Thank you, Mr. Chair. I too have concerns and, no offence to Rae-Edzo, I wish them all the best, I think that we have to assist communities wherever. I think that one of the problems that we are running into is that the budgets that are being given to the communities have been underestimated and the costs associated with operating is different facilities in our communities and maintaining the infrastructure they have, and the dollars we are giving them is not sufficient. I think that is one of the reasons that we are starting to see municipalities coming forth, and I think it is important that this government plays a more active role in regard to responding and assisting communities, and ensuring that we also are accountable as a government to ensure that they are having the resources and having the resource people in place to carry out those responsibilities.
I know that the Minister mentioned Fort McPherson, but he had also mentioned that this is March 31st. I spoke to the SAO in McPherson yesterday and a number I got was $120,000 as of yesterday, and we still have six months left in this year to go through. I am just wondering from the Minister, you mentioned that there are initiatives in place, but I believe that a lot of those problems that we are seeing in these communities are because of not having adequate resources needed to carry out these activities. I would like to ask the Minister, exactly what is the process to ensure that communities do have the ability to find ways of receiving funds for debt recovery and also ways of writing off some of that debt if it does not balance out with the actual dollars that they are getting for the actual costs associated with carrying out those responsibilities, it is more than what we are giving them.
As a government we have a responsibility to ensure that the money we are giving them is adequate. I would like to ask the Minister responsible for Finance, exactly what is his department doing to ensure that we are ensuring communities have adequate resources to carry out their responsibilities?