Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, almost three years ago when we took office, one of the first hard and necessary tasks we had to do was to balance the budget and instituted a deficit measures act to which everybody had to contribute, including our employees, with their wages and benefits rolled back. It is now half way into the fiscal year and our last year in office, and while the excluded members of our civil service and Hay Plan people have been able to realize some of the benefit of their hard work now that the budget is balanced and we see a surplus projected, unfortunately the vast majority of our employees sit empty handed with their deficit and reduced wages. Still the only wages that they get with no recognition for their contribution that they put into this balancing of the budget. There are tens of millions of dollars on the table waiting to go into the pockets of the people who worked long and hard for this government and continue to do that.
It is my sincere hope that they will be able to soon see that money in their pay cheques and they will put that back into the economy of the north and their communities and they should benefit as soon as possible for all the hard work and hardship they had to put up with as part of their contribution to balancing the budget. So I would strongly encourage both parties to not forget and loose sight of the fact that the people we represent are the people in the communities. This should not be a high level political issue. It should not be driven from Ottawa. It has to get resolved. One of the key seasons of the year, Christmas time is coming, gifts for our young ones and children all sorts of important issues. Mr. Speaker, my position on this is let the people have a vote on this and let us get the money into the pockets of the people who have worked hard and have earned every penny of it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
--Applause