finance if the federal government came back to us and said that we have to book that as a debt, and what would that do to our ability to borrow any more money for the other things that the Minister had mentioned in his budget address today? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a few more questions for the Minister of Finance. In the budget address today there was no mention of the disposition of the Opportunities Fund. I would like to ask the Minister what is the current disposition of the Opportunities Fund as it relates to our financial situation. Thank you.