Sergeant-at-Arms, if I can please get you to escort the witnesses into the Chamber.

Minister Miltenberger, can I please get you to introduce your witnesses for the record.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Margaret Melhorn, deputy minister of finance; Sandy Kalgutkar, deputy secretary to the Financial Management Board.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. I will now open the floor to general comments on Table Document 9-16(6), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2011-2012. Are there any general comments on the opening remarks? Is the committee agreed that there are no further general comments?

Does committee agree to proceed to the detail on the departments?

Detail begins on page 3. Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2011-2012, Legislative Assembly, expenditures on behalf of Members, not previously authorized, $4,000.

Total department, not previously authorized, $4,000.

Move along to page 4, the Executive, operations expenditures. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just on the issue of the funding for the devolution negotiations, I’m wondering if the dollars that have been identified for working with the partners… I believe there’s about $572,000 for working on negotiations related to resource revenue sharing. Does that include potential partners or is that identified for just the government working with the two Aboriginal groups that have signed onto the AIP? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It is for those parties that are signed on for the AIP.

I’m wondering, does that mean we would expect an additional supp if we have other Aboriginal partners that sign on during the course of this fiscal year?

The funding that is here is based on what was previously used to get us to this point and now it’s specified for the use to move forward with those negotiations, so at this point it’s anticipated that this money would be sufficient. Thank you.

I’m not sure what the Minister was saying there. Was he saying that in fact his first answer was being adjusted here, or was this $572,000 identified just for meeting with the two Aboriginal partners towards resource revenue sharing? Thank you.

My

understanding is that it’s for the two Aboriginal partners that have signed the agreement to carry on the work to move us forward and that there will be funds. If further partners sign on, then we’ll carry on with the funding, and if we need more, then that request would be made. Thank you.

I’ll take that then as a yes to my second question. It’s just I have a little less confidence in it.

On the bigger picture, a number of my colleagues and myself have been trying to really emphasize the need for the whole public -- and I’m not talking about the Aboriginal groups here, I’m not talking about people of any particular persuasion -- I’m talking about the entire Northwest Territories to be consulted, residents of the Northwest Territories to be consulted on what we mean when we say sustainable development. What do we mean when we say a responsible land and resource management regime as compared to the one that the federal government has implemented in the past and to which we’ve had so many difficulties? Yet, I still do not see a budget identified for that

consultation to inform these negotiations. This has been pointed out in the House and recognized at various times, although perhaps not consistently by the Premier, or by leadership; sorry, by Cabinet. It has been important, but I do not see it reflected in this budget.

Can the Minister tell me is that being identified elsewhere or why is that not here? Thank you.

I’m not sure whether the Minister is avoiding the question here or just choosing to give unrelated answers, but I did point out very clearly that I’m not talking about meeting with Aboriginal groups. I see that that’s well identified here. I’m talking about, if you want to call it, a necessary component of negotiations towards a final agreement that is delivered by consulting with the public and developing our common understanding amongst all NWT residents about what we mean when we negotiate for authority for sustainable resource development, resource and land management regimes, and this is a discussion we’ve never had with our public. We may have had it with groups of the Northwest Territories here and there, but we have not had that comprehensive discussion, and now we find ourselves at the negotiating table starting on a negotiation without having done that work despite the obvious repeated calls for that work to be done. This should appropriately be funded through this fund and it’s not identified here.

I would point out that there is $155,000 earmarked for communication activities, the kind of communication and connection we want to have with people to update them through mail-outs, newspaper ads, radio advertising and a social media strategy that will allow us to keep people informed as to what is happening as this process starts and makes its way forward. Thank you.

Again, I thank the Minister for that somewhat unrelated comment. Thank you.