Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I listened yesterday with interest to Mr. Handley's budget speech. There were some very encouraging words. I would like to take a minute to point out some of my concerns about the consistency of some of the GNWT programs that we are talking about rolling out.
We know the Minister is undergoing a review of BIP. He wants to look at levelling the playing field for northern business to make sure we are on competitive footing with southern business. I applaud him for this. We know that Alberta's tax rate is dropping to three percent, Ontario is going to four percent, and even British Columbia is currently at four-and-a-half percent. The Northwest Territories is currently sitting at five percent. This is no longer competitive. Clearly we have to do something for northern business.
On one hand, we are looking to do something about this, as the Minister indicates in the review of BIP. On the other hand, he is now talking about a toll on commercial trucking, which will increase the cost to northern businesses of doing business in the North. Certainly some of that will be passed on to the consumers, but there are situations where businesses cannot simply pass the costs on and will be forced to eat them.
When we look at programs targeted to help the general public deal with the high cost of heating their homes, we have announced that we will be rebating some money to these people to offset the cost of fuel. That is a great idea, Mr. Speaker, but on the other hand, the tolls we are talking about implementing on commercial trucking will increase the cost of heating our homes in the North. I certainly hope the tax credit will more than offset this increase.
I am sensitive about not being too critical. Certainly we want to see highway upgrades. The only point I would like to make, Mr. Speaker, is that we are going to need to see detail before endorsing these programs.
We have been talking in this House for over a year now about...Mr. Miltenberger in fact mentioned yesterday that he has been talking for five years about the chip seal on Highway No. 5. I think we all realize that we need to see our highway infrastructure upgraded.
I think if you were to tell me that we are going to upgrade our highways but the Minister is going to come and knock on our door cap in hand and tell our families to cobble together $5,000 each to pave our roads, and say to the son who shows up at the door, "Run to the couch and check in between the cushions, because I think your dad lost some loose change in there and we are going to use that to pave these roads." I do not think many of our constituents would find this acceptable.
It is important that we look at upgrading our infrastructure, but it will be equally important how we do it. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.