Thank you, Madam Chair. I need to commend, firstly, the Minister and the Department of Finance for bringing forth his budget. I think the primary focus in terms of priorities of this budget, it’s very clear that the greatest assets that we have in the North are the people. Therefore, the budget highlights a fairly big chunk of the $1.4 billion towards people resources. Given our greatest asset is our people and that we need to put greater effort in maturing that down the road, our people have at least a standard of education that is comparable to Canada, for that matter. At the same time, there are training opportunities as well.
In that respect, I think the department has to be commended in bringing this forth and providing at least financial leadership and bringing an overall understanding of how we’re going to go forth over the next four years.
The budget, for me, is about fiscal consolidation, ensuring that we’re bringing the expenditures under control, ensuring we have a sound level of revenue that’s streaming into the government. It’s the balancing act of ensuring that we have a healthy surplus at the same time we’re addressing the deficit. So in that effort, I think it’s a good plan. It’s almost like a status quo plan connected to the previous Assembly.
I think if there’s anything that stands out, there’s always room for creativity. In times of financial hardship, we always have to prioritize what our needs are compared to what our wants are. I’m encouraged by the possibility where perhaps we are trying to break, almost, the conformity. I look at some very unorthodox and perhaps some very unique partnerships with communities to ensure we meet them halfway while at the same time we’re trying to help out the local community economies.
I think we’re very fortunate at this time to have the diamond industry. So for that matter, the North is very distinctive in terms of having a resource-based
economy. I think for some time diamonds have been the North’s best friend, and the industry has really grown since then. I know there are some discussions towards the development of a strategy to ensure we make efforts to not be so reliant on the diamond industry, but also at the same time trying to diversify our economy so we have a solid foundation. We’re in very volatile times. We’re almost at coming out of the brink of a depression. So I think we all know that what we do here in the North somehow affects what happens in the Middle East, and of course, the big thing there is oil and gas. So we’re in a very global system at this point, so we have to be very cognizant of that.
If there’s anything else I wanted to mention, it’s that I’ve always wanted to ensure that this government is in a supportive and encouraging role in terms of ensuring that at the end of the day we have the spur and the push of all the land claims tables that are happening throughout the Northwest Territories. There are a few of them that are outstanding. I think the role of this government is critical in ensuring that progress is made at all tables, that the two levels of government – the federal and territorial government – don’t always pick on First Nations, because it’s the First Nations that have the uphill battle of trying to institute formal governance and at the same time infuse it with public principles of government.
So for those reasons, I think if you can create a climate with certainty in terms of how governing institutions are going to work with the economy, of course it gives the level of confidence to industry to do their business up here in the Northwest Territories. So for that matter, I think even if we look at perhaps efforts to try to unite all parties here in the Northwest Territories, I think we can go a long ways.
One example is this effort towards devolution. I have some questions whether it’s the best deal we can get at this time or if we’re just basically accepting what’s been offered at the table and we don’t have a choice. The context in that is that governments have said we’re under restraint, we can’t really give you anything more, so here it is, and we take it. Perhaps that’s the case. If that’s the case, then we need to make a better effort to try to unite with Aboriginal groups to form a united front to ensure that we put forth a very good package that’s reflective of the aspirations of the people of the Northwest Territories, and at the same time consider the high cost of living, and also at the same time considers the unique circumstances of our communities. So for those reasons, I think if those things were considered and effectively employed as we go forth as a government, then I think we can be successful.
I just wanted to spend some time in terms of talking about the challenges at the community level. It’s
pretty clear, when we come here periodically, there’s a big contrast in terms of have communities and have-not communities. We live in the shadows of the diamond industry; we live in the shadows of major public infrastructure projects. In small communities we don’t have the pleasure of having direct access and benefits to large diamond mines, oil and gas, or large public infrastructure projects. So we’re kind of left trying to struggle, maintain our families, maintain our businesses, maintain our schools, basically to maintain a living at the community level. We go as far as trying to supplement our diets, because the high cost of living basically sets the stage for… It’s really hard struggling at the community level where you have to go to the store and the cost of consumer goods is pretty high. So we put effort into trying to supplement our diets to put food on the table for our families. We go out hunting periodically to ensure at the end of the day we have something to eat, or at least provide some sustenance to our children.
In that sense, I think communities have emphatically made the statement that we need to look at almost a community model. Communities are very unique, perhaps at the lower end of the economic progress. You know, they’re described as traditional economies. We need to perhaps kick-start them. At the end of the day, we might have some communities that are conducive and very successful, where they reach the maximum or the optimal peak of development where they basically have an industrial manufacturing plant of some kind. We need to try to approach some considerations for the circumstances our communities are considering.
At the same time, government needs to ensure that we don’t abandon the communities. We have very aging infrastructure. We have old buildings that are beyond renovation, are beyond patchwork, and there’s still a very high need for buildings. For example, schools. We have some…(inaudible)…communities where schools are needed. At the same time, there are existing buildings that have become beyond repair. So sometimes it affects programs, the progress of education, and we have to look at other options. At the community level we don’t really have that many options or the pleasure or the leisure of trying to find money to establish building other buildings. We don’t really have that leisure. At the same time, we think government still has an obligated role to ensure that governing organizations have at least the financial capacity to be in a position so we can deliver the services that people expect of us. At the same time, we should not at this point in the volatile economy constrict or constrain further local bodies that provide those services by withdrawing funding or putting them in a very irrevocable position where they have to fight back. I don’t think that is the approach we need to undertake.
We need to ensure that we work closely with local government organizations to ensure that at the end of the day we still provide the services that this government provides at this time, and at the same time ensuring that we meet the needs of communities.
More than anything I wanted to mention is the effort towards things such as the initiative. I know this government is considering some very different initiatives, and one of them is the well-being of our people. There are some very distinctive events that happened recently that would say that we need to develop some strategies to ensure that the well-being of our people is priority.
Some initiatives that we’ve undertaken this far is the Anti-Poverty Strategy. We need to ensure there’s a baseline of people that at least, perhaps at a very, very minimal threshold, have the basic needs of a house, food and shelter. We need to ensure that we maintain those services.
At the same time, I think the mental health of our people is very stark. We need to make sure we do some extra efforts in terms of trying to meet them halfway. We’ve just come out of the experience of the residential schools. At this point, governments have perhaps done all that they can and they’re leaving it at the behest of our individuals or people who have gone through the system to be on their own. I don’t think government should do that. We need to ensure that there’s at least consistent linkages with this major initiative that has struck the very core of First Nations across Canada. We need to ensure that programs and services that are required by people are readily available, and that it’s a comparable service that is at least across Canada.
So those are points that we need to be mindful of. I’ve heard it at the level of this government since the fall that we need to ensure that we keep reminding ourselves that usually the very core things that people expect us to do and uphold for them. We become their voice. I think this budget is a positive step forward and I look forward to playing a helping hand in ensuring that the constituents of the Deh Cho are helpful in that sense, too, and ensuring that we all work together. Mahsi.