Archived - Letters to Provinces and Territories: Northwest Territories 2015

Mr. Mike Aumond
Deputy Minister of Finance
Government of the Northwest Territories
Laing Building, 5^th Floor
5003 – 49th Street, P.O. Box 1320
Yellowknife, NT X1A 2L9

Dear Colleague:

As you know, the Minister of Finance has traditionally informed his colleagues in December of their major transfer payment amounts for the forthcoming fiscal year. As the new Minister of Finance for the Northwest Territories has yet to be appointed following the recent election in your territory, I have been asked to provide you with the Northwest Territories’ transfer payment amounts for 2016-17.

Pursuant to the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act (the Act) and relevant regulations, the Minister of Finance has completed his official determination of Equalization and Territorial Formula Financing payments for the coming year, as well as first estimates of Canada Health Transfer and Canada Social Transfer amounts for 2016-17. Next year, major transfers to all provinces and territories will reach a total of $70.8 billion.

Total major transfers to the Northwest Territories for 2016-17 will round up to $1,256 million, a decrease of $34.2 million from this year. The first estimates of your territory’s Canada Health Transfer and Canada Social Transfer payments for 2016-17 are $44.2 million and $16.4 million respectively. In accordance with the legislated formula under the Act and its regulations, your territory’s Territorial Formula Financing payment for 2016-17 will be $1,195.8 million. I understand that you and your officials have concerns regarding recent changes made by Statistics Canada affecting the calculation of your Territorial Formula Financing amounts. My Minister has asked officials to discuss possible options to address this situation going forward.

Enclosed for your information is a table presenting the 2016-17 major transfer amounts for each province and territory. It will be provided to you and your officials and posted on the Department of Finance’s website in advance of our December 20-21, 2015 Finance Ministers Meeting.

I look forward to continuing our collaboration on shared priorities.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Rochon