Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before I start my Member's statement I would like to send greetings to my wife and children back home in Inuvik. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I had to do that because I was being pressured by the rest of my colleagues. In reality though, I do miss my family. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring up the same concern as my colleague from Thebacha. Mr. Speaker, as a government, we set our direction and policy which puts that direction into action. If we cannot follow our own policies, then what message are we sending the people of the territories?

If we are going to say we are going to stand up for something or we put something forward in a certain direction, then we should stick to it. You talk about the respect we like to see in this forum. If we set things into action and we say things and put them down on paper and say this is the direction the government shall take, and in our actions we turn around and turn against those, what message are we sending the people? They sent us here to lead the territories and do a good job for them. They trust in us to make the best decision. Well Mr. Speaker, I fear as many people in Inuvik fear, that the government says one thing, while good intentions are meant, the final outcome is far from what was said.

I think we need to address this in some of the work that is going on, on behalf of the government. Mr. Speaker, we have heard in this House Mr. Todd say that the government can no longer be the engine of the economy. That is true. We say we need to get private businesses to take a more active role in the economy. We say that but on the other hand, the government is directing things the other way.

Where private companies have spent a lot of money, their own money in communities, employing people in the smaller communities, they seem to be being turned against by this government or those that contract for this government. I think it is time to put our words into action. If we are going to say something and put it on paper, let us stick to it and prove to the people of the territories that we are responsible. Thank you.