Mr. Chairman, again I would like to address the creation of the two new territories and the document Footprints 2. The creation of our two territories provides an unparalleled opportunity for all of us to be innovative and creative. Nowhere else in Canada has there ever been such an opportunity for governments to take a fresh new approach to delivery of services and programs. I have several suggestions and comments to make. And I will do that through headings.
Number 1 heading is: We must maximize transitional arrangements for division of the Northwest Territories. Section 7(1) of the Nunavut political accord signed between the Government of the Northwest Territories, Canada and the TFN on October 30, 1992, set out that the Nunavut government shall be established with a core administrative capacity in the following areas: Legislative Assembly and Executive Council; Finance; Justice; Personnel; Public Works; and Government Services; Municipal Affairs; and Adult Education. The Nunavut political accord also sets out that other areas of administrative responsibility which are not part of the core administrative capacity of the Nunavut government shall be provided through intergovernmental agreements or contracts with appropriate governments, institutions and non government bodies.
The present agenda of the government and Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories is already crowded with demanding issues such as financial restraint; government reorganization; community wellness; community empowerment; and responding to major resource development initiatives and other pressing issues. There is now very limited time available for planning and implementing of division. Therefore, in order to allow existing human and other resources to be devoted to the core essential services required to be in place for April 1, 1999, wherever possible arrangements should be considered which will allow certain existing institutions and services to continue after division in order to allow maximum effort to be devoted to the core new institutions and services. Therefore, the GNWT should consider it necessary and desirable to agree on those short term transitional arrangements which will ensure that less critical functions can continue to be delivered by contract through devolution or other innovative transition arrangements. These arrangements can be designed for the long term or to be phased out once new governments are able to establish their own capacities to deliver such services.
My heading number 2, we must consider economies of scale wherever possible. Reduced populations of the new jurisdictions of Nunavut and the new western territory in a difficult financial fiscal climate may well mean that stand alone institutions or services may be feasible or viable for either of the new governments. The present NWT is already too small in some ways to justify some of the institutions which have been developed at great expense and risk to serve a very small and scattered population. The globalization of the world economy has meant that corporations, government agencies, and governments are increasingly seeking new partnerships, alliances and mergers so as to be more efficient and effective in communications and service delivery.
The creation of Nunavut should also be seen as potentially providing many opportunities for continued cooperation and collaboration for the mutual benefit of their citizens, businesses and governments of the two new territories. Many existing institutions and organizations may not have sufficient size or impetus to continue or it would cost significantly more if they were limited to serving much smaller populations of Nunavut or the western territory.
Therefore the government of the NWT should consider the following: where the continued existence of an institution or an organization cannot be justified in each of the two new territories after division due to the loss of economies of scale or related efficiencies, every consideration should be given to making innovative, flexible arrangements which will allow the organization to continue to serve the larger population of two new territories after division.
A third heading, we must seek shared resources wherever possible. Nunavut and the new western territory will have small populations in the initial years. Many organizations, which could be created by virtue of Section 29 of the Nunavut Act may struggle because not enough work is there to do to justify their existence. The reduced populations of the new jurisdictions of Nunavut and the western territory in difficult fiscal climate, may well mean that stand alone institutions or service may not be feasible or viable for either of the new governments.
For example, the Power Corporation has said that power rates will have to rise in both the eastern and western territories if they are put to the additional expense of establishing new companies and separate head quarter administrations. The PUB will require that these costs be borne by customers through increased power rates. It should be fairly obvious that the cost of establishing a new workers' compensation board will be staggering. The one corporation would lose economies of scale if it is split into two. Wherever possible opportunities should be sought to continue to share resources after division. This could be mutually beneficial. It will most likely be more appropriate and sensitive if delivered by fellow northern government then from the south. Therefore, we should seek shared resources wherever possible. Creative ways should be explored to continue such organizations within two new territorial governments wherever possible.
Heading 4 and my final heading, division should not preclude the continuation of service arrangements which make sense for logistic and historic reasons. Due to our small, remote, scattered population and limited financial resources and basic infrastructure, and because there is a long tradition in the north of communities making arrangements to have access to facilities and services in neighbouring jurisdictions, for example, hospital services in Quebec and Ontario being available to Baffin residents. Hospital services in Alberta being available to western arctic residents. This axiom also applies to the care of the infirm, disabled, access to correctional facilities and to educational facilities, and it applies to people from other parts of the territory to such services as the Stanton Regional Hospital, the Kitikmeot Boarding Home in Yellowknife, correctional institute, alcohol and treatment facilities, both in Nunavut and the western territory and access to Aurora college programs and services.