Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, federal actions in the last few weeks have savaged programs that make a big difference for the people of the NWT in literacy and public health, our museums, programs affecting aboriginal people, and tourism. Mr. Speaker, we learned a couple of days ago that the August 2006 budgetary surplus in Ottawa was, get this, $6.7 billion. So far this year that's $2 billion more than last year.
Astonishing; and yet the federal government, without talking to us, comes and rips $1.2 million out from underneath programs that support the most valuable, the most cherished, and I think the most undervalued sector of our society, and that's the volunteers. Many of these people are putting in the time away from their families, sometimes away from their jobs, donating their skills to their communities. This is an enormous hit, Mr. Speaker. It might not sound like a big one in dollar terms, because for the volunteer sector here, the Canada Volunteer Initiative, it's $160,000 to this program annually, but that's 95 percent of its budget, Mr. Speaker. We're going to lose the initiatives that these people have started, with training, with community outreach.
You know, Mr. Speaker, 53 percent of NWT adults volunteer with a group. Eight-six percent of us volunteer informally on our own. Collectively we contribute the equivalent of an estimated $50 million to our economy. One hundred and sixty thousand dollars ripped out from underneath this very valuable organization is helping to turn over $50 million in productivity and benefit. Mr. Speaker, shame on the federal government.
---Applause