Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we go about our jobs as politicians and get involved in the heady affairs tied into nation building and dividing of two territories, I would just like to list off some very grim reminders to people about other issues that we have to keep in mind. Our birth rate is about two and a half times the national average. In the last nine years, there has been a 31 percent increase in school enrolments. In the last nine years, student financial assistance requests have tripled. Social assistance cases have doubled in the last nine years. Violent crimes have increased by 45 percent in the last nine years. This is five or six times the national average, Mr. Speaker. The correctional centre admissions have seen a 34 percent increase in the last nine years. Last year, we had 22 suicides which, on a per capita basis, puts us far above the national average. Housing needs show 3,584 households in core need as a result of the last survey. Our average population, 33 percent of our population that is under the age of 15.

Mr. Speaker, all these rocketing upward trends in terms of social needs and social pressures are occurring at the same time as we have seen a very flat line or a decrease in government expenditures and revenues. As we go about our business and look at our budgets and where we are going, this has been brought up before, but we have to keep in mind that at some point if we do not address what is driving our costs as a government, we are doomed to a never ending downward slide trying to deal with social problems that we do not have the money to deal with. I ask that we all keep this in mind as we go about doing this budget and look towards 1999. There are some things that cannot be ignored much longer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause