Madam Chair, I appreciate the Minister's comments and response but I believe it is a legitimate question and I do not believe that I am talking about limiting programs to the east versus west at this time. I do not believe I am talking about limiting expenditures, east versus west. We are talking about a loan and it is quite different, the way I look at it. Who is going to pay it back to who and if the Minister can clarify it with me, the land claims that says the interim commissioner has the only authority to make expenditures towards Nunavut after he is appointed, whether or not that has any weight? How are we going to abide by it, statements like that, because I am concerned about how we are going to get this money back and whether we have the authority to lend it.
Debates of May 28th, 1997
This is page numbers 1157 - 1192 of the Hansard for the 13th Assembly, 4th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was communities.
Topics
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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John Todd Keewatin Central
I give up. First of all, the community of Rankin Inlet will pay it back to whatever government is in place at the time, the Nunavut government, same as city hall will pay back its expenditure which comes out of the overall budget of
this government for the western governments. I have told Mr. Steen that we are working out right now a protocol with the interim commissioner as to whether he has authority, whether it is advisory et cetera. We are working that out on a variety of fronts right now and we have not got total clarity on that but when we do, I will share it with the House. We have a responsibility to carry on with government business. Long-term debt in the east is no different than long-term debt in the west. It is an expenditure that has to be divided up at the end of the day, east and west. I cannot see it any other way.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Jane Groenewegen
Thank you, Mr. Todd. Moving on, Municipal and Community Affairs, community operations, not previously authorized, $1,461,000. Mr. Krutko.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Madam Chair. With regard to the communities and the planning process they have been in, they have also had to cut project and whatnot in their ridings to get to this and I think to be fair to the other communities that do not have this opportunity at this time or basically do not have the resources to carry something like this out, we have to consider that there is a planning process in place and I do not see why this project was not part of the overall planning process for municipalities in regards to looking at their capital expenditures for each year for a five year capital process and why was that process not used before it came to this stage?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Jane Groenewegen
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. That was a comment. Does the Minister wish to respond to the comment? Okay, thank you. Municipal and community affairs, community operations, not previously authorized, $1,461,000. Mr. Krutko.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Madam Chair. The question to the Minister is, why was this specific project not followed through the five year capital planning process of Rankin Inlet to ensure that basically it is done through the process so everyone in this House has the opportunity to review those capital projects through the planning process and also through the budgetary process that everyone else had to go through, instead of going through supplementary appropriations?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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John Todd Keewatin Central
Madam Chair, it was in the capital plan. It was taken out, $7.9 million. The community of Rankin Inlet contributed to the deficit strategy. It has come back in so we can conclude the loop. They are going to pay it back.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
I believe we just finished the planning process a couple of months ago with regards to the 1997-1998 budgetary approval process for that. Why was this not part of that process?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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John Todd Keewatin Central
It was taken out because of the change in policy, Madam Chair. I have said it three times. It was taken out because of the change in policy. They have come back and requested a repayable contribution, we have agreed, period. Full stop. I do not know how else to explain it.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
With regards to the capital planning process, I believe a lot of other communities had projects taken out of their budgetary approvals and also through the deficit elimination process that we were told was to allow us to proceed on the line we were taking to resolving this budgetary problem we had. For certain communities we would only allow certain projects to be accepted in communities. In the case of one of my communities, Tsiigehtchic, they were given $43,000 for capital for next year, yet a community can come after that process for $1.5 million.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Jane Groenewegen
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The deputy informs me here that we are off the topic. Mr. Todd would you like to respond?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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John Todd Keewatin Central
I am glad to see you are bringing them back, Madam Chair, because this is just absolute nonsense. I mean what we are talking about is a new policy, new legislation that we put in place about land use expenditures, not about the capital planning process that said clearly that they themselves voted on that and the government would no longer pay for those costs. That is all we are talking about here. They mix this up with other capital planning processes. This is a repayable loan, I do not know how more to explain it. If I sound like I am exasperated, I will absolutely and unequivocally say I am. I do not know how to explain it.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Jane Groenewegen
Thank you, Mr. Todd. I will just remind the Members that we are dealing with the two specific line items that are covered by the supplementary appropriation and the application for similar funding in other communities is not up for discussion at this point in time. Mr. Steen.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Vince Steen Nunakput
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I know I asked this question before and I did not feel I got an appropriate answer. I would like to know if the equivalent amount of money, $1.5 million is going to be available to each and every other community in the territories, if in fact they qualify or is the Cabinet planning to set a limit to this program? I believe the question is important because it suggests here, first come, first serve and I do not like that. So, I would like to know if the slow-moving communities will still have the ability to access this program to an equal amount as identified here or whatever they can afford?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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John Todd Keewatin Central
It is important for me to correct my honourable colleague, it is not first come, first serve and I, frankly, take exception to that. Secondly, these funds are
available to all communities at all times, as long as they have the capability to repay. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Vince Steen Nunakput
Madam Chair, I do not wish to offend the Minister, although I appreciate that he is from Rankin Inlet, it is his riding. I do not wish to offend him, I just suggest here that because there is no limit to the fund, no ceiling, it seems to suggest that there is only x-number of dollars that this government can afford. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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John Todd Keewatin Central
Now I have clarity from Mr. Steen. I now understand what he is saying. The policy will be available to all constituencies, at all times, provided they have the capacity to repay it. Thank you.