Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. Alberta requires 1,000 hours of instruction a year, while the agreement between the teachers and the government is offering less, a reduction of 50 hours. I worry if that means the NWT high school students will fall behind in their progress through the curriculum, meaning for them, like the student in Fort Good Hope, upgrading will be essential if they want to move on to post-secondary education. I will have questions for the Minister. Mahsi.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to tell you what's been going on in Aklavik's Moose Kerr school over the past year, and I've got to say, they've been pretty busy. Last year, Moose Kerr's 14 teachers taught 161 children, kindergarten to grade 12 students. The school also hosted a safety-theme week, practising fire drills, lockdown procedures, firearm safety, and water safety in the summer, and later reviewing ice safety rules in the fall.

The spring celebration honoured students for strong attendance records and academic achievements, while the school also organized a traditional trappers' week to celebrate traditional practices and give students a chance to learn and play in a new way.

The Moose Kerr isn't only a school, Mr. Speaker. It's also a vital, valuable, and well-used community space, hosting volleyball games, movie nights, and family board game parties. Staff from the Inuvik Community Greenhouse came to town last June. The executive director gave his gardening workshop, you guessed it, at Moose Kerr. The school also welcomed visitors, the legendary NWT ski team, including a local hero, Sharon Firth.

Back in 2015, the Moose Kerr gym even hosted a TEDx Talks conference to showcase Aboriginal culture. Presentations included a talk on education from Moose Kerr's first Indigenous principal, Ms. Velma Iliasiak.

There's so much going on, Mr. Speaker, and so much depending on the school. It's time to think seriously about planning for building a replacement.

We've heard the Minister say that Moose Kerr has been identified for renovation or replacement in approximately two years, in 2019. In the meantime, I want to make sure that we stay on top of active safety concerns. These include possible asbestos risks, especially since asbestos was found in Inuvik's Samuel Hearne School, and road safety because of lack of parking.

Member for Mackenzie Delta, your time for Member's statement has expired.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. I was almost done, actually. These include possible asbestos risks, especially since asbestos was found in Inuvik's Samuel Hearne School, and road safety because lack of parking makes the school grounds difficult to navigate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I'll have questions for the Minister later today.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in his sessional statement, the Premier mentioned a combined federal-territorial initiative looking at renewable solutions for the off-grid diesel community. Those solutions exist. Colville Lake has proven that. A carbon tax is coming. Emissions need to be cut. The cost of living needs to be brought down in our small communities, and our small communities need economic opportunity.

There was a Pan-Canadian summit on this priority in Winnipeg in January. There were small community people from Akaitcho, Deh Cho, Tlicho, Sahtu, as well as the chair of the IRC and the senior representative from the GTC, along with staff from the GNWT, NTPC, and the Arctic Energy Alliance. They were in full support at this summit for an initiative to get small communities off diesel.

Mr. Speaker, the technology is there to address this priority. High penetration of micro-grade technology in off-grid communities is a way forward. This is a green economic opportunity that can bring hundreds of millions of dollars to the 26 off-grid communities over the next 10 years, creating economic opportunity, lowering the cost of energy and living, and protecting the environment.

There is a plan for microgrids into the communities, something that all communities want. There is a plan for a charette to bring the communities' Aboriginal government, industry, environmental NGOs, and government together in June in Yellowknife to kick start the process. Over $100,000 has been raised by partners working on this. I support this plan, and ask the government to step up, collaborate, and play a leadership role with other partners to make the charette happen and seize opportunity to help off-grid communities in the development of energy alternatives. Marci cho, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with great sadness, I announce the sudden and unexpected passing of a former colleague and dear friend, Chris Szabo, on January 18, 2017, in his home in the Nasksup, BC, at the age of 59.

Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to meet Chris in the spring of 1988 in Inuvik, then later in Cambridge Bay where he was the recreation coordinator. He spent almost three years in this job, until he became the senior development officer for the Kitikmeot region. Thanks to his leadership, he developed the Kitikmeot Recreation Association and connected the community recreation coordinators to Sport North and the NWT Parks and Rec Association, which he helped form.

In 1991 he moved to Inuvik to be the senior recreation development officer, and then he moved to Hay River to the same job, and finally to Yellowknife at the headquarters where he was:

● instrumental in assisting with the Directions for the 90s conference which set policy direction for sports and recreation for a decade;

● instrumental in the development of GNWT's Traditional Inuit and Dene dog mushing coaching series;

● instrumental in the development of Canada–NWT bilateral funding for implementation of the Canadian Sports Policy;

● instrumental in assisting Nunavut with the creation of the sports and recreation branch and the lead-up to division in 1999;

● instrumental with the 1998 and 2002 studies on the social benefits of the Arctic Winter Games; and

● instrumental in the 2000s Direction Conference which helped shape GNWT policy for years to come.

