Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’ll speak to the borrowing limits and I’ll get Ms. Melhorn to speak to the shared services piece.

Our position in regard to the borrowing limit has been clear and consistent. We’re involved in a government-to-government negotiation and discussion with the federal Finance department. There’s been a review of the three territories’ borrowing limits. This is an issue of specific concern to us so we’ve been very proactive in dealing with the federal government. We’ve had meetings just before Christmas when we were in Kananaskis, a chance to talk to the Minister of Finance...

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 5, 2010-2011; and Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2010-2011. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, we have to do both, which is what we’re doing. We have to make the long-term commitment to change how we generate, distribute and deliver energy, electricity, heat. We have to minimize our reliance on fossil fuels. In the meantime, after 16 years, as you will well recollect the discussion in this House of coming up with a fair rate structure for Northerners that doesn’t in many cases cripple small businesses. It’s something that is an interim measure as we take these longer-term steps to restructure and rebuild our infrastructure in terms of the generation and delivery of...

Those are all good questions that, hopefully, we’ll get addressed as we do this critical debriefing, as the weather subsided and services restored, and we can take that careful measured look at what happened and what needs to be done to avoid this type of circumstance in the future. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The fundamental approach was that the current... Before we implemented the changes, there was a commercial power support subsidy that was not being used that the commercial businesses were paying the fully burdened cost with no subsidy in the communities, hence some of the power rates in stores and such of $10,000, $15,000, $20,000, $30,000 a month. What we’ve done now by setting rates for the thermal communities is we’ve lowered the cost per kilowatt and the benefit now to power commercial businesses is significant and fairly applied and they don’t have to ask for it...

Yes, Mr. Speaker.

We’ll make note of the Member’s wise counsel.

Doing something crazy is not normally a guarantee for any type of longevity in the business that we’re in. I take the Member’s point; we’ve been doing things now for the life of this government in terms of investing in alternative energy in a whole range of areas, including biomass. We have, I would suggest, in most communities, stores that stock and sell stoves. There’s assistance there for people. The question is, and the debate would be, what the role of government is. Is it to go into everybody’s home and say we’re here to put in a woodstove or is it to help people make the right choices...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We’ll commit to get that information for the Member.