Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Mahsi Cho, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to speak about debt-free payment and the Business Credit Corporation. I think we all recognize the importance of small business to our economic growth. I think we would all agree that this government should take every opportunity to support our northern entrepreneurs; to advocate for the small businesses.

Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I have a situation in one of my communities that I represent where several small businesses have borrowed money and, through no fault of their own, their business ventures have failed. They did have loans with the Business Credit Corporation. Recently, in our House, we debated extensively how we allowed a huge loan to lapse and grant the proponents a very lenient solution for their cash flow problems. Yet, here at the small business level, at the community level, we use the fullest extent of the law in our system to recover whatever we can from them. To coin the phrase, Mr. Speaker, we want their firstborn. I would just like to point out this glaring inconsistency in how we do business, and I want to ensure the public and my constituents that the government is indeed on notice, and we cannot govern with two standards. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, while we were grinding away in this House, with our lean, mean Minister of Health and Social Services -- listening to how he was going to meet the needs of the people of the Northwest Territories on what he was referring to as a shoestring budget of $250 million -- exciting things were happening in Ottawa. The federal Finance Minister was delivering the first sound financial management federal budget under Paul Martin. Although I didn't get to listen to the budget address, I did take time last night to read through it. I don't know if this budget was put together with the best interests of Canadians in mind or the sheer desperation of political salvation.

---Applause

At one point, Mr. Speaker, I was feeling really good as I imagined that it was our very own Finance Minister addressing the needs of our residents and communities and doling out the figures to address our priorities. Figures like the health, $34 billion over five years with an additional $2 billion...Learning? Millions. I couldn't even add them up, Mr. Speaker. I never had time. Learning and commercialization, $280 million over two years. Communities, $7 billion into the hands of communities over the next 10 years. And then, Mr. Speaker, I woke up. But one line in that paragraph under municipalities did catch my attention, Mr. Speaker. It said, "This is real money for improved roads, clean air and expanded local services."

Mr. Speaker, on my way to work this morning, I listened to the Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew giving her take on the budget. She was saying that it is the best the North has ever had. Their territorial formula financing of $150 million, health support of $60 million, economic development of $90 million, northern oil and gas, $75 million, contaminated sites, $3.5 million...Mr. Speaker, I was excited once again in driving to work having listened to our MP on the radio, only to get to the Legislative Assembly and then get a briefing from our Finance Minister saying that actually we got $7.5 million and a forgiveness of $50 million over one year.

Mr. Speaker, I don't want to speak negatively to the budget. I think there were some good things for the North, although it is not in our hands. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to close my statement.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You have unanimous consent to conclude your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Although the money is not totally in our hands, there is a lot of money earmarked with DIAND for the North and the Northwest Territories. I think it is incumbent to us to keep the fire on DIAND to make sure that we get as many of those resources in the Northwest Territories as we possibly can. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my previous statements I spoke about the seniors of the NWT and their ever-increasing role of importance in the success of many of the various programs and services of this government and of the many benefits to our society. Today, Mr. Speaker, I will speak for persons on the other end of the spectrum who cannot hear their concerns in this House yet.

Mr. Speaker, today I'd like to speak about our children and the three-year early childhood development framework for action funding which comes to an end March 31, 2004. Mr. Speaker, during the past few months I have received numerous calls and letters from my constituents of Lutselk'e and Deninu Kue regarding budget cuts in this area. I was very impressed with how the family literacy programs and the early childhood programs have positively impacted my constituents, and with the high level of concern my constituents show in not wanting these programs to be affected by the current budget restraints.

Programs such as these are important for helping our children develop their literacy and language skills, as well as developing healthy parent/child relationships. I have directed some related correspondence about these concerns to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment and made him aware that I am fully in support of my constituents' requests so that the budget cuts do not affect the literacy and early childhood development areas.