In 2003, Chris was a recipient of the NWT Honourary Life Membership Award, recognizing him for all his great work.

Mr. Speaker, April 22, 2003, Chris and his wife, Jane Wilson Szabo, moved to Edmonton.

During this time with the Alberta government he was a key contributor to the Framework for Recreation in Canada – Pathways to Well-being; helped plan the 2011 National Recreation Summit; attended all six Parks Forums hosted by the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association; and volunteered on a number of association committees.

Mr. Speaker, at this point in time I wish to seek unanimous consent to finish my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

As Bill Wells said, "Chris was a proactive visionary for recreation and parks in Alberta and he had an impact nationally." This is true for his work he did for the recreation system in the NWT and Nunavut, too.

In 2015 the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association nominated Chris for the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association Award of Merit, which he received that fall. He is survived by his sister, his three brothers and their families. He was predeceased by his wife, Jane, and his parents, John and Jeannette.

A memorial mass will be held on Friday, March 31, 2017, at 10:30 at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Edmonton, Alberta. He will be sadly missed. Please join me as we pass on our condolences to his family. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Our condolences to the family as well. Masi. Members' statements. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one out of every five Canadians is facing mental health problems or illnesses today. Nearly half of the population will experience such issues at some point in their life. These numbers are even higher in the NWT. There are countless more statistics about mental health that I could quote, but I’m not going to. Mental health is about people, not numbers, and I feel confident saying that most people have either battled or are battling mental health issues, or know the struggles of someone close to them who is. I don’t think I need to convince anyone of the importance of doing everything we can to eliminate mental illness to the greatest extent possible.

That’s why I’m so frustrated with the state of mental healthcare in the territory, and in Hay River in particular. I’ve heard that, if you had mental health issues 10 years ago, you were lucky to be there because the services provided were excellent. However, Mr. Speaker, I’ve heard too many times from too many people that accessing mental health services in Hay River now can be a nightmare, frankly.

Anyone who’s been to counselling knows that it’s not a pleasant experience, especially the first time when you have to open up to a stranger and dig up all the things you try to avoid thinking about. In Hay River, we always have good counsellors; the problem is they’re usually not there for long. For some reason, despite the generous pay, people don’t want to stay. That means that those seeking help are forced to tell their story, from the beginning, to new people, over and over again.

Too often, this means that our residents do not receive adequate treatment and end up accessing emergency services because there’s nowhere else to go. We’re actually lucky to have permanent doctors in Hay River who are well versed in mental health issues, but issues arise again when these doctors refer patients in crisis to a psychiatrist. It’s my understanding that such emergency referrals are to be carried out within 24 hours, yet I’ve heard multiple cases of this taking weeks, contrary to GNWT policy.

When residents do arrive in Yellowknife for a session with a psychiatrist, they face further obstacles. They must once again open up to a stranger who, after meeting them for only an hour and a half, will have a major impact on the future of their treatment, and ultimately their well-being. After this emotional 90-minute session, which leaves many patients drained and in tears, they are shown the door, sent out into the world and back to the airport, with no place or time to calm down or recover. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, colleagues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don’t want to malign any of our healthcare professionals, but I’ve heard again too many times that patients do not feel that their issues are validated by the psychiatrists in Yellowknife, and patients often leave not only feeling more helpless, but also insulted.

Mr. Speaker, I haven’t even touched on the legwork that those seeking treatment are required to do just to access mental health services. There are countless phone calls to make and forms to fill out, with no one person they can look to to show them what needs to be done. They have to wade through a bureaucratic nightmare and become tireless advocates for themselves, just to receive treatment. This is not right, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I mentioned earlier that there was a time when Hay River had excellent mental health services, so I know that we can provide those services again, both in Hay River and in Yellowknife, but changes need to be made. I will have questions for the Minster of Health at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to move item 11 on the orders paper, replies to budget address. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Unanimous consent granted

Item 11, replies to budget address. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week the Minister of Finance presented the 2017-18 GNWT budget. Welcome to the land of lost dreams and lost per diems. It's not what I would describe this submission. Mr. Speaker, compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Policy by maintaining an AA1 credit rating through prudent sound financial management are fundamental principles of forecasting the best suitable O and M program and modest debt realization plan for the people of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, our legislative directives must echo practical and physical attentive management. The pending budget is a reflection of this. The GNWT, with its competitive credit status, competitive taxation regimes, resource development potential, and abilities for diversification only must come to reality on what it possesses. One example we see is the approximate 90,000 visitors visiting our pristine attractions through the tourism sector.

