Mr. Dent.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Dent.

Oral questions. Mr. Enuaraq.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to direct this question to the Minister of MACA, Honourable Manitok Thompson. I stated earlier today in the Legislative Assembly the Clyde River local government have made a report starting from 1982 on, for the consideration of the Minister. Have they reviewed this report we presented to the government? Thank you. (Translation ends)

Ms. Thompson.

The question is taken as noticed. Oral questions. Mrs. Groenewegen.

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe that, and in checking, that when I made that comment I believe that I sent the terms of reference and the proposal to everybody but I will check with my deputy this afternoon. If I

can table it I will, if not I will provide it under confidential cover to the Members. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in developing this strategy, which I see partly as a technical one, but primarily as political. It was determined by myself that we would use some internal people to help us with gathering some of the substantiation necessary to argue the case, for what we are trying to do I felt at the same time, it required some external expertise to re-evaluate if, in fact, and if you want a self-examination of some of the programs that we are doing. Some of that expertise is not only just north, I already indicated I am also working with Mr. Mike Robinson and others in Ottawa.

It was sort of my intention at the time, as it is now, to put a collaborated effort together both internally and externally to put this new investment north proposal forward to the federal government. Maybe, Mr. Speaker, what I should have done is outlined in a Minister's statement where we were going earlier in the House. I simply did not. I will try to do that tomorrow and try to outline why, who and the reasons for what we are doing.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, let me start off by saying that I have said the same thing consistently over the last three or four months while I am out there campaigning and trying to sell this new economic fiscal relationship to the federal government. We want nothing different than Mr. Tobin wants in Newfoundland because of Voisey Bay. Let me say that first of all, we do not want anything different than Mr. Klein has in Alberta with respect to the tar sands. What we are trying to do here is develop the case to show that we can be less dependent if we are allowed into the tax window. The tax window is only one part of it, but it is a critical part.

I want to say again if you look five years out, in terms of where your revenues are going to come from based upon the studies we have done, it ends up being flat. We have to look for where we are going to get the new revenues. You cannot tax the syntaxes anymore than they are already taxed, you cannot personal income tax due to the cost of living in this country. Corporate tax, as I have said many times, is somewhere between 75 and 80 percent and four corporate clients in the NWT pay that.

We need to find a new method and new means in which to generate new revenues and that is what this initiative is all about. Certainly, we are going to need to ensure that there is some part of the northern constituency, including this House, is behind the objective that we are trying to achieve. That is not going to be an easy task. It was a difficult one for me in my previous life and it will be an equally difficult one in the one I am in right now, but I am not about not to do anything. I have a responsibility and obligation before I leave office to ensure that there is some fiscal well-being both east and west and that is what I intend to do before March 31st.

Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.