Mr. Speaker, I'd like to provide Members of the Legislative Assembly with a short summary of the discussions and agreements reached at the western Premiers' conference, hosted last Thursday, November 25, by the Province of Alberta.
Last year, the Northwest Territories and Yukon were invited to participate as full members of the western Premiers' process. We have continued in the capacity as full participants at this year's conference.
Since many of our economic and social ties flow directly to the western provinces, the Government of the Northwest Territories viewed membership in the western Premiers' process as an important opportunity to build on and consolidate those relationships.
The western Premiers' conference this year, was reduced in time from two days to only one. However, I believe a great deal was accomplished in that one-day meeting.
The agenda for the western Premiers' conference covered the following main topics: the western economy within the Canadian context; federal/provincial fiscal renewal; and, western cooperation.
There were a number of issues discussed within this overall agenda and these issues included job creation and infrastructure, economic development and western economic diversification, skills development and labour market training, internal trade barriers, international trade and agriculture.
Premiers also discussed debt management and deficit reduction and identified these issues as a critical national problem. Western premiers released the western Finance Ministers' report, Partnership for Fiscal Renewal, at the conference following their final meeting on November 24. The Northwest Territories has actively participated in the development of this report.
Finally, Premiers reviewed and released an inventory of existing areas of cooperation between the western provinces and the territories.
Mr. Speaker, I intend to table a copy of this inventory, the western Finance Ministers' report and the communiques from the conference, for the information of Members of this Assembly. For the benefit of the Members, I will briefly summarize the discussions and areas of agreement.
Provincial and territorial Premiers focused on the proposed federal infrastructure program during their discussions on job creation and infrastructure.
While the federal infrastructure program was welcomed, concern was expressed that it should be considered as a supplement which would not result in reduced federal transfer payments or a reduction to existing program and project commitments to territories and to the provinces.
The western Premiers urged that the program allocation criteria be re-examined to make it more equitable for western Canada. The federal government was urged to incorporate the principles and criteria agreed to at the meeting into the national infrastructure program.
I am pleased to say, as a result of the representation from the Northwest Territories and Yukon, western Premiers were unanimous that federal funding and allocations should take into account the special circumstances of the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.
---Applause
The Premiers endorsed the recommendations of the western Finance Ministers' report, which calls for a cooperative and comprehensive strategy to deal with Canada's growing public sector debt.
That actions of the provinces and territories to address fiscal difficulties in their own jurisdictions was recognized. Provincial and territorial governments have plans to resolve their deficit problems and western leaders stressed that they should not be penalized for their responsible actions.
Western leaders called on all First Ministers to work together to set essential program priorities and to work in partnership to resolve this national problem.
A commitment was made by western Premiers, to bring this message to Ottawa at their meeting with the Prime Minister in December.
With respect to western economic cooperation, western and territorial leaders reviewed provincial, territorial and regional priorities for economic development and diversification. They reaffirmed their commitment to a coordinated and cooperative approach to addressing their shared objectives.
Among other initiatives, Premiers and leaders agreed, jointly, to develop a regional trade promotion and marketing plan and a western strategy for cooperation in science and technology.
Ministers responsible for the various initiatives are to report on each item, before the 1994 western Premiers' conference in Manitoba, next spring.
From the point of view of the Northwest Territories, western Premiers recognized the importance of current economic arrangements -- EDAs -- to the territories. More importantly, western Premiers agreed to propose that those current arrangements be expanded to ensure that the territorial governments be full participants in future western initiatives and consultations concerning regional development.
Premiers and government leaders indicated their support for the continuation of multilateral federal/ provincial/territorial negotiations, on the reduction of internal trade barriers. The Northwest Territories is a participant in these negotiations.
Mr. Speaker, I think Members will be interested in the number of different areas where there is existing cooperation between the western provinces and territories. We have a copy of the inventory on these cooperative arrangements that we do have.
The inventory, prepared by Alberta, with the assistance of the western provinces and both territories, provides evidence of the sharing of expertise and resources. These cooperative efforts have provided an access to a broader range of services at less cost than would otherwise be the case. In addition, these cooperative efforts have saved lives and, in one case, saved a community in northern Manitoba, besieged by a forest fire, from destruction.
The inventory provides an excellent basis for future cooperative efforts and actions that are currently under way.
The Northwest Territories provides a significant opportunity, with respect to future cooperation based on potential mining and infrastructure initiatives. I have identified this potential with my western colleagues and intend to provide more detail at the western Premiers' conference, in the spring of 1994, in Manitoba.
Similarly, responsible Ministers from the western provinces and territories have been asked to report on other potential areas of cooperation before the spring conference.