I guess this is where I can say maybe some of our diligent work has caused concern amongst the groups that they’re looking at the agreement-in-principle and that the net fiscal benefit portion on resource revenue sharing is a way of making up the gap that we’ve identified. It was through this department that we looked at all the negotiations that are going around in the Northwest Territories, the items of discussion at those tables and we did a, it was, I would say, a conservative figure about the shortfall that we would be seeing if there was not enough funding put in place and what we were starting to hear from federal negotiators about the level of funding. The initial work that we did, we identified a gap in the neighbourhood of $40 million. If every agreement was to be signed off and to be implemented, we identified approximately $40 million short. Since that work that was done and the negotiations of ongoing in a number of areas we feel that number is probably closer to $50 million where there’s a gap. As I’ve heard from some of the staff of the Aboriginal governments and some of the representatives of Aboriginal governments, that they realize that and they want to make up the shortfall. Our issue has always been that’s a federal government policy. They need to fund it. The fact that a hand went out and identified 25 percent in the previous government was, I believe, a way of trying to allow for the capacity of the groups to take on some of these programs and services. But it is in no means an avenue for financing self-government. I think it would even be dangerous for us to identify a funding source from resource revenues as a stable way of going forward. It would be very difficult.
Floyd Roland on Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
In the Legislative Assembly on February 28th, 2011. See this statement in context.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
February 27th, 2011
See context to find out what was said next.