I think a number of people have what I call the "pre-vote jitters." We have to remember that this has been going on for a long period of time, and there have been intense discussions at the community level and ongoing debate over the last 10 or 15 years. The fact of the matter is the Nunavut government will bring central government closer to people, in my opinion. I would suggest to my good friend from the Kitikmeot if he is content with the way the civil service is handled in the Kitikmeot, in Yellowknife over the last 10 years, then he would be more content if it was handled by a Nunavut government that understands the aspirations, understands the feelings of the people, and, I hope, cares about the level of service that his community and his riding requires.

To me, what we are doing with the plebiscite and the ultimate change in government to the Nunavut government is that we are bringing government closer to the people. We are going to ensure that there is a fair distribution of the dollars. There is not going to be -- I hope there is not going to be -- $700 million controlled by a small group of people, as it is currently done in the O and M budget, out of Yellowknife. We have a unique opportunity to change the style of government and make it more accountable and more responsible. And I think we equally have a unique opportunity to ensure that a maximum number of Northerners are involved in the system.

As far as I am concerned, the current way in which government is run, really, no matter how well-intentioned some people are and there are a lot of people who are well-intentioned there is no comprehension by the bureaucracy, or little comprehension by the bureaucracy, of the problems and issues that affect the communities outside of the centre. I have fought this argument for 20 years. I will continue to fight it.

I hope that people will vote "Yes" to the boundary, because it will bring about government with more accountability and a better and fairer distribution of the dollars. Let me remind everybody, over 30 per cent of the O and M budget is currently being spent on civil servant salaries and benefits -- $300 million plus. And let me remind everybody that it is the majority of civil servants who are reaping the benefits of this, Rightly so, they do not sit in Whale Cove, do not sit in Chesterfield Inlet, do not sit in Grise Fiord; they sit here. In my simple world, we can only improve the situation by supporting the plebiscite, provided -- and I have said on a number of occasions -- that in the final analysis there are adequate financial resources to do the job. And that is not to take away from anybody else, as has been suggested. It is clear that when we vote "Yes," as I am confident we will, that

everybody recognizes there will be a requirement for financial resources above and beyond the current financing that is in place. Nobody wants to take away anything. What we want is a more equitable distribution of the resources and to bring government closer to the people and, as my friend Al Woodhouse says in the Navigator Inn, "The crew that cares." You need a caring government, a caring bureaucracy and an understanding one. One that understands the issues in the Eastern Arctic, that understands what it is like to live in Bay Chimo and Grise Fiord and Whale Cove. Half the people here do not even know where the hell these places are - excuse me.

So I would hope, despite some of our apprehensions, that people would get out and vote overwhelmingly for the boundary issue. Thank you.