David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Minister.

Thank you. Mr. Minister, if you would like to bring in witnesses, please proceed.

I would now like you to introduce your witnesses that you have with you today.

I would like to call Committee of the Whole to order. The first order of business is Bill 13, An Act to Amend the Financial Administration Act. I would like to start by asking if the Minister responsible for the Financial Administration Act, the Honourable Floyd Roland, would like to introduce the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today, after having listened to the Premier take on Mr. Braden yesterday, I think I’m going to keep my questions to the Finance Minister today.

---Laughter

I learned something yesterday, Mr. Speaker.

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A touchy subject, and that is the government’s participation in the Mackenzie gas project. I know the Finance Minister spoke of the project on page 6 of his budget address today and I wanted to ask him a few specific questions on one sentence in particular, Mr. Speaker. That sentence was, “We will participate fully and actively in the...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to state, for the record, that I am a big proponent of the Mackenzie gas project and I wish the communities well along the pipeline route that are hopefully going to be able to access this $500 million socio-economic fund. My concern, Mr. Speaker, is the fact that 80 percent, 75 to 80 percent of our residents live in communities that aren’t going to be able to access any of this $500 million. I want to ask the Minister of Finance what evidence there is that the Government of the Northwest Territories has the wherewithal and the ability...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given the fact that our Finance Minister has delivered his budget address today, I feel compelled to comment on some observations that I have had after having now listened to the last three budget addresses.

I find it very ironic that the Finance Minister has delivered his budget address on Groundhog Day. I wonder if he has ever seen the movie Groundhog Day where Bill Murray plays a weatherman who lives the same day over and over again. Every day is Groundhog Day. It would seem to me, Mr. Speaker, that each budget that has been delivered by this government seems...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Premier for his response this afternoon. One of the questions I’d have for the Premier, I know he spoke of priorities, we’ve seen a number of these same priorities kicked around for the last number of years by this government and the government before it and even the government before that. I’m talking about devolution and resource revenue sharing specifically. I’m just wondering, from the public standpoint, and the Premier mentioned a letter that he’s writing to Ottawa listing priorities, I mean, when is the government going to issue a list of priorities to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize everybody that is here today with us, but specifically I have a constituent, Miss Tawna Brown, who is a graduate student at Carleton University, a long-time Yellowknifer, and I would like to welcome her here today. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Premier for his response. I’d like to, as well, ask the Premier, and I know he mentioned it briefly, but how is the Government of the Northwest Territories going to involve aboriginal governments here in the Northwest Territories in dealing with the federal government? During the election campaign there was a lot of negativity in some camps towards the Conservative government coming into power and dealing with aboriginal people. I’m just wondering, has the Premier got a strategy so that he can lay to rest some of these fears that were out there to the...