Thank you, President Gargan. I am pleased to be here today to welcome you to the 48th Annual General Meeting of the NWT Association of Communities on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories, Minister McLeod and myself. My congratulations to the Association, and to Mayor Roland and the Town of Inuvik, for the great work you have done in organizing this event.
Community governments are an essential link in building a strong, prosperous territory where all our people can thrive and succeed. Programs and services offered at the community level have a direct, daily impact on the lives of Northwest Territories residents. Infrastructure built and maintained by communities helps supports local economies and a high standard of living. Without you, community governments and the Government of the Northwest Territories would not be able to realize its vision of a unified, environmentally sustainable and prosperous territory benefiting all of us.
“All NWT – All Together,” the theme for your AGM, reflects the importance of partnership. Northerners have always understood that we have to work together if we want to succeed. We can accomplish a lot alone, but we can accomplish even more when we work together in the best interests of the whole territory.
Commitment to partnership has informed all the work of the 17th Legislative Assembly. A strong and independent North built on partnerships is one of our first goals. One of my priorities as Premier was fostering strong working relationships with other levels of government to enlist their aid and support in creating a strong and sustainable future for our territory.
Those relationships will be more important than ever now that we have brought decision making power for land, resources and water back home. Northerners have long wanted the control over our environment and our economy that devolution has given us. But we need to make sure we exercise these new powers responsibly and in the interests of the whole territory.
Working together to identify common priorities and agree on how best to pursue them is one of the ways we will make sure that devolution benefits people and communities across the Northwest Territories. Organizations like the NWT Association of Communities and meetings like this are important opportunities to build consensus about territorial priorities. I welcome the discussion that will happen here in Inuvik and look forward to the continued partnership of your organization, and all communities, in helping us build a prosperous, healthy and sustainable future for our territory.
Devolution gives us the tools we need to create prosperity for our residents, but it will not eliminate all the challenges we face. One of those immediate challenges is a revenue shortfall due to declining corporate and personal income taxes that Minister Miltenberger announced during the Budget Session earlier this year.
Fiscal sustainability and discipline is a core value for our government, and we remain committed to living within our means. We cannot afford to mortgage the future we have just gained for our people through devolution. Making up the projected 30 million dollar revenue shortfall will mean that the Government of the Northwest Territories will be looking for ways to save money and reduce expenditures in its 2015-16 budget process.
How we make those reductions will be decided as we develop our 2015-16 business plans over the next several months and then review them with Members of the Legislative Assembly. While we are still determining where exactly we will reduce our expenditures, our plan is to protect programs and services that support the people of the Northwest Territories. That includes protecting infrastructure funding for community governments and maintaining operating grants at current levels. We know that strong community governments are essential to building a strong territory and our government is committed to supporting you in that role.
April 1st was the beginning of a new chapter for our territory. It is up to all of us to use the new powers and responsibilities we assumed to create an environmentally sustainable and thriving Northwest Territories that provides its people with opportunities to succeed and the support they need to take advantage of those opportunities. We all have a role and a responsibility to work together for our people. I look forward to the continued partnership of community governments in helping us create a bright future for this territory.
Thank you.