Borrow to spend. Mr. Speaker, the notion you should borrow your maximum allowable ceiling to support program service delivery is a recipe for insolvency. Through meaningful departmental reviews on efficiencies we enhance maximization on value for program and service deliveries. If we can reduce by 1 per cent on efficiencies we will see over $100,000 in savings.

Mr. Speaker, the majority industry drivers to our economy are government, mining, construction, and tourism. These industries are supported by the supply chain vendor community, another economic contributor to the NWT economy. Combining these labour-intensive industries contributes an excess of 40 per cent of our NWT GDP. The recent announcements of the all-weather roads to Whati, to Canyon Creek forecast a labour allowance of 30 per cent that will contribute $70 million to the workforce community and training individuals.

Mr. Speaker, we must take and continue the national and international competitive approach for the potential resource productions that lie within our region. This is done by marketing strategy and strategic planning, through presentations and advertisements.

Mr. Speaker, we are in a post-production era for remaining opportunities. The abundance of resources identified by the many studies truly reveals the North's potential. Production means royalty revenues over and above TFS. With our aging infrastructure, it is of vital importance to position our physical capabilities for replacements and upgrades, Mr. Speaker; aging infrastructure. Our children should not experience going from one building to the next for continuation of education curricular studies. This can be experienced in the community of Colville Lake. Our youth deserve and expect better programming and services.

Consensus government means to work in collaboration with the territorial stakeholders, especially in the isolated smaller communities. The Sahtu region struggles with some of the highest and lowest income and unemployment rates and the highest cost of living, similar to other areas of the NWT.

I quote a study done last year which states, "Cost of living and inequality: heavy reliance by communities in the Sahtu region on imported food and fuel contributes significantly to the high cost of living. The cost of living in the NWT has been higher than the Canadian average for six of the past eight years, particularly in the Sahtu communities. Yellowknife residents pay 10 per cent more for the same food basket than Edmonton residents, while community residents of Tulita, Deline, and Norman Wells paid 50 per cent more than those in Yellowknife."

Mr. Speaker, Northerners are resilient. The North produced one of Canada's unique hydrocarbon oil fields, low in sulphur, sweet crude; in fact, so lucrative it was not included in the devolution agreement. This gold mine was founded by "Tommy the Ox," as my associate Member last year made so eloquently in his presentation, a prime example that agriculture and industry can work in harmony with each other. This proven history innovation only adds to homeland food security as identified in our agricultural strategy.

Mr. Speaker, guarantee the implementation effectively for all the foregoing analysis and, in my views, I will be supporting this budget. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Last of all, consider government conventions. Point number three: open and respectable communication between all Members is the most central feature of consensus government. While it is important to reach unanimous agreement on all issues, the opportunity for all Members to have meaningful input into the important decisions is fundamental. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Replies to budget address. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the MLA for Great Slave to lend my support to the budget in front of us today.

I have been in the Assembly for about 10 years and I have gone through 10 budget exercises and, every time we have gone through a budget in this Legislative Assembly in the last 10 years, there has been some give and there has been some take. There has been working together long hours into nights to work out ways to meet the needs of all Members on both sides of this House to make sure that we have the best budget possible in front of us. I am confident that with this budget, as with every other budget that has come in front of this House for the last 10 years, the same will occur.

I say that, but I also register some frustration that I am having with this particular budgeting process. In my 10 years, Mr. Speaker, I have never seen a budget process where there has been such resistance to the budget and drawing of such incredibly hard lines. In the media last week, there was a press release where it basically indicated that, unless the items that are demanded are included in this budget, there will be no movement. I find that frustrating as an MLA, Mr. Speaker. I find that frustrating as a resident.

As a Cabinet Minister, I also find that frustrating, but I listened very carefully to the comments of all the Members of this House and there is clearly frustration on their side, as well. I can promise you that there is frustration on this side. This is consensus government, Mr. Speaker. Consensus government is not about everybody agreeing. Consensus government is about everybody having the opportunity to be heard, listened to, and understood. There will be disagreements, Mr. Speaker. We can't have a system where there isn't disagreement. I would, in fact, be worried about a system where everybody agreed on everything.

