Mr. Speaker, I am in receipt of Return to Written Question 1-15(4) asked by Mr. Braden to the Honourable Floyd Roland, Minister of Finance, regarding federal contributions to the NWT.

Federal initiatives have added almost $76.7 million in potential new federal monies since the 2005-2006 Main Estimates were tabled on February 10, 2005. Of this

$76.7 million, $13.3 million is already in trust, or the money is committed and will flow once agreements are in place.

The remaining $63.4 million was transferred into trust accounts with the passage of the federal 2005-06 budget bill, Bill C-43. The federal budget bill included the $40 million Northern Strategy Trust, a special payment of $22.5 million relating to a technical adjustment to the territorial formula financing grant, and payment into trust of $941,000 as the NWT share of the funding related to the as-of-yet unsigned Early Learning and Childcare Agreement.

Also included in the federal 2005-06 budget is $4.5 million of federal fuel tax sharing under the federal New Deal for Cities Program. This money is not included in the $76.7 million because it will flow through the GNWT to community governments following agreements between the federal government and the NWT Association of Communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.