This is page numbers 5001 – 5032 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was communities.

Topics

The Chair

The Chair Robert Bouchard

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the Member’s concern and his comments. If you look at the whole fiscal picture at the end of this Assembly or where we currently are now, I would say while we have challenges, it’s not as bleak as the Member would indicate and we are doing an enormous amount of very critical things like the $350 million project at Stanton. We’re discussing a $314 million capital plan, which we bumped up $50 million this year. So there are enormous challenges for a government this size, for a territory this large with the demands as many and varied as they are.

This Legislature has managed its way through some very trying and difficult times balancing a lot of priorities, so as we leave this 17th Assembly and

for those of us who are coming back or intending on coming back, you want to know that you aren’t going to leave the 18th Assembly hamstrung. I don’t

think, at the end of the day, they will be hamstrung. They will have challenges, but every government does. They will have a lot of good things they are going to inherit as well. Thank you.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

I appreciate the Minister’s perspective there and I know he has the same perspective as me in the long run. What it also means is we’re giving up the opportunity for services to people and for doing a better job at dealing with the cost of living, et cetera. We have a record for continually going back to big daddy to raise our borrowing limit and so on, and we don’t seem to pay much attention to those. We try to have a $100 million buffer, and that’s starting to disintegrate because of these sorts of decisions and unexpected costs.

The alert, I think, is unexpected costs are becoming an expected part of the routine business that we deal with because of some of these larger problems that we have not been effectively dealing with. That’s an alert that we need to maintain buffers and perhaps should contemplate larger buffers, Given

that we have seen in a year like this we can do in those buffers with one season’s events.

I appreciate the Minister’s perspectives. He is our Minister of Finance and I am commenting from the outside, but I am commenting with seven years of trend in mind. I know others might have similar concerns. I will leave it at that, Mr. Chair.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Once again, I appreciate the Member’s comments. I will just accept and thank him for making them. Thank you.

The Chair

The Chair Robert Bouchard

Next I have Ms. Bisaro.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that we report progress.

---Carried

The Chair

The Chair Robert Bouchard

I will now rise and report progress. Thank you, Minister. Thanks, witnesses. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses out of the Chamber. Thank you.

Report of Committee of the Whole
Report of Committee of the Whole

October 27th, 2014

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Good evening. Can I have the report of Committee of the Whole, Mr. Bouchard?

Report of Committee of the Whole
Report of Committee of the Whole

Robert Bouchard

Robert Bouchard Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Tabled Document 115-17(5), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2015-2016; and Tabled Document 155-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2014-2015, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you.

Report of Committee of the Whole
Report of Committee of the Whole

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Do I have a seconder to the motion? Mr. Blake.

---Carried

Item 22, third reading of bills. Mr. Clerk, orders of the day.

Orders of the Day
Orders of the Day

Tim Mercer Clerk Of The House

Orders of the day for Wednesday, October 29, 2014, at 1:30 p.m.:

1. Prayer

2. Ministers’

Statements

3. Members’

Statements

4. Returns to Oral Questions

5. Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

6. Acknowledgements

7. Oral

Questions

8. Written

Questions

9. Returns to Written Questions

10. Replies to Opening Address

11. Petitions

12. Reports of Standing and Special Committees

13. Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills

14. Tabling of Documents

15. Notices of Motion

16. Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills

17. Motions

18. First Reading of Bills

19. Second Reading of Bills

20. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of

Bills and Other Matters

- Bill 25, An Act to Amend the Education Act

- Bill 27, Miscellaneous Statute Law

Amendment Act, 2014

- Bill 29, Human Tissue Donation Act

- Bill 30, An Act to Amend the Public Service

Act

- Bill 32, An Act to Amend the Pharmacy Act

- Bill 33, An Act to Amend the Elections and

Plebiscites Act, No. 2

- Committee Report 7-17(5), Report on the

Development of the Economic Opportunities and Mineral Development Strategies

- Tabled Document 115-17(5), Northwest

Territories Capital Estimates 2015-2016

- Tabled Document 154-17(5), Supplementary

Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditure), No. 4, 2014-2015

- Tabled Document 155-17(5), Supplementary

Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2014-2015

21. Report of Committee of the Whole

22. Third Reading of Bills

23. Orders of the Day

Orders of the Day
Orders of the Day

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank

you,

Mr.

Clerk.

Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until Wednesday, October 29th , at 1:30 p.m.

---ADJOURNMENT

The House adjourned at 5:01 p.m.