Mr. Speaker, I've also brought to the attention of the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment the speech from the Throne regarding the multilateral framework for early learning and childcare, and that the Minister acknowledged that his officials will continue to be in contact with their federal, provincial and territorial colleagues to monitor developments that will come out of this speech from the Throne. Mr. Speaker, I will later be asking the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment to keep me informed as to how the changes in the literacy and early childhood programs after March 31st will affect my riding, the residents of the NWT and especially our most valued resources and our future, the children of the NWT, who should be provided and supported by this government with every opportunity to succeed. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Mr. Speaker, you know, I'll truthfully say I'm exhausted bringing this issue up every day, but thank goodness I'm one of the youngest Members because I'm going to keep going at this darn stamina for four years if this is what it takes to make this Minister listen to this issue. Using that stamina, and sometimes being referred to as stubborn, I'll move forward and continue to press this Minister to start focusing on the issue of vision and leadership to address this.

One day, Mr. Speaker, as I'm approaching the closing statement, someday this Minister will echo I'm working on this problem. I've not heard that yet. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Just to caution the Member that if you're making a statement, I don't think it's appropriate to pound on the table to get your message across. Speaking will do that job. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Allen on March 17, 2004 regarding the constitutional questions related to attaining provincehood.

Mr. Speaker, the Aboriginal Summit is a society established by aboriginal organizations to represent their interests in the Intergovernmental Forum process, including the negotiation of the transfer of lands and resources to the Northwest Territories. While the Aboriginal Summit does not have constitutional status, many of its member organizations have lands, resources and self-government agreements that do recognize and protect their rights under section 35 of the Constitution Act. Other member organizations of the summit are in the process of negotiating agreements that will address their aboriginal rights.

The Northwest Territories Act does not entrench the rights of aboriginal peoples. It sets out the powers of the Government of the Northwest Territories to ensure that the business of government is carried out in the NWT.

The GNWT is committed to working in partnership with the member organizations of the Aboriginal Summit to ensure their rights are respected as we continue the process of negotiating a lands and resources transfer agreement with the Government of Canada. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up on my Minister's statement today, I'd like to recognize the delegation from the American Gem Society who have come all the way from Las Vegas to visit us. They are: Charles Lacy, who is the chairman of the board for the AGS; Steven Viegler, the CEO; Peter Yantzer, the executive director. Also with them is Martin Irving, our director of diamond projects for RWED. I'd like to welcome you and wish you a productive visit.

---Applause

I, too, would like to welcome you to the Northwest Territories and hope you enjoy your visit. Welcome to the House. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question today is to the Minister of Finance and it's with regard to his statement this afternoon about the federal budget. Mr. Speaker, from the information that we have been provided with, it is my understanding that our government will be receiving $7.5 million next year extra, but there's more in the next five years that amounts to about $74.4 million. On top of that, we're getting a one-time break of $50 million, which by my calculations is about $124 million. Could the Minister advise as to whether or not this is new money? I understand, at least not the $50 million, but $74.4 million is already on the books. We've expected it to come, but it is growth money. It is new money that we're getting from the federal government. Is that not true, Mr. Speaker?

Minister of Finance, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the amount identified for territorial formula financing will be in the area of $7.6 million for the 2004-2005 year and that is built into our estimates. In fact, even for 2005-2006, the $9.2 million, those numbers are already built into our forecast of what we were working with as a result of our meeting with the Finance Minister in February. The $50 million that I referred to is due to

putting off the rebasing exercise on our tax effort for the 2004-2005 year, which gives us a one-year amount. That's not new money. It would have been taken out. They've agreed to put that process on hold and have our officials work on the tax-effort portion of our formula. Thank you.

Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm trying to find a way to simplify these figures so the people who are listening to us can understand it better. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that this $50 million is money, call it a break or the federal government not asking us for something that they were going to ask us for, but in the end it's going to have a positive impact on our deficit situation. My understanding is that while we were expecting a $47 million deficit for this fiscal year budget, with this new $50 million break, whether it's on paper or real money, we're not going to have to have that sort of deficit. So it is a positive in that aspect and my question, Mr. Speaker, I'll just make short. The process that we have been engaged in over the last week has been painful. We're trying to cut costs where we can and we're told that it's going to get worse in the next two years because we'll have to cut $20 million extra over the next two years. Is there any way for us to get a little break on this and be able to do some things that we need to do now that we have extra money, at least on paper? Thank you.

Minister of Finance, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, taking the example the federal government has set, this government intends to be prudent with the money that we do have and not going forward with the rebasing exercise gives us a $50 million impact for the 2004-2005 year and will be put towards our deficit. That's our intention with that money. Thank you.