Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk today about my priorities for the coming weeks. I hope this will be of benefit to my colleagues and my constituents, the people of Yellowknife Centre.

Let me begin by saying that we live in a time of change. Our task here is to help our communities manage the changes that will come from government cut-backs, division, and community empowerment. Given the situation, I am very concerned about the future of Yellowknife. Yellowknife is generally regarded as a have community. That means it is a ripe target for cuts. Many will be necessary and we must accept our share. However, I fear this government's agenda for change may dictate that my constituents shoulder a sustained burden over a longer period than any other community.

Yellowknife faces cuts after all on three fronts, not just from the deficit, but also from the devolution of power to local governments, and from division which will hit very hard over the next three years. I fear that no other community will see such reductions in the level of government during the countdown to 1999 and beyond, and government whether we like it or not is a fundamental component of every local economy in the North.

Mr. Speaker, let me clarify my position here. I support the need to balance our budget. I support the devolution of power to the communities, I support division of the Northwest Territories and the creation of Nunavut. However, I am going to be cautious about measures that hurt my constituency. Community empowerment, for example, is a measure that, to me, is not yet well thought out. It takes jobs out of Yellowknife, potentially, without guaranteeing benefits to other communities. I do not think it meets our goal of devolution, I will speak to this and other issues and policies as the session continues.

For now, let me conclude with this thought, our job is to ensure that the changes we make here benefit all northerners, the includes the people of Yellowknife. My job is to make sure Yellowknifers are not forgotten or taken for granted in this difficult period. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.