Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to the Department of Executive's budget proposal for 1993-94.
Before doing that, I want to talk about the progress that has been made by the government and Legislative Assembly since being elected over 16 months ago.
Mr. Chairman, it is important to note that we do have a plan. We know where we are going and we know what has to be done to get there.
From my perspective our vision includes as follows:
-A Nunavut government and a new western territory that has been stabilized through the settlement of outstanding land claims;
-A government that is restructured and decentralized and responds in a more open and less bureaucratic fashion to the people it serves;
-Local residents with a strong sense of self-reliance who have jobs and are setting their own priorities and dealing with basic matters such as education, economic development and social services; and,
-A strong public and private investor interest in renewable and non-renewable resource sectors and transportation infrastructure - an interest that stimulates local business and employment opportunities while ensuring proper respect for our northern environment and the pursuit of traditional life-styles.
These are matters, I spoke about in a speech to the Legislative Assembly just before you elected me as Government Leader. In the past 16 months, we have spent hundreds of hours examining expenditures and developing a two year plan to eliminate an inherited and unprecedented deficit while making sure that job creation, health and social programs and education and training remain top priorities.
Mr. Chairman, a balanced budget is still within reach by the end of the 1993-94 fiscal year. We are getting our finances in order without massive lay-offs and the "amputation" of programs and services that are becoming common place in provincial jurisdictions. Instead, we are living within our means while allowing for a minimal tax increase and holding firm on avoiding implementation of a territorial sales tax.
At the same time, we have developed a $6 million NWT workers' training fund, started the process of consolidation, decentralization and privatization and are presently implementing a strategy that will get us out of staff housing while stimulating the growth of local housing markets.
We have also introduced a revised capital budget process that gives communities a role in assigning priorities and developers more time to plan for construction projects.
In addition, new and affordable home ownership programs for all residents of the territories have been introduced and changes to the business incentive policy will make it more responsive to the development of a strong and competitive business sector.
Finally, the government has initiated and signed a block-funding agreement with the city of Yellowknife that will provide more financial certainty and make it possible for the city to undertake longer range planning of capital expenditures.
Last week, the Northwest Territories Power Corporation and the Dogrib Treaty 11 Tribal Council signed an unprecedented agreement for the development of a hydro potential in the North Slave region.
All of these developments have required strong leadership by Cabinet and Members of this Legislative Assembly and its standing and special committees, particularly in light of federal deficit reduction schemes and the effects they are having on the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Chairman, my comments today are intended to put things into perspective. It is important that our constituents understand what has been accomplished during the year and four months we have been in office.
It is also important for everyone to understand that the financial problems we have been facing will continue, despite our plan to return to a balanced budget in the new fiscal year.
Mr. Chairman, we continue to be financially ignored by various federal departments in a number of key areas that are extremely important to the future of the Northwest Territories.
The health dispute is an example. So are the severe cutbacks in funding for housing programs, the arbitrary reduction in language money and the federal cutbacks in communications and friendship centre programs.
Add to this our continuing concern over adequate federal funding for land claims implementation and Ottawa's reluctance to finalize the northern energy accord.
The federal government must not be allowed to take the position that they can settle land claims and then walk away from the Arctic. The settlement of claims correct historic wrongs. It does not remove other federal obligations to the people who live in this part of Canada.
Under our current relations with Ottawa, it is the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development that is supposed to be helping us advance our concerns to other federal Ministers and it must take a much more active role in that respect.
Mr. Chairman, at this point I want to provide a brief overview of the Department of Executive's 1993-94 expenditure plan.
The budget of $17.787 million and 152.6 person years represents a small decrease from the 1992-93 revised estimates. The reduction has been accomplished while absorbing the costs for the establishment of the new travel management office described in the budget address.
Other changes include: salary increases of $247,000 based on the settlement with the Union of Northern Workers; an increase of $43,000 because of the additional number of employees becoming eligible for the government's standard accommodation allowance; reinstatement of the Commissioner's awards program at a cost of $23,000; and, a reduction of $238,000 resulting from the elimination of various projects funded on a one-time only basis in 1992-93.
Other matters of note include the appointment in December of a special advisor to the Minister responsible for the Status of Women. The activities of the special advisor include research and consultation with the Status of Women Council and other public interest groups.
In cooperation with other government departments, the special advisor is also working on policy development and research on violence against women, gender equality, family law, women in trades, sexual harassment and affirmative action.
Mr. Chairman, the August 1992 official languages transfer of $264,000 and 1.6 person years to the Department of the Executive is included in the main estimates for 1993-94. An additional $687,000 in federal funding under the official languages agreement is included in the main estimates. The mandate of the official languages unit is to coordinate official language activities throughout government including: drafting guidelines for the provision of services; identifying priorities on maintaining and revitalizing aboriginal languages; and, negotiating funding agreements for official languages with the federal government.
Mr. Chairman, in line with the government's initiative to streamline the delivery of government programs and services, continued emphasis is being directed towards reviewing government operations, decentralizing a number of departmental divisions and agencies and assessing the most appropriate method of transferring responsibilities to the communities.
In order to make this happen, it has been necessary to dedicate resources to this undertaking.
As a result, continuation of $1.472 million in funding and 11 person years approved in the 1992-93 main estimates is included in the 1993-94 main estimates for the operational review and the community transfer committees. Much of the work of these committees should be completed within the planning year. Further savings are expected to result from a functional analysis that is presently being conducted.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Those are the opening remarks.