I really appreciated the comments that many of the Members made about some of the give and take that has occurred. There has been some give and take to this point. Mr. Speaker, I am privy to the same letters that all the Members are privy to, coming back and forth between committees and Cabinet, and I have seen letters from Cabinet indicating significant movement, $4.5 million in reductions taken off the table based on solid input, advice, and guidance from the Regular Members. I have also seen the inclusion of $14.5 million in new initiatives, items that have come up as part of our mandate. Yes, 911 was not specifically in our mandate, but I would say we are hard-pressed not to find or believe that 911 is clearly something that is important to the people of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, we all must work together to find a resolution and solution to this budget. We must back off hard lines, and we must work together. I do say that, recognizing, as I said, there are a couple of areas of frustration that I have experienced in listening to the statements, and I once again applaud the Members in bringing their concerns forward and working with us to resolve them, but there are a couple that I need some clarity on. There are some questions that have arisen in my mind, as an MLA, based on the statements that have been made over the last couple of days.

On February 6th, according to the unedited Hansard, Julie Green, the MLA for Yellowknife Centre, said, and I quote, "We are looking at as many as 200 positions being eliminated this fiscal year and the next, creating a major hit to the public service and to the local economy throughout the Northwest Territories. As the reality of those losses combined with the slow-down of our economy sinks in, how do we reverse this flow of out migration?"

Mr. Speaker, I would love to seek some clarity on that comment. I am not sure where the number 200 came from. I have gone back and looked at letters and documents that are available to all Members, and what I have seen is that in 2016-17 there were 124 positions impacted. That was 56 employees, Mr. Speaker. Of those 56 employees, 40 were retained by the Government of the Northwest Territories. That means they were redeployed. They continue to work for the Government of the Northwest Territories. Five retired. Nine were laid off.

Ultimately, I agree with Members; we don't want to lay off employees. Employees are our most valuable asset, but we weren't able to find them jobs, and we do struggle with that. As a note, one remains impacted and one has yet to receive an offer because they were on a leave of absence. When they return, obviously, they will get one.

In 2017-18, Mr. Speaker, the budget we are talking about today, 65 positions are potentially impacted. It doesn't become official until the budget is approved or not, as the case may be. Thirty-six employees are affected. Eleven of those are eligible to retire. Twenty-one are potentially affected. Four of them have already been identified for redeployment should the budget pass.

Mr. Speaker, I have been an employee of the Government of the Northwest Territories. I have been an MLA. I have been a Minister. I am confident when I say that this government is committed to our most valuable resource, to the people and to the employees of the Government of the Northwest Territories, and I know through watching and being involved that this government will work closely with them and focus on their retention.

I would also just like to add a point with respect to staff complement in the Government of the Northwest Territories, both before and after the budget that is before this government and this Assembly for consideration. While there are reductions that affect staff, absolutely true, this budget adds 17 positions to the public service overall. The GNWT and its public agencies expect to employ 5,626 people in that number of positions over the next fiscal year, which is up from 5,609. This is a growth in the number of positions overall in the public service. So I appreciate the Member's perspective. I hear her frustration. I am trying to understand the numbers that are being presented, and I would certainly love to sit down with the Member to see if she can help me understand where she is coming from.

Mr. Speaker, I have known Mr. Testart, the MLA for Kam Lake, for a number years. This is a man who is clearly passionate about politics and wants to do good for the people of the Northwest Territories, and is very interested in procedure. I respect him for all that he does for the people of the Northwest Territories, but I have a problem with a comment in his statement. I am seeking to get some clarity on that.

On February 2, 2017, in the unedited Hansard, Mr. Testart said, "During the first operation budget, we again saw a return to debt management and reductions as a driving force of the government's fiscal strategy to underpin all of its spending commitments. This in fact led Members of the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning to label this budget an austerity budget, motivated by a reduction target of $150 million."

Mr. Speaker, I thought about this a lot and tried to understand exactly what was being said, recognizing that I believe the Member, as all Members, wants the same thing that Cabinet wants, which is an effective budget to meet the needs of the residents of the Northwest Territories. So, I went and looked up the definition of "austerity budget":

"An austerity budget is an attempt to significantly curtail spending in an effort to control public sector debt, particularly where the nation is in jeopardy of defaulting on its bonds."

It goes further, Mr. Speaker:

"The term 'austerity' is more likely to be used when government spending cuts and higher taxes occur during a recession or during a period of very weak economic growth. Austerity implies that spending cuts and tax increases are highly likely to have an adverse impact on aggregate band and economic growth."

