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Community Initiatives Program

Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday it was made known that after a meeting with the international development organizations the Minister of Culture and Community Spirit reinstated the international funding component into the community initiatives program. The right decision, but it does call into question the quality of the research or the reasoning that led to the cut in the first place. My question is to the Minister of Culture and Community Spirit. Why did the minister torment the international development community and make it jump through hoops by withdrawing the funding in the first place?

Mr. Blackett: Mr. Speaker, I certainly didn’t torment anyone. We had a budget decision, and we said in response to the budget estimates that we had to look at taking a reduction of $9 million in our budget, and what was the most effective way to be able to do that and to deliver the services to those organizations that we support? We thought that the Wild Rose Foundation could roll into the community initiatives program. We would find a way. We haven’t made that commitment yet because I had committed that in 30 days we would deliver that. I said that it’s our intention to honour the funding for $1.3 million to the international development fund. That’s what I said, and we’ll stick with that.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Ms Blakeman: Thank you. Again to the same minister: well, given the change of mind that the minister has had, how can the Assembly, the voluntary sector, and indeed citizens in Alberta have faith that this is the minister’s final answer?

Mr. Blackett: Well, because this minister, Mr. Speaker, has been pretty consistent. I said on budget day, I said in the budget estimates, I said in every interview from there forward that my intention is to be able to provide funding on the same criteria to those organizations, whether it’s with respect to international development, whether it’s with respect to the organizations that need funding on a nonmatching basis. Albertans believe strongly in helping one another and the less fortunate. Our not-for-profit sector does a fantastic job, and our government will stand behind them.

Ms Blakeman: Teeter-totter Tories.

Back to the same minister. Given that a month ago there was 37 and a half million dollars in Wild Rose and CIP and now a reduction of both the original cut and this set aside for the international funding, how are all of the original Wild Rose grant recipients plus the groups that usually compete for CIP money supposed to cope with a loss of almost a third in the total funding available to them?

Mr. Blackett: Well, again, Mr. Speaker, the member opposite doesn’t tell the truth. Our government through our department alone commits...

Ms Blakeman: Point of order, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Blackett: I apologize, Mr. Speaker.

The statement is that in budget estimates I said that we have $166 million that comes through our department to the sector – it is not just CIP; it was not just Wild Rose funding – $20 million dollars from the community spirit donor program, new money introduced in 2008, $80 million in enhanced tax credit, and also the community facility enhancement program at $39 million.

The Speaker: Hon. minister, there was a comment made. I heard an apology, but I think it’s very important to withdraw that comment as well.

Mr. Blackett: I withdraw that comment, sir.