Thank you, Madam Speaker. Our government has presented their operating budget for the 1994-95 fiscal year. I have been fortunate, as a Member of the Standing Committee on Finance, to review these estimates in greater detail than many other Members. There are many positive items being proposed by all departments in the definitive objectives outlined in the budget. I, along with other Members of the Standing Committee on Finance, have doubts whether each department can obtain and achieve all of their definitive objectives in the coming year.
As Members of this Assembly, I believe we are not expecting the GNWT to carry out massive improvements and initiatives overnight, or even in the course of one year. We know their human and financial resources are limited. I believe that the government should outline realistic goals, both immediate and long-term, and diligently work towards carrying them out. That is why we want the government to priorize their initiatives in order to do a few things well, as opposed to many things poorly.
Madam Speaker, the government has indicated to us that the Education, Culture and Employment budget will be up to more than $144 million. I am glad the continued resources are being provided to education, which all Members feel is the priority.
A concern I do have in Education is that over the course of the past several years, the education boards, the department and staff have concentrated their efforts on increasing student enrolment and reducing drop-out rates. The emphasis of Education has been on the staying-in school strategy. I commend them -- the department and the boards -- in being successful in this. However, while it is important for our children to do just that, it is more critical for the ones who do complete school, to graduate with advanced academic certificates and have the opportunity to attend post-secondary education.
As student enrolments continue to increase, as grade extensions are now being implemented into our communities, the focus and emphasis on education should be shifted toward achieving excellence. Similar to housing, the GNWT identifies their major priorities and objectives in order to concentrate on doing things well. We must now ensure that our students strive to raise their standards by developing an attitude toward excellence.
Another concern I have with the Education budget is the approximately $1 million reduction in community programs of Arctic College funding. We must continue to develop our workforce in order to prepare for opportunities in a civil service, new and existing businesses and the creation of land claims implementation organizations. This should be the time when the government should be increasing, not decreasing, their funding for adult upgrading and training needs. Although we place a high priority in the education of our youth, we cannot forget about our ever increasing existing workforce.
Madam Speaker, I am cautiously optimistic that mineral developments will bring employment and business opportunities to northerners. Job creation and income-producing initiatives will be further advanced if our government is successful in finalizing a mineral accord with the federal government. I will again state that our government must have the legislative and regulatory powers to deal with mining developments in the NWT to ensure northerners maximize our involvement and derive significant benefits from resource development in our backyard.
The continued and increased emphasis on developing and supporting our renewable resources sector will provide immediate, short and long-term economic benefits to northerners. I am pleased that the government has finally recognized the need to formalize a policy which encourages their own institutions to utilize our renewable resources harvested from sustainable commercial quotas. The finalization and approval of this policy will increase the income earning opportunities to our harvesters and provide wage-earning opportunities to residents in our communities involved in processing.
Madam Speaker, the Building and Learning Strategy and the construction worker training program have benefitted some communities in a small portion of our unemployed. It is a good start. A continuation of these programs, along with structuring government contracts to ensure maximum involvement of northerners, will assist toward providing much needed employment and income earning opportunities.
The new direction of Economic Development and Tourism in decentralizing decision-making authorities to the regional level should speed up the application and turn around process for applicants. The new grants to small business policy designed for artists, crafts people and commercial renewable resource harvesters will benefit the clients under this program tremendously in supporting and allowing them to participate in income producing activities.
Madam Speaker, the social housing funding crisis facing us is part of our government's overall fiscal framework which must be clarified in the immediate future, along with the health billings dispute, the perversity factor and the formula funding agreement. Future financial agreements, such as increased costs of funding, two new territories in 1999, the northern accord, the mineral accord, transportation agreements, et cetera, must all be negotiated as an integrated, overall financial package with the federal government in order to provide financial stability and to coordinate our government's negotiations.
The budget addresses public service management costs in great detail, compared to other expenditures of the government. Rightly so, as salaries and benefits account for over $400 million of the $1 billion plus operating budget. The Minister addresses the issue of pay-for-performance in the public sector compensation and the fact, I believe, is this may be long overdue. While the government has many dedicated, productive employees, we all know there are also a few unproductive ones. Many of us are aware of instances where employees are paid for incompetence.
The Minister has announced that deputy minister compensation will be based on performance paid based on the results they achieve. I believe this was developed by the government to show the civil service that our government is serious about pay-for-performance. Madam Speaker, our government should take it one step further by having our Executive Council Members compensated in the same manner as the deputy ministers, pay based on performance. If the government believes in this concept, let them show the civil servants, the public and this Assembly that they are serious.
I believe a majority of the Members of this Assembly are supportive of the zero increase legislation to our salaries for 1994-95. Although I believe the government will be negotiating for zero increases and may be considering rollbacks with the public service, they should also consider optional, unpaid long weekends as a cost-reducing measure in dealing with the overall fiscal situation.
I have addressed the major areas of importance which I wanted to highlight: the need for the government to priorize and establish realistic goals; a continued priority on education and training; instilling excellence in education; job and income producing opportunities from both renewable resources and non-renewable resources; and, a need for the government to negotiate an overall financial package with the federal government.
Madam Speaker, we all recognize that our financial resources are becoming more limited. Our government has to identify cost-saving measures and revenue-producing initiatives in order to continue providing the ever-increasing demand for services placed on them. We cannot continue disposing of our government assets, such as staff housing, to meet the fiscal demands of other programs.
In these days of scarce financial resources, we must all work together toward maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency of programs to our residents. This has been my first reply to the budget and I look forward to doing many more. Mahsi.
---Applause