Mr. Speaker, if we want to ensure a prosperous future for the Northwest Territories, if we want to create a climate of growth and development, if we want to leave our children a legacy of fulfilling and meaningful work, we need to make investments in our economy now.

It is not a question of deciding what our path should be. We have spent the past year mapping our route. We know the path we need to take.

• • In June last year, we received the report of the Economic Strategy Panel -- Common Ground -- which gave us a long-term, comprehensive economic strategy. Common Ground was the work of 17 Northerners from all regions of the Northwest Territories who represented aboriginal organizations, business, industry, and environmental and social organizations. The recommendations in the report reflect a wide variety of interests and provide a balanced approach to moving the Northwest Territories economy toward self-sufficiency;
• • Building on Common Ground, the Government of the Northwest Territories' Non-Renewable Resource Development Strategy provides a short-term road map identifying the investments needed to maximize the benefits of northern development for both Northerners and Canada, and identifies the federal commitment needed to achieve these benefits. The greater the federal investment in the strategy, the more we can do and the sooner we can do it; and
• • In November, we received the Report on Electrical Power Generation, Distribution and Regulation that outlines the exciting opportunities for hydro power generation in the Northwest Territories.

We know what needs to be done. We intend to do what is achievable with the resources available to us. In December, I released Securing Our Future, the government's comprehensive response to Common Ground. This budget responds to many of the issues raised in the Economic Strategy Panel's report. Many of the action items contained in the government's response require a collaborative approach with the federal and aboriginal governments. We will continue to look to the federal government to fund its share of the investments needed in the North today.

Let me now turn to what we plan to do this year in this area.