Floyd Roland

Again, we do have to operate with what we have available under our authority as the Government of the Northwest Territories, but the facts will speak for themselves. Prior to any significant reinvestment and capital projection in the Northwest Territories by the private sector, which drove up our GDP as the fastest growing jurisdiction in Canada for a number of years, the fact is that our corporate income tax has grown significantly since the business has taken part in the Northwest Territories. In fact, our personal income tax has grown through the revenue base because we have more people on...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The NWT Power Corporation has indeed filed an application to the PUB for rate riders to deal with the cost pressures around fuel to deliver the services. The board operates at arm’s length from this Assembly through the NWT Power Corporation Act. They have gone out to seek outside sources to look at the method of bonus or merit pay that they would deal with, and they’ve come back with an area…. I believe they’re in the process of finalizing what and who would qualify.

Mr. Speaker, through the Department of Human Resources along with the Executive, we have been looking at, for example, the federal initiative that was undertaken regarding merit pay. We are working with that program. As I said, we have not concluded the process yet. We are almost a year into our mandate. So it is something that is under consideration, and we will be coming up with a decision very soon here. It is something that we have to recognize, though. Yes, we need to be doing something based on merit, and we have to also recognize that we need to try to be competitive in a whole lot of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a pleasure to speak to you today at the resumption of the second session of the 16th Legislative Assembly. It provides an opportunity to take stock of the busy months we have had and to discuss our directions for the future.

You will recall that together as Members of the Assembly we identified major goals for our great territory:

A strong, independent North, where Northerners make their own decisions and chart their own course;

An environment that sustains Northerners today and into the future;

Healthy and well-educated people with bright futures and the skills they...

Further to my Return to Written Question 26-16(2) I wish to table the following two documents entitled Territorial Power Support Program, Payments Received by the NTPC, and NWT Power Corporation, Income Statement by Community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Document 85-16(2), Territorial Power Support Program, Payments Received by NTPC, tabled.

Document 86-16(2), NWT Power Corporation, Income Statement by Community, tabled.

Let’s draw a direct comparison to the Government of the Northwest Territories and our public service. The fact is that every year it costs us more money. Whether or not there’s an increased workload, a new negotiated settlement drives up our costs. Those that are within the purview or the benefit of that are affected.

Some people are not within that, so we make these allowances so that they’re adjusted. But we have a competitive process we need to be in, and we try to adjust accordingly. The Power Corporation, as I stated earlier, has gone outside to review how it deals with the merit pay...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When the NWT Power Corporation goes before the Public Utilities Board, it does put in for requests, whether it’s a general rate rider or a rate application and approval. There are times when within the PUB’s overview of what’s being asked, rate riders are put in place. When those rate riders come to their time allocation, they’re backed out of the equation.

For example, the ones that are being looked for now are looking at a timeline of potentially 18 months. They potentially have the impact of about $12 on the average consumer across the Northwest Territories. There’s...

Mr. Speaker, our first budget starts the plan of investing in communities and in the people of the Northwest Territories, whether it is making sure that they can take the jobs that workers now take or whether it is the fact that we’re going to help aboriginal corporations enter into the business economy that is out there. There are a whole number of things that we are doing as the Government of the Northwest Territories through those strategic initiatives that will have a positive impact as we progress.

Mr. Speaker, we can also look back at when industry shut down on us. I’ll use the Mackenzie...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member is aware, there are a number of departments involved in different areas. The specific area of sector financing is being undertaken by the Financial Management Board Secretariat.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On June 21 the people across the Northwest Territories will once again be celebrating National Aboriginal Day. This is a day to celebrate aboriginal peoples’ rich and diverse cultural heritage and to also acknowledge the valuable contribution of aboriginal peoples to the healthy development of our communities, our territory and our country.

The Government of the Northwest Territories honours and respects the importance of aboriginal cultures and the vital role aboriginal people play in contributing to our economic, social and political development and in enhancing our...