Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I stated in my Minister's statement, right now, we are working with the Canada Revenue Agency to see where the numbers come from, and the impact this fiscal year we are in as they are based on the 2004 taxation year. What happens is, at the beginning of the year, we work with the federal government. They give us estimates on what we should expect, based on previous year's tax receipts that were received. It is throughout the year, as taxation filing happens and the timelines are met by corporations, we get the updates. That is what has happened in this case. What we have to do now is look at our own fiscal picture for this year and look at our policies. We have our fiscal responsibility policy that is in place, and review what our numbers would look like towards the end of this fiscal year. If, in fact, our numbers are healthy enough to survive this, we probably can hold this and hunker down where we are at, without adding to further expenditures, and make it through this fiscal year. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

So, Mr. Speaker, last week, or at the beginning of this session, the Minister advised us that we had trimmed our operating surplus, so far, down to $26 million this year. Does this $30 million mean we are now in a deficit? I would just like to get some handle on what this means with everything we know for this government at the end of this fiscal year. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, when you look at the amount that we've been notified on the reductions, or the lesser amount that we expected, our fiscal picture has now turned into a negative. We have approximately $3 million identified, at this point, on the negative side of our budget, so a deficit. With that in place, we would have to address this through our fiscal responsibility policy which says, to meet our capital plan, we have to have a surplus to fund 50 percent of that. We are close to that, but we would have to make some changes in this fiscal year to make sure that we slow down the rate of expenditures. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, this is a really frustrating example of why it is one of the things that is so difficult in our operating environment here, where we started out the year with almost a $50 million forecast for a surplus, and now we are behind the eight ball by about $3 million. Our capital program, at least the financing for it, is in jeopardy. Mr. Speaker, we are the hottest economy in Canada. We have more GDP. We have more jobs. We have more annual income than just about any other region in Canada. How does it happen that, with all this wealth passing out there, our own government is actually looking at fewer dollars than forecast? How can this happen?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is, indeed, frustrating, as the Finance Minister, to look at what we projected, based on the numbers in the estimates that were put in place, and then, throughout the year, receive a number of calls to inform us that, in fact, we have less revenue coming in. One, because of a corporate...both cases resulting from corporate tax. One, refiling that is happening throughout corporations that filed in the Northwest Territories. Two, expectations are less than what we had accounted for or expected. Ultimately, it comes down to our fiscal relationship with Ottawa, the fact that our formula financing, right now, is in limbo with the environment we are under, and the fact that we need to get revenue sharing settled so that we can benefit from the revenues that flow out of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to forward my questions to the honourable Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. It gets back to the beverage recycle container program that is going to be implemented on November 1st. I would like to ask the Minister why this government isn't ready to roll this program out. It has some depots set up, but it doesn't have a plan in all the communities across the Northwest Territories to effectively deliver this program. I think it is incumbent upon the government to answer the question, why isn't the program ready? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this has been a protected process that has taken time with the legislation and the regulations in getting geared up. The question is when. There was tremendous criticism that we were dragging our feet and weren't doing anything. We had legislation and we were just sitting around not doing anything. As Minister, when I took over this portfolio, I indicated that I would like to move on this. Initially, I wanted October 1st. We moved it to November 1st. They told me that it wasn't going to be perfect. It was clear that we would have to really do some work. At this point, I think it is best that we move on this, and we will make sure that it does get set up. It has been almost three years since that legislation was passed. It is overdue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister's response to that question, but I think what we really need to have answered, Mr. Speaker, is the question of what is it going to cost this government to deliver that program in all the communities across the Northwest Territories? It is fine to have a program and a depot set up in the major centres like Yellowknife, Hay River and Inuvik, but what is going to be the end cost to deliver this program? I am talking staffing, transportation costs, stockpiling the goods in the communities. Where is the game plan, and where is the business case that is going to say that this program is going to be cost neutral? Mr. Speaker, I can't see that happening. I don't know how we are going to end up paying for this program in all the communities across the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to share even more detail in terms of the analysis of the costs. It is supposed to be self-financing. There is some start-up money to get going, but after that, the refund is going to sustain the program. That has been the plan from the start. Where we have to make interim arrangements, we are going to use existing resources and staff, so there is going to be no extra cost for that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The time for question period has expired; however I will allow the Member to continue his supplementary questioning. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister for his response, but I don't understand. The trouble I am having with this is, how can a depot in Hay River, or Inuvik, or Yellowknife, that has the critical mass of recyclables coming into it, that is one thing; but when you talk about some of the smaller communities that just don't have the goods coming into it, how does that make sense? If we have to run out and hire a person in every community across the Northwest Territories to handle this, there are going to be cost implications. I don't think the government really knows what it is going to cost to deliver this program. I agree, it is a good program, but what is going to be the cost, at the end of the day, to the residents of the Northwest Territories to deliver this program? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker the cost will be millions fewer beverage containers; it will be land fills that aren't getting filled up rapidly; it will be a cleaner environment; it will be a part-time business opportunity in small communities for individuals who want to take this on -- organizations, schools, sports teams -- that want to do this on a part-time basis. We are not talking about hiring a full-time staff in every community to go into the depot business. This is seen as a business opportunity, preferably if there is already an existing business or if, in some of the communities, the schools are going to take it on as a fundraising effort.

Mr. Speaker, we see this as a win right across the board with the cash, and all the other important costs aren't quantified with dollar figures in terms of our landfills and our environment and the fact that it is going to be user-friendly and help with emissions and make us a contributor to help the Kyoto Accord. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.