Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development released a revised business incentive policy on August 15, 2003, and announced that it would take effect October 15, 2003;

AND WHEREAS Members have, on a number of occasions, advised the Minister of several concerns with the existing policy which are not addressed by the revised policy;

AND WHEREAS Members have repeatedly advised the Minister of their concerns with the revised policy which also have not been addressed;

AND WHEREAS members of the Northwest Territories business community have voiced concerns about the revised policy;

AND WHEREAS the agreement on internal trade grandfathers the existing policy and it is not certain that the revised policy will also be permitted under the agreement as a successor program, having similar objectives;

AND WHEREAS the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight has requested the implementation of the revised policy be delayed until the Minister has provided a cost-benefit analysis of the existing policy substantiating the need for revisions;

AND WHEREAS the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight has recommended that the existing policy could be properly re-evaluated in one year once a cost-benefit analysis has been completed;

AND WHEREAS the government has failed to provide Members with a cost-benefit analysis of the existing policy;

AND WHEREAS the Minister stated in the House on February 1, 2003, that the decision at that time was that the proposed changes would not proceed and that "we could probably leave this for the time being and introduce a registry to gauge what the costs are to have this policy in place;"

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, that the Executive Council rescind the revised business incentive policy;

FURTHER that the Executive Council not introduce any further changes to the existing policy until it has provided at least one year of data substantiating the need for an intended effect of those changes;

AND FURTHERMORE recommends that the Executive Council of the 15th Legislative Assembly not consider any changes to the policy until this data is collected and reviewed in a substantive manner. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.