Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government is committed to working with the Members of the Legislature to set priorities. We have agreed we will try to meet to define the priorities that all Members are willing to support some time in March. Based on that, the government will start to plan where the budget priorities will be when we present it in June. We have indicated to the aboriginal leaders at our meetings yesterday that we are prepared to do that with them as well.

Most importantly, we have indicated this government is not in a position to prepare adequately for the recognition, the negotiation and the implementation of self government agreements and institutions without additional resources being made available. We believe aboriginal governments are not in a position to negotiate the implementation and the recognition of aboriginal governments without some injection of dollars, without some sense they will have dollars coming to them so they can set up their institutions and their governments.

Aboriginal people, aboriginal governments, this government and Northern people in general need a new source of additional revenues, so we can prepare our government, our people and our communities for the developments we are indicating we want to initiate.

The Member is highlighting some of the priorities that the communities and regions are indicating. Some communities need airports, roads, and training dollars for their people. They need additional money for education. Even impacted communities like Rae, where there has been a large number of jobs created through their deals with BHP Incorporated, they also recognize the social impact is there. They need additional resources to deal with the social impact of development that is currently being felt.

We understand we need to prepare and we need to get resources for our people and our governments. This has been the message we are sending, assuring the aboriginal leaders that we met with yesterday. Thank you.