Merci. When you are talking about salaries and benefits for MLAs or politicians, generally, it hits a raw nerve. Before I get into my own feelings about this particular bill, I want to put a few things on the record to put this into some perspective. One is what we have heard and will hear is comparisons between the salaries of MLAs and Ministers in the Northwest Territories with those in southern jurisdictions. But I want to make three observations about that specifically.
One is you are not comparing apples and apples. The salaries have to be discounted by the cost of living in the north, which is probably 25 to 50 per cent compared to southern jurisdictions. That is the first point people should keep in mind. The second point is we are the only jurisdiction, or one of the very few jurisdictions, that doesn't have a big tax-free component to our salaries. In other jurisdictions, they range from $15,000 to close to $30,000. The third criticism I have heard, and I have heard this in Yellowknife, is we are really not as serious a jurisdiction as others. Having been involved in this jurisdiction for many years, I don't buy that. The actual complexity of being a Legislative Assembly Member, Minister or Premier in the Northwest Territories exceeds, if it is not equal to, any other jurisdiction in the country.