I didn't feel and I don't feel, as a citizen, as an MLA, as a Minister, that what is being presented today is in fact an austerity budget, but I wondered what it was. So, I looked up the definition of "balanced budget":

"A balanced budget (particularly that of a government) refers to a budget in which revenues are equal to expenditures. Thus, neither a budget deficit nor a budget surplus exists (the accounts balance). More generally, it refers to a budget that has no budget deficit, but could possibly have a small budget surplus."

Now, in looking at the information that is available to the public, the GNWT is proposing to spend just over $1.7 billion on its operations in the coming fiscal year and another $266 million on infrastructure. That is about $2 billion that the government plans to spend in the next fiscal year. Most of it will go back into the NWT economy in the form of salaries for staff, contract services for residents, and purchasing with NWT businesses and companies.

This is a reduction, Mr. Speaker. There is no denying that. This is certainly a reduction. It represents less than a 0.04 per cent reduction from the previous year's spending, and the government, this Assembly, is dealing with revenues that are only increasing by 1.2 per cent. In this budget, there is growth, Mr. Speaker. We have seen an increase in the number of positions in the public service.

Mr. Speaker, the second part of the concern I have with that statement made by Mr. Testart is the continued reference to the $150 million target. As I said, as a Member, I am privy to the same correspondence as is shared with committee and Cabinet and, in a letter from the Minister of Finance on December 16th, it states clearly that we believe we can meet our fiscal objectives with the implementation of the proposed $101 million expenditure reductions and revenue initiatives.

This is a long way from $150 million, and it was my understanding that, at that time, the government of the day was clearly articulating that $150 million is not the target being utilized. Yes, Members are correct, during the budget planning process, $150 million was still on the table, but, based on the dialogue, discussion, and working with committee in the House, that reduction was moved from $150 to $100 million. They were made aware at that time.

Mr. Speaker, I also had some concerns with statements that were made by Mr. Thompson, so I wrote them down. According to the February 2, 2017, unedited Hansard, Mr. Thompson said, "Mr. Speaker, I am not saying that it is strictly Cabinet's fault or the Regular Members' fault. It is all our faults. We need to work better together. Mr. Speaker, lack of communication is a major challenge." After I wrote it down, I realized I actually totally agree with what the Member is saying. The Member is right. Our inability and our frustration to move forward with this budget is all of our fault. It is not one side or the other, and, clearly, we need to work better together.

When we first met at the start of this Assembly, we talked a lot about the importance of doing government better. We agreed that changing the way that the Assembly does business was one of our priorities. Strengthening consensus was one of the ways that we said we would do that. Strengthening consensus is an appealing idea that is easy for people to get behind. To make it happen, though, we have to know exactly what we mean by it, and we have to know what we mean by "consensus" to begin with.

The way I see it, Mr. Speaker, consensus is about hearing the voices of every Member in this House, no matter which side they sit on the floor. Consensus is about taking the best ideas, wherever or from whomever they come, and turning them into government policy. It isn't about implementing a one-sided and predetermined party platform like you would see in most other Canadian jurisdictions.

Consensus is about hearing what matters to the people right across the Northwest Territories and doing what is best for them. It is not about "getting the win" for one side or the other or for one point of view over another. Sometimes, once we've heard and debated all sides of an issue, doing what is best for the Northwest Territories means setting aside our individual preferences and priorities.

While that may be hard, the fact is that, when people of the Northwest Territories win, we all win. We should feel proud of every decision that we make together that serves our people with the best interests of the territories, whatever our individual views. Finding consensus on the important issues that face the Northwest Territories is an ongoing process. It takes time, and it takes work, sometimes hard work, for each of us. It requires us to be engaged in an ongoing conversation about what this territory needs and how we should address those needs.

As an Assembly, we have agreed to a formal process for carrying out that conversation and for making collective decisions. That process is established in documents like The Guiding Principles and Process Conventions of Consensus Government, in our committee structure, and the rules that govern debate. Our guiding principles say that consensus government is defined by the ability and willingness of all Members to work together within our respective roles for the collective good of the Northwest Territories.

One way we must make sure we are doing this is by working with standing committees through established processes, like we do in budgets every year. We recognize there is frustration. We recognize we have to work harder, but budget takes both sides working together, Mr. Speaker.

