Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is an address in response to our Finance Minister's budget address. There may be other Members, too, who would be interested in what I have to say.

Mr. Speaker, when times are tough, it is not easy to be a Finance Minister. Since we depend on the Government of Canada for 72 per cent of our budget, any dilution of federal contributions really hurts us. We have had four successive years of deficit budgets. This is a reflection of unforeseeable expenditures, but mostly because of federal refusal to meet its commitments and also because of additional cutbacks.

Yesterday, Mr. Speaker, I would like to report to you, a second person contacted me to join the lobby for a spring election. Members will recall that on Monday I had indicated the public was suspicious about rumblings for a spring election. People like to have very good, solid reasons for the things we do here. Well, Mr. Speaker, a very well-known Fort Smith consultant supplied me yesterday, with a good, solid reason people seem to be searching for. He indicated that four successive annual deficit budgets should be a good enough reason for a vote of non-confidence in this government.

Mr. Speaker, I have been a big supporter of balanced budgets. During the 11th Assembly, on a few occasions, I did compliment the then-Minister of Finance, Mr. Ballantyne. It was to compliment him on keeping under control some of the trigger-happy Members of the Cabinet who wanted to borrow a few hundred dollars to build needed infrastructure. There are some Members here who will recall that. So he must be blushing that today, at least, I compliment him for keeping that expenditure under control while he was the Minister of Finance.

The pressure was resisted, Mr. Speaker, and we now have a fiscal position as a government which, although it proposes a small deficit, most provinces would envy the position we find ourselves in. Our deficit is not the horror show some would like to make it out to be. Some Members are now waiting until next week to see whether Mr. Martin's budget will have a major impact on us, before they reply to the budget address. Members should be aware that for this budget we have before us, there is an agreement for the next fiscal year that there are no changes in our formula funding agreement.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say, unconditionally, that I have confidence in the Minister of Finance. He has done a very good job in very difficult times and I fully support him and his efforts in managing our fiscal affairs.

One of the problems in our system is that it is very difficult to construct a budget that can be anything more than a survival budget. Restraint -- and the document is very clear on this -- is the main fiscal objective. Nevertheless, there are signs of shaping our priorities under the envelope system. The emphasis on developing our human resources is very welcome because without this major economic development, we really remain an empty promise, we really need a well-trained workforce in order to take advantage of our economic potential.

Protection of our health and social network is also an objective in this budget, although I know Members would like to see it expanded.

One aspect that I find inconsistent, however, is the clear message that we must be prepared to be more self-reliant. Yet this budget contains several measures that will curtail, rather than advance, our economic development. It is no good to say that it was the envelope committee that made me do it. If we are truly to become more self-reliant, the economy needs a boost and not a kick in the pants, Mr. Speaker. We all know that these various fees that are being levied and proposed or increased are really hidden taxes. And the Minister can expect some debate on this particular aspect of his budget.

I have one more final appeal to make to this government, Mr. Speaker; and Mr. Ballantyne and others have all ready referred to it. Without some kind of northern agreement, a northern accord or mineral agreement, the north is doomed. I am not just talking about this government, I am talking about all northerners. Whatever level of government we are talking about, we are doomed; simply because unless we get some way of which we can generate our own wealth, we are going to be squeezing water out of the same stones. Unless we can get more to do to create more wealth, we are going to be stuck where we are and we are going to die the death of a thousand cuts.

As other Members have pointed out, Confederation is continually changing. Provinces will control more and more of their own destinies. I don't believe, however, that Quebec will separate. In fact, I'm confident of it. But the demands of Quebec will be altered by other provinces, as well, and will be echoed throughout the country as each province wants to have the same. This will directly affect the role of the federal government.

We've already felt the effect of federal cutbacks. We can't expect them to continue, over the next few years, to provide us with the kinds of services that we have automatically come to expect, as we were still under the wardship or the guardianship of the federal government.

In my opinion, Mr. Speaker, it would pay all northerners to urge Mr. Todd -- because he's a key player in this -- to get this accord signed this summer. I know that many people are afraid of it or are concerned about it, but there are many other groups that are afraid of whatever motives there may be and whether they are good or bad. But the overall motive should be to provide some kind of protection for all northerners so we're not stuck as a have-not with no potential to grow and no potential to reduce our reliance on the federal government.

That's why we need this summer, Mr. Speaker, it's absolutely essential. We need this summer for Mr. Todd and his colleagues, where they don't have the continual pressure all the time to do this and to do that, to set some priorities to get us in good shape so as we go into the next fiscal year, in 1996, we know that at least we have some degree of certainty about where our future is going to lie.