Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and welcome back. Mr. Speaker, over the past several months this...

---Applause.

Thank you fans. Over the past several months, since the October election, the 13th Assembly has been preoccupied with the deficit and cut-backs, but many other important areas affecting the residents of the NWT should also be discussed and debated.

Mr. Speaker, in my community of Iqaluit, we are short approximately 70 housing units. Even though we are named the new capital of Nunavut, we still have a very high unemployment rate. Mr. Speaker, the citizens of the Northwest Territories want to see the 13th Assembly to begin to debate these issues have put forward solutions to grave and other concerns of residents.

Yes, the deficit is important. But our residents need to know that this Assembly is also working at improving other areas of our well-being.

The knock on this government is that we have discussed and made most decisions behind closed doors. Mr. Speaker, we have to demonstrate our openness to discussion, by having more debate in the House, and more public discussion. The Premier opened the 13th Assembly by saying that no other government of the NWT faced the challenges of the 13th Assembly, division, a looming deficit, and high unemployment. Mr. Morin was correct. The challenges are there. But by providing open government with open public debate within the framework of the Legislative Assembly, our constituents will at least see the government working to correct these problems. We have to rise above the rhetoric, and begin to develop strategies, and plans that will bring us to division, and place both Nunavut and the new western Territory on firmer ground.

Mr. Speaker, at all levels of government, there is leakage of what programs are going to be cut, downsized, or the departments amalgamated. By being more open on these issues, public concern can be addressed before the usual doom and gloom stories, and worst case scenarios and half truths are circulated.

Mr. Speaker, when will the government table a job creation plan? When will we debate and give direction on our housing shortage? Over the next few days, I will be questioning the ministers responsible for these issues, and hopefully raise these concerns in the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.