Thank you, Mr. Premier, for clarifying that. I probably got mixed up between some of the issues. I just think that because we’re on the brink of forming a government-to-government relationship that some prudence would be given to some of the self-government organizations and self-governments. Maybe that’s something we have to talk about on a larger scale as to education, health, and having summer students or interns that are finished with degrees and could be of assistance to us as to our community or government. We can carry that on some other time. I just wanted to get a sense of where the Premier was at and certainly help me clarify some of the issues here.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Pages 4-29 and 4-30, Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, information item, work performed on behalf of others, $547,000.

If I could get you to turn back to page 4-7, Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, department summary, operations expenditure summary, $7.416 million.

Does committee agree that consideration of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations is concluded?

Mr. Robertson, Mr. Bevan, thank you for joining us this evening. Thank you, Mr. McLeod. If I could get the Sergeant-at-Arms to please escort the witnesses out of the Chamber.

If I can turn your attention to section 5, Finance. I will turn it over to Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Miltenberger, do you have any opening comments?

I do, Mr. Chairman. I am here to present the Department of Finance’s Main Estimates for the 2013-14 fiscal year.

For 2013-14, the department has identified a total operations budget of approximately $156.3 million, which represents a 10 percent increase over the current fiscal year.

The operations budget is comprised of:

• A $67.5 million contribution to the NWT Housing

Corporation to provide the Corporation with its operating cash flow for the fiscal period.

• The remaining $80.8 million for department

operations represents a 10 percent increase from the 2012-13 Main Estimates. This is primarily the result of:

o $7 million to continue to advance the

Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link Project. This project will provide a high-speed data link up the valley and will have significant positive impacts for economic and community development and the delivery of government services;

o $8.2 million resulting from the transfer of

funding from the Department of Transportation for the semi-annual debt service payments on the Deh Cho Bridge debt;

o These increases are partially offset by a

$6.2 million decrease to the contribution made to the NWT Power Corporation to help mitigate the impacts of increased power rates resulting from the corporation’s general rate application.

As the government’s lead revenue department, the revenues managed by the department are projected to total approximately $1.48 billion, or about 92 percent of the total GNWT revenues of $1.61 billion being forecast for the 2013-14 fiscal year. This represents a 5 percent increase from the 2012-13 Main Estimates. This is attributable to a projected increase of $51 million in federal transfers, and a projected increase of $13 million in

corporate income tax revenues and $7.5 million in personal income tax revenue forecasts.

Each of the business activities of the department provides a foundation for all other activities of government, through assessing new revenue sources, managing expenditure growth, protecting assets, providing critical fiscal, financial and economic information, and promoting accountability.

The department’s 2013-14 Main Estimates continue to support the priorities of the 17th Assembly, and

continuing initiatives that will support the sustainability of our territory for future generations. As Members are aware, the Premier has issued specific mandates to each Minister to support these priorities. Specific activities in the department’s 2013-14 Main Estimates include:

• the continuation of several modern management initiatives such as the renewal of the Financial Administration Act, the planning and implementation of financial shared services across the GNWT, and finalizing the Service Innovation Strategy, formerly the Knowledge Management Strategy;

• advancing the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic

Link Project;

• supporting the efforts to ensure a successful

completion of a Devolution Final Agreement and the implementation of the agreement;

• supporting the development and implementation

of a GNWT approach to decentralization;

• a fiscal strategy that supports the priorities of

this Assembly but also recognizes the GNWT has finite resources, and we need to continue our plan to reduce overall short-term debt;

• developing a strategy that recognizes the

volatility of our revenues and plans to ensure stable revenues for planning and budgetary purposes.

That concludes my opening remarks. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Minister Miltenberger, do you have witnesses to bring into the Chamber tonight?

Yes, I do, Mr. Chair.

Does committee agree?

Sergeant-at-Arms, would you please escort the witnesses inside.

Mr. Miltenberger, if you can introduce your witnesses to the House, please.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have with me the deputy minister,

Mr. Mike Aumond, and the deputy secretary to the Financial Management Board, Mr. Sandy Kalgutkar. If either one of them faint tonight it’s because I was insensitive and did not invite them in to have supper, and I publicly apologize for that.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Your insensitivity is noted. Mr. Kalgutkar, Mr. Aumond, welcome to the House this evening.

Committee, we will defer 5-7. Moving on to 5-8, Finance, information item. I am so sorry. I did this last time. General comments. I guess I’m just being clairvoyant.

Thank you, committee. Page 5-8, Finance, information item, infrastructure investment summary. Any questions?

Being none, 5-9. Finance, information item, revenue summary. Any questions? Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. A couple quick questions here. Under recoveries, something sort of startling in terms of numbers happened between the ’12-13 revised estimates for insured and third-party recoveries. I’m just wondering if I can get a little explanation of that.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The $2.6 million was money received in a settlement with a former insurer with the GNWT regarding a lawsuit initiated by the GNWT for compensation with respect to the GNWT and the GN’s settlement with victims of Ed Horne.

Thank you for that explanation. Just in terms of the Minister’s opening remarks with respect to income tax and corporate tax, he notes a forecasted increase to these amounts, which is good to see, but when we’re looking at the revenue, of course, it looks like there’s a decline from what the revised estimates were. I know this is always a bit confusing, but is there a date when we can get revised estimates that will more accurately predict the forecast, or do we await for the federal assessment, which I know always take a year and a half or a couple years?