Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Speaker, once again, as I indicated in my budget address, governments across Canada are moving full bore into fiscal restraint deficit fighting, debt reduction to address the very significant debt and deficits that most of them have, including the federal government. We also know that the federal government has given instructions already within their own departments about no growth at all. Departments have to absorb all of the costs for forced growth for collective agreements and any other costs. We know that we have programs in health, for example, that are worth millions of dollars that...

Mr. Speaker, the area of housing is a critical one. We do have resources identified and we have a plan to move ahead, working with committees and communities and the Housing Corporation, to review both critical questions of how we offset the CMHC housing funding that is declining as well as the housing challenges that exist in various communities from houses that don’t get filled right away to other program structure the right way. Are we providing disincentives to work? I think those are all the areas where the Housing Corporation, along with other related departments and Members, is going to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We know that there is a strong concern from small community MLAs, for example, about employment. We need to look at ways to assist small communities with employment. I think -- and I have had discussions with the Member for Tu Nedhe about some of the possibilities with just using existing resources -- the intention is not to centralize back to Yellowknife; the intention is to look at efficiencies. We have had discussions and a lot of work done, for example, on how many boards and agencies we have. We know that there is an opportunity coming with devolution that there is...

The office building was discussed fully. There was extensive work done. It went on for, actually, a number of years doing all the market analysis. The other work of the Program Review Committee: there were briefings on the work done and the issues raised and the complexity of some of the issues. Some of the other ones had to do with adult education and how it’s funded, how it could be improved, and once again my recollection was that there was no appetite to proceed with anything of that nature that would be controversial and require possible adjustments or changes or cuts. So the work is...

I will commit to confirm that for the Member. Thank you.

It’s my recollection and estimation that there was no appetite by this Assembly at this juncture to talk about a meaningful way about the pupil/teacher ratio and how it’s funded far above the legislative requirement or the opportunities for the reprofiling of money through the inclusive schooling system, for example.

We know that there are still opportunities that the next Assembly is going to have to deal with about board reform. That will be, once again, within the purview of the next Assembly. We know there are going to be decisions that are going to continue to be made about supplementary...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table the Main Estimates, 2011-2012, Government of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The office building for sure has an impact as we think about this budget and the budget that’s going to follow this one in terms of what flexibility and capacity does it give us if we know we’re going to have a $100 million savings. We know that we’re identifying a $100 million savings over the life of the lease. We know that we’re doing work in a number of very critical areas that relate the programs in education and health that are going to be very significant and we identify those as areas for future work or future decisions because we’re not going to be able to make...

We would, of course, see who of the existing staff has the skills and the time to try to accept this added burden that the Member would like us to take on. Thank you.

I’ve given a fairly extensive list of some of the program areas that are being funded and that support is there. We’re working, as well, with communities. At the same time we also know, as we talk about efficiencies and effectiveness, the issue of long-term care facilities and the fact that they can only be sustained in regional centres. That’s a direction that the government is going in because it’s the most efficient and affordable way to deal with the issue. At the same time we’re adding hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Home Care Program so that in fact we can work better and more...