Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our financial game plan of eliminating the deficit is working. We are completing downsizing of government. We have reduced the capital budget by $50,000,000. We have reduced the PYs this year, or are proposing to reduce them, by about 400 PYs and last year by 400 PYs. Our deficit elimination plan is a success, but we are also creating a northern slump with that process, something never experienced in the history of the government of the north.

While balancing the books is necessary, it is time to move forward, to create a solid future. One of the ways to deal with the social malaise we have here in the north and the fiscal problems, is to induce more jobs and growth. Northerners want jobs; jobs with a future. We need the government to provide a job strategy, a plan of action that involves the resources and energy of every government department and it should involve the partnership with industry, government and business, working together.

Meaningful job opportunities do not just happen. They are created as a result of initiative, and that is what the government is here for, to take that initiative. Two initiatives come to mind: youth employment and infrastructure building.

Last year, I spoke about the need for a youth employment program. Young people face a real challenge here in the north. More than half under the age of 24 are unemployed. We need to increase the number of jobs for summer students.

We need to create hope and opportunity for young people. It should be high on our priority list. We need a strategy to place those who graduate from our colleges and schools and universities. With regard to infrastructure building, this is an area that is an excellent example of job creation. One solution is to form partnerships with the private sector to raise large sums of capital that can be used to build infrastructure and thus create work.