Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today, refreshed and revived after a short break in the Keewatin.
--- Applause
During the break I actually spent most of the time answering the phone and speaking with many of my constituents and, in fact, talking to other constituents across the Territories about a number of issues that concern them. One issue that arose time after time during these conversations was the uncertainty of people about the current financial situation of this government. People are unsure about what is happening. All they hear about from the government is that we are in a precarious financial situation.
I, too, am concerned, both as an MLA and as chairman of the standing committee on finance, in the way in which we are handling the current financial crunch. All we hear is the talk of down-sizing, postponing projects, and reducing the size of government. As a result, people are uncertain about what the future holds. Consumers are not spending and investors are not investing. The result is that our economy is being assaulted by the lack of confidence.
Mr. Speaker, I do not want to make light of the problems we are facing. They are important issues and they are troubling issues. However, I believe it is essential that the government also accentuates the positive; what we are going to do to reduce our deficit; how are we showing investors that the NWT is still a good place to invest; and what we are doing to ensure growth and stability in our economy. Or, as my good friend Jim Antoine said, what initiatives are we taking to develop our northern resource base.
--- Applause