Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At the invitation of the Minister of Finance, I had the opportunity to join Mr. Handley May 22nd and 23rd to visit Ottawa to pitch for the GNWT Strategic Infrastructure Proposal.

Sometimes we wonder about the value of Ministers traipsing off to Ottawa, but the reality is that, along with all other jurisdictions in Canada, we have to get ourselves in line to compete for federal finance dollars. We are handicapped here in the NWT with our small population and we are a bit of a question mark with the power elite and mandarins of Ottawa.

How we can get their attention though, Mr. Speaker, is to highlight the impact on the national economy of what we have going on here in the NWT. How does northern development affect the constituents and the economies in Alberta and Ontario? The major objective of the meetings that we had was to brief federal Ministers on this infrastructure proposal. It is a $240 million plan to advance the Mackenzie River bridge, to build better ice roads into the Mackenzie Valley and into the diamond corridor.

The message that we took to Ottawa, among other things, was that over 20 years, the work going on here in the NWT could contribute $65 billion to the country's gross domestic product. It could create 270,000 person years of employment and add $17 billion in royalties and taxes.

We met with seven Cabinet Ministers and the chair of the Liberal Caucus Economic Development Committee, Mr. Tony Valeri, and Eddie Goldenberg, the senior policy advisor to the Prime Minister.

Mr. Speaker, we need to work continuously to raise our profile in Ottawa and keep our agenda alive. We need to illustrate the benefits of our development for the rest of Canada and there needs to be a consistent message and a common agenda pursued by this government. Today and tomorrow, we know that the Premier and our colleagues, Mr. Dent and Mr. Krutko, are in Ottawa to help deliver that message to other Ministers. We need to stay on that federal radar screen and I encourage the Premier and the Ministers to continue their visits and to continue taking Regular Members along. It is one of the strengths of consensus government and it needs the backing of all the governments and leaders in this tremendously exciting time here in the NWT.

I look forward, Mr. Speaker, to the word that will come along, I am sure, that we will be seeing that $133 million from Ottawa that will make such a difference to Canada. Happy birthday.

-- Applause