Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am in agreement with my colleague Mrs. Groenewegen in her comments, but I would like to make a few of my own. I’ve mentioned previously that I feel there’s a necessity for us to take a different mentality in regard to our budgeting and our fiscal planning.
I spoke the other day about living within our means and establishing a budget which more closely reflects the actual costs that this government incurs over a year’s period. I know this is an interim appropriation, but I want to re-emphasize that it is extremely important that we change the way we budget, in my view. I would hope to see that when we get our full budget in May/June, the numbers are much closer to reality and that supplementary appropriations become a thing of the past, used only if absolutely necessary in an emergency situation.
I wanted to comment on the Minister’s remarks. He states on the first page that the capital investment expenditure amount reflects the full-year requirements for projects currently under construction, projects that need to be tendered. And then on the last page he states that the $110.291 million in the capital investment expenditures represents a 4.7 per cent increase from the 2007-2008 capital plan.
I’m concerned that if the capital expenditures that we’re approving as part of this interim appropriation are not the full amount of capital that’s required for ‘08-09 because it’s only those items which are under contract or safety measures or are ongoing, we’re already a 4.7 per cent increase over last year’s capital. So when the full budget comes forward in May/June, how much more are we liable to spend on capital? I would like an explanation of that statement.
To the report from committee. I totally endorse the statement that we need an overhaul of the entire capital planning process. I think that’s been mentioned more than once. I just wanted to reiterate that as well.
Lastly, my concern about energy efficiency planning is that we are being proactive and not reactive. I would like to emphasize that as well. There is a statement in the report from committee which says, “Energy efficiency does not appear to be a consistent component of new infrastructure design.”
I am in total agreement with that and would hope that the government would be moving forward with a coordinated plan to minimize our expenditures in terms of energy and efficiency and so on.
I will have some questions later on. Thank you.