Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our fiscal situation impacts how we look at our economic potential. Mr. Speaker, the role of government in this area plays a large role of how the economic potential will be developed.
I know many organizations outside of this government would rather have us play a lesser role. They want to see us move forward, and not tie it up with red tape. There is a need to be proactive in this area, Mr. Speaker. We have to take positive action that results in accomplishments.
It has been said time and time again how government has so much red tape. Have we done anything to clear it up? We have billions of dollars ready to be spent in the Northwest Territories if we can become proactive and move forward on the potential we have sitting in the ground. How are we going to do that?
It takes dollars to be involved. The longer we hold back and not develop on these processes, we will find ourselves in a more difficult position when it comes to developing our own potential.
We know there is talk of an intergovernmental forum, which I think is the right avenue to take. But we need to get on with the process. We need to get to the table and talk out the discussions. I note what Premier Kakfwi has stated on a number of occasions, in the previous Assembly as well as early on in this one; maybe it is time to lock ourselves behind closed doors for two or three days and hammer out a deal.
We know the aboriginal groups are being proactive. They have come out and made motions in the area of sustainable development. We are starting down that process. We need to get a move on it so we can truly find new dollars to put towards effective programs in the Northwest Territories, not just try to move around our ever-shrinking dollar. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
-- Applause