Well, budget day is not a bit of an event. It is a result of months of work and discussions between Cabinet and standing committees. That discussion begins each fall, when draft business plans for every department are shared with standing committee for review and analysis, something not available in party systems, Mr. Speaker. Ministers then meet with the appropriate standing committees to answer questions -- sometimes good, sometimes bad -- hear concerns, get input and suggestions on the government's plans for the upcoming fiscal year.

Recommendations from standing committees to add or cut specific items from the upcoming budget are often made as part of those meetings and continue to be discussed in correspondence and further meetings in the months leading up to the budget day. For this current budget, Cabinet received quality input and cautions for committee that resulted in important changes to the budget before you. On October 28th, the Minister of Finance wrote committee and indicated $4.5 million in reductions based on requests from committee would not be moving forward. Also on that date, he indicated -- that is, the Minister of Finance -- the Cabinet would add $6 million in initiatives that would be added as priorities to consist with the mandate. There are a few more, but because they are specific to positions I don’t want to add concerns to residents in potentially what could have been impacted positions.

Overall, $14.8 million worth of changes. Budget banking is a balancing act, Mr. Speaker. There is always some need for more money to meet them and there are more ways and more wants on top of that. Finding a way to pay for essential services and central programs and some nice-to-haves and wants without breaking the bank is a challenge even at the best of times. It's even harder when times are tough and revenues are uncertain.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to mention the comment made by Mr. Cory Vanthuyne on February 7, 2017, in the unedited Hansard. It says, "Mr. Speaker, the Finance Minister has told us the government has a three-pronged fiscal strategy. Let me share those with you.

1. Increasing fiscal capacity by lowering our operating expenditures or increasing our revenues;

2. Discipline spending to ensure expenditure growth is aligned with revenue growth; and

3. Reducing our reliance on our line of credit as a way to finance the day-to-day operations."

He went further to explain what that meant in his perspective, and I really appreciated his point of view. I've known the Member for a long time, back in the days when I had Brian May hair and he had long, long blonde hair. Good times.

He made a further statement, Mr. Speaker:

We have objected strongly to this target. He was referring to the $150 million which Cabinet moved off from after discussions in the fall with committee, and these were objected for a number of reasons. The key one is that they are simply too severe. I for one do not believe that it is either responsible or prudent to attempt to wipe out a year-end cash deficit accumulated over a number of years and estimated over $300 million in the life of this Assembly. We have asked time and time again to find compromises. Maybe one of the other fiscal reduction targets would have been a suitable compromise.

Mr. Speaker, normally I would agree 100 per cent. I think the way the Member described it was sound. I think his points are valid, but as a Minister, as an MLA, I think it's important that we don’t look just in the one-, two-, three-year window; we have to look at the long-term benefits or impacts on this government. The reason I can't agree completely with what the Member is saying is in the budgeting we know things are coming. We know that by 2026 we have to put in 258 long-term care beds. That's $139,000 in operation costs per bed that need to be added to the books of this government.

Mr. Speaker, by 2026 -- and these numbers are based on today and will need to be indexed appropriately -- that's $35,862,000. We know that there are mine closures over the same nine-year period. We know forced growth is upon us. We know union increases are coming, utility costs are going up. Every 1 per cent in union increase is $8 million added to the budget line, and we know, unfortunately, that there are always unforeseen challenges coming.

Mr. Speaker, I support this budget. I don’t believe it's the best budget. I believe it's a good budget. I believe that, given how we have worked in the past, there will be some room for negotiation and move on this budget as time goes by; but, Mr. Speaker, if you're not taking flack, you're not over the target. This is consensus government, Mr. Speaker, and I believe firmly that we can and we should work together, move away from hard lines and find real resolution on meeting the needs of the people of the Northwest Territories.

I've said it to Members and I'll say it again: I don’t believe that solidarity for the sake of solidarity benefits the people of the Northwest Territories. This building needs to work together. We must find a way to work together to bring forward a budget that meets the needs of the people, and I think we're there. I think we need to work together, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Masi. Replies to budget address. There appear to be no further replies to budget address for today, so we will return to item number 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize Thebacha resident and Fort Smith Town Councillor, Rashmi Patel.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Great Slave.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to acknowledge the following people in the gallery today: Cynthia Carroll, who is the chair of the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorder Alliance; Margaret Whelan, the board member of the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorder Alliance; and Denise McKee, who is the executive director of the NWT Disabilities Council and a constituent of the Great Slave riding. I'd like to welcome them to the Chamber today and thank them for their hard work developing the Canadian Autism Partnership Project. Thank you so much.