Floyd Roland

To make those projects go through, other projects had to suffer or wait in line for another year.

You know, we talk about where it’s all at and what we’re doing for our communities and how we move things forward. Let me tell you about can-do. Mr. Speaker, in Yellowknife alone, in the capital city, the capital plan as laid out has over $85 million...

The process we’re involved with and the method of delivery we have in the Northwest Territories, the legislation we operate under, drives to a large degree just the work we can do for the people of the Northwest Territories with a fixed budget. I don’t go in the back room at night and start searching out the money to pay for all of the demands. The demands far outweigh the resources we have available as the Government of the Northwest Territories. So our challenge as Members of the Legislative Assembly as we are through this budget process is do what we can do with what’s available and try to...

As I said, I will speak to the chair of the board on this and have him clear up his comments that were stated. He’s unavailable for contact at this point, but I’m sure that we can arrange that contact in a number of days.

As the Member pointed out, we’re the shareholder. We’re negotiating, we’re undergoing these discussions and ultimately we’ll set the direction of where we want to go as a Government of the Northwest Territories. We’re challenged, of course, in our environment, but we want to come up with the best deal possible, if we can come up to the arrangements. But at the same time, it is...

Mr. Speaker, we, of course, during initial discussions don’t want to put barriers up before we have a chance to get into any detail. I know in discussions, brief discussions with the chair of the Power Corp board there was issue there about the interview that was done. I don’t have a lot of detail on exactly what was said or stated, but at the same time, I said that communication needs to be improved between ourselves and the board as to letters and correspondence, as well, that we share. So we’ll get that message through the system. Thank you.

So we have been stepping up to the plate. We have been delivering and we will continue to do so. It’s not a matter of rhetoric, Mr. Speaker. The proof is in the pudding and this Assembly will pass that pudding come the next day. Thank you.

...for facilities. So what’s a deflect in that? Where is the deferral in that?

This government is very open to input as we develop the business plans of departments. We sit down with Members on the capital program. They are aware of the process. They know that for every year we put a capital plan together, there are many projects that litter that capital planning floor and we don’t have the resources to make it all happen.

Mr. Speaker, what we are putting in place in our communities is not something that should be discarded in a matter of just making a statement to say we don’t do anything. In fact, the capital plan, how we do business, shows we are working with...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We do many things when we advocate on behalf of the Assembly Members, as well as trying to find the balance with the direction that the boards and agencies that deliver the core of our services across the Northwest Territories. So we get involved with the Ministers and the departments to find out where things are sitting and where, for example, strategic plans are put in place or where their capital program is, and we sit down with the expertise from departments and the authorities to make that happen. Believe me, Mr. Speaker, this is all in process of trying to keep...

Mr. Speaker, the Avalon project is one that’s early days. There has been some exploration. There is discussion about potential establishment of the mining operation itself and then the secondary industry and, of course, we’re interested in how we might be able to work together on that. So we’ll continue down that path, as I stated earlier, and see where we can get to on that.

As I stated earlier, the communications between our boards and ourselves needs to be clear and open and have a consistent message. We’re all challenged, though, in making sure that we do provide the best return for our...