Jeff Colbourne
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jul 08/98) - Yellowknife's first Western Premier's Conference wrapped up on Saturday morning, ahead of schedule and on an upbeat note.

After two days of meetings, hosted by Premier Don Morin, they called the conference a success, largely because of consensus reached on a number of Northern and national issues.

A national highways program, including a memorandum of understanding between the NWT and Alberta, was among the agreements.

"We are looking very seriously at our infrastructure systems. How we extend that infrastructure to meet the requirements of Alberta products and services moving to the North as yet to be determined," said Alberta Premier Ralph Klein.

"The MOU is a much more general document which will be signed within the two or three weeks."

The MOU call on Alberta and the NWT to co-operate on economic matters and to look at opportunities to share in the development of the infrastructure to encourage movement of goods and products to and from the NWT.

The premiers noted that Canada remains the only major industrialized nation in which the federal government plays only a small role in financing highway construction and maintenance, even though it collects substantial revenue from fuel taxes.

The federal government raises more than $5 billion annually in fuel-tax revenue across the country, yet it spends only $13 million on roads across the four provinces and two territories.

Premier Morin said if the NWT is to grow and prosper, better transportation links and infrastructure must be put in place.

"One of the important elements of southern prosperity is that key infrastructure was put in place to support economic growth," said Morin. "The NWT should have the same opportunities."

Road infrastructure would make it cheaper for Northerners to receive supplies and deliver goods to market, said Morin.

"We are counting on all Canadians to share in the necessary investment of the new North. Just as they will share in the benefits of its development."

Besides new roads, the premiers agreed on a number of other national issues. They plan to ask the federal government to make more funds available for health care to restore the annual $6.2 billion in cuts to health transfer payments over the years.

The premiers called also for the full implementation by 2000 of a national child benefit that would require a total federal investment of $2.5 billion and a provincial re-investment of $1.5 billion.

Todd calls for control

While the premiers were in the city, NWT Finance Minister John Todd addressed media at a luncheon last Friday at the Yellowknife Inn and spoke of devolution of responsibilities from the federal government.

"We want to enhance our self-sufficiency and autonomy. This is an important goal for all of us," said Todd. "The people of the NWT are not comfortable being dependent upon federal transfer payments and in effect, wards of the state."

The NWT has the potential through resource development to be a significant contributor to the Canadian economy, he added.

For every resource job in the North, three more are created in southern Canada. For every dollar of tax revenue in the North, five more are generated in the South.

"Alberta alone enjoys $1 billion in economic activity generated by development in the NWT," said Todd.

The GNWT currently manages high-cost programs such as education, health care, social assistance, transportation and forest fires. It does not have control over oil, gas and minerals, all of which generate revenue.