Thank you, Mr. Speaker, again to the Honourable Minister of Finance, in this present year, my community of Yellowknife, lost 211 P.Y.s. Would the Minister of Finance tell me if we are looking at the same, less or more, for the following year? Thank you.

Mr. Todd

I recognize that, Mr. Speaker, my honourable colleague wants to give advance notice to his constituency and is representing it well in his questions. However, I feel that I would be unable to respond at this time because the budget has not been approved by my colleagues. It is in committee at this time. I would suggest to my honourable colleague, even though his questions are well intended, and represent his community well, that during the budget address in January, we will be able to be very specific as to where we intend to head with the second year strategy to balance the budget in 1997-98. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions, supplementary. Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a member of this legislature, I am supposed to represent the people of Yellowknife South. If there are items that are being discussed especially in the budget that affect my constituents, the same as they would other members of this House, how can I get feedback from other members, as to directions and positions I should be taking in this House, if they do not know about some of the major implications in the upcoming year? Thank you. Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Todd.

I am not trying to avoid answering the question. Politics, as I have said to my honourable colleague many times, is timing. The reality of parliamentary tradition is that no details of a budget are made public before the speech. We are one of those unique constituencies in the Canadian mosaic that actually provides committees with the budgets and seeks committee input and direction on the budgets. I cannot, with all due respect, unfortunately, at this time, answer that question. It is not my choice to avoid answering it, it will be part of the budgetary process in which the committees are actively involved and, unfortunately, today I am unable to answer my honourable colleague's very important and critical issue as it relates to his riding. I have acknowledged that. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions, Mr. Ootes.

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the deficit elimination strategy, it was clear there was 115-116 million in last year, or this current year, and in our renewal of the fiscal requirement for the 1997, it provided that to the government ops committee, I believe it was 97 million dollars, thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions, supplementary, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Todd.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am sorry, maybe my honourable colleague misunderstood me. I was not suggesting that the anticipated deficit would be 97 million dollars this year, I was suggesting to him, for us to meet the Deficit Elimination Act and the compromise that was reached 6 or 7 months ago, it would be a requirement to reduce government expenditures to the total of 97 million dollars, which would then leave us with, as I stated in my speech earlier today, and the Premier said yesterday, with our anticipated deficit of 43 million dollars. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions, supplementary, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Todd.

The business plans of the government have been prepared, have been presented to the committees, and in the preparation of business plans to the government the reductions of 97 million dollars are in there, and they are a variety of initiatives that this government, in conjunction with discussions with the committees, have determined. It would be difficult for me to say today, it is here, there, or everywhere, it is in the business plans of the government which the committees have. Thank you.

Oral questions, final supplementary, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Todd.

The business plans of the GNWT, which are prepared by the committees, as the member knows and everybody in this House knows, are presented to the committees on a confidential basis, so I am unable at this time to respond to both my honourable colleague's question, or my previous colleague's question, with respect to cuts. I will be able to respond in a comprehensive, clear and concise manner in January of 1997 when I make my budget address. Thank you.

Oral questions, Mrs Groenewegen.