Five MLAs and two government staff will be flying, albeit economy class, on the taxpayer's dollar to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December as the NWT's political delegation.

"This is a huge international event. Anything that comes out of this could easily affect the Northwest Territories in future years," MLA Glen Abernethy said Nov. 9. He said the yearly event - which began in 1994 - is important, as it laid the groundwork for the Kyoto Protocol.

"We're going as observers, we're obviously not participating, but we'll have an opportunity to learn and understand how they've come to their decisions, what decisions are being made," said Abernethy.

Abernethy said MLAs David Krutko and Bob Bromley are going because they are members of the government's Climate Change Committee, and he himself is going as he is an alternate on the committee. Miltenberger is going as the minister of Environment and Natural Resources, and Premier Floyd Roland is attending in his role as premier.

In addition to the seven who are going as part of the NWT's political delegation, Ray Case, director of environment for the NWT Department of Environment and Natural Resources, is going to Copenhagen with Canada's official delegation on the federal government tags.

While the NWT, with a population of about 42,940, is sending seven delegates on the public's bill, Canada's Northern neighbour Alaska, a U.S. state with a population of about 686,300, will be sending just one.

"The Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner Larry Hartig is the only person," said Weld Royal, public information officer for Alaska's Department of Environmental Conservation.

Hartig's plane tickets were still being booked Royal said on Nov. 9, but otherwise his hotel bill will cost Alaska's taxpayers about $3,577 Canadian.

Abernethy said the NWT delegation's presence there is important. "There's a lot of value in having a couple of us there," the MLA said.

Andrew Matthews, communications officer for the premier's office, said that the political delegation's agenda for the trip is still being hammered out, but will be available to the public upon completion.

In the legislative assembly on Nov. 3, Hay River South MLA Jane Groenewegen questioned the trip's high cost where Miltenberger defended the $86,000 price tag.

"Seven people at $50,000 for travel, that works out to $7,000 per person, and I don't think it costs that much to fly to Copenhagen," Groenewegen said in the legislative assembly.

Miltenberger said he assumed the $50,000 covers ground transportation as well, and any unspent money will be returned to government coffers. He also said that if the other members request it, a detailed accounting of the trip could be provided afterwards. Groenewegen estimated the trip was over-budgeted by about $25,000.

"Looking back over the years, it would seem that our bigger challenge is the tendency, especially on capital projects, to underestimate," Miltenberger said in defence of the possible overestimate.