Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My comments are in regards to Footprints 2. I have the strongest feeling that Nunavut people should be able to create their government the way they want without influence and pressure from people in the west. However, I have to say that there is a reservation in my statement in that my statement goes as far as it does not harm the west and the capability of the west having a good government and maintaining the same level of programs and services as now.
I agree with most of what Mr. Miltenberger had indicated at the beginning. And the fact that we need a western presence at the table when people are discussing formula financing. There has to be fair and equitable finances for both territories. Also, we need a western presence when we are discussing division of assets and liabilities. And when we are talking about Workers' Compensation Board and NWT Power Corporation and Labour Relations. We also need western representation at the CCON table. The committee that looks at relations and impacts on the west.
At the same time, while I agree that the east should be entitled to form their government the way they want, we have to ensure that the present GNWT employees that are working in Nunavut and on areas related to Nunavut, I suppose they are primarily in Yellowknife, but those affected employees must be treated fairly and equitably. Many of them today, as has been stated by other members, are quite concerned about the fact that they are going to lose their job. We have to make sure they are treated fairly and equitably. Whether they are willing to move to the east or not for whatever reason, we must treat them fairly. We have to ensure they are treated fairly.
As has also been indicated earlier, we need to ensure that there are incremental costs and transitional costs for both new territories. This government is currently tracking incremental costs that are being spent for the creation of Nunavut. I believe it is somewhere in the millions now. I stand to be corrected. There has been nowhere near that amount spent on the west. We have no indication that the federal government is going to repay those dollars. Yet, we are very reluctant to spend money for the work that has to be done in the west. We are talking about fairness and equity. Well let's be fair. Let's be equitable. We have to spend money in the west as well. The Nunavut people want to have a 50 percent Inuit staff on their territorial civil service within a certain time frame. I believe we need that same commitment in the west. I believe that there was a commitment to that some years ago. But there really has not been much work done in that area. And now with the confusion I suppose that has been created because of the fact that we are trying to create two new territories as well as being in a deficit for the first time, I think that the aboriginal content of our civil service is going down. And it is probably happening without us really knowing it because of all these cuts that are happening.
I have to admit I have not looked at the new stats to see where we are at and probably nobody even knows because of all the different things that are happening from day to day. But I think we have to seriously look at that as well. With that I still believe we have to work towards a balanced budget this next year. And I firmly believe, aside from my reservations that it not affect the western government's ability to provide the same level of programs and services, that the Nunavut government should be created by the Nunavut people themselves. Thank you.