N.W.T. Budget Wars: Episode 1 - The Cabinet Minister Strikes Back

In a surprise move this week, N.W.T. cabinet minister Glen Abernethy castigated regular MLAs for taking "hard lines" on the proposed 2017-2018 budget and accused them of exaggerating the impact of planned workforce reductions.

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Abernethy's lengthy and at times breathless budget reply — spoken as MLA for Yellowknife's Great Slave riding but symbolically coming from cabinet — marked a noticeable turn from the gentle ribbing exchanged most days in the N.W.T Legislature. 

"In my 10 years I have never seen a budget process where there has been such resistance to the budget and drawing of such incredibly hard lines," Abernethy began.

His terse address came at the tail end of a series of budget replies from regular members.

The replies had been purposely dragged out for more than a week as a show of protest against the divisive budget and in order to delay MLAs' department-by-department budget review, says Julie Green, the MLA for Yellowknife Centre.

The glacial pace of this budget session had not gone unnoticed by observers.

Green fights back on Twitter

Abernethy then focused his criticisms on individual MLAs, starting with Green.

He took issue with Green's suggestion earlier in the week that the government's plan to eliminate "as many as 200" positions" could contribute to further migration out of the territory.

In fact, said Abernethy, the government has eliminated only 124 positions this fiscal year, with only nine people being laid off and 55 being placed in other government jobs. The rest either retired or are still being reviewed.

In the coming 2017-2018 fiscal year, he added, the government is looking to cut 65 positions.

"Thirty‑six employees are affected," he said of those potential cuts. "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.

"I am not sure where the number 200 came from."

Green, an avid Tweeter while the assembly is in session, began a running commentary on Abernethy's speech.

Testy with Testart

Abernethy then turned his attention to Kam Lake MLA Kieron Testart — one of the most fierce opponents of the budget among regular MLAs.

"I have known Mr. Testart for a number years. This is a man who is clearly passionate about politics and wants to do good for the people of the N.W.T., and is very interested in procedure. I respect him for all that he does for the people, but I have a problem with a comment [he made]."

Abernethy suggested it was disingenuous of Testart to continue to cite $150 million as the government's overall belt-tightening target in recent weeks when, in a private letter shared with regular MLAs by Finance Minister Robert C. McLeod in December, the government had made it clear its target was now $101 million.

"They were made aware at that time," said Abernethy.

Testart also took to Twitter shortly thereafter. 

Testart says regular MLAs clung to the $150-million figure because that was the last figure the government released to the public.  

He also expressed surprise that Abenerthy in his reply had cited information shared privately with regular MLAs, though McLeod had already confirmed the new savings target with media on budget day last week.

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Will the anti-budget coalition hold?

MLAs will now review the budget department by department, potentially voting to strike out individual budget items before finally voting on the entire budget in early March.

But whether the original coalition of anti-budget regular MLAs holds firm remains to be seen. 

Nine of the 11 regular MLAs were present at a pre-budget day press conference in which they suggested they would vote in unison against the budget. Frederick Blake, MLA for Mackenzie Delta, and Herb Nakimayak, MLA for Nunakput were absent. Speaker Jackson Lafferty typically does not vote.

But both Nakimayak and Danny McNeely have since said they support the budget, while the potential wildcard, Blake, played both sides in his budget reply Thursday.

While criticizing some proposed cuts, Blake said MLAs ultimately agree on 98 per cent of the budget.

"Wouldn't it be a shame to call it a day, after all this work, simply because we'd reached 'good enough'?"