Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement today is in regard to the spending of this government and also previous governments, keeping in mind the deficit in which we found ourselves. We have taken drastic measures to recoup and finally get out of. It has taken a lot of tough decisions and a lot of cuts, especially in the smaller communities, in the delivery of programs and services. I think we have to keep in mind how we ended up in that situation, especially in light of expenditures of the previous governments and the deficit which we came into this government.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in regard to a question that has been on my mind and questions that I have raised in this House in regard to expenditures of the government in putting ourselves in a position of making long-term commitments and not having the adequate resources in the future to pay for these commitments. I speak, Mr. Speaker, in regard to the regional superintendents having the ability to sign long-term agreements in way of leases and also with regard to how these lease arrangements are made. Yesterday, we heard from the Minister, he made a comment that the regional superintendent made a verbal agreement in August, that a letter of understanding was signed in August and the lease was in place in September. That is fast work in regard to how an individual was able to acquire a written lease within two months, with this government with no review whatsoever on the expenditure of this government and the long-term financial commitments we are making for the new governments in the west and the east after division.
Mr. Speaker, I believe, we have a Financial Administration Act which was supposed to control those types of expenditures and a regime put in place to ensure that adequate spending is done so we do not find ourselves back in the situation we were when we got here in regard to the deficit. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
--Applause