Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the finance Minister in his Budget Address tells us that we must slow down capital investment, and that total capital investment expenditures are expected to decrease 48 percent from $143 million in 2002-2003 to $74 million in 2003-2004. Mr. Speaker, we know that this is not enough to meet all the needs of the Northwest Territories. We know that much of our infrastructure is aging. Although the economy is booming in some places, we do not get the full benefit of corporate taxes or royalties that are being generated. Without this additional money, we cannot replace or build new needed facilities. The business community recognizes the problem and has been very supportive in lobbying the federal government to invest more money in the Northwest Territories. In the meantime, Mr. Speaker, I think that we have to be realistic about our expectations for capital spending. Most of the capital budget is eaten up in the maintenance and upkeep in existing facilities, roads, water and sewer, et cetera. This leaves very little money left over for new projects. Mr. Speaker, in an effort to better manage what little money is available for discretionary spending, the government has introduced a new system that attempts to assign priority to community needs and I applaud the government for trying to make the best use of what is available. However, Mr. Speaker, perhaps the government could do a better job of explaining this new scheme.
When the special committee met with people in the communities across the North, they heard that the ranking criteria used in the capital planning process have not been adequately explained, that projected O and M costs are not adequately documented and that there is no systematic consideration of location options for regional and territorial facilities. Mr. Speaker, the residents of the Northwest Territories have expectations that this government will build and maintain roads, health centres, and recreational facilities in each community. Because the process used to identify and rate projects is not well understood, we may be raising public expectations unrealistically. Mr. Speaker, the capital budget is not nearly enough to replace the aging infrastructure or to meet the demands of population growth and program demands. In fact, it is barely enough to maintain what is already in place. This makes it even more important that the government be very open and transparent about the choices that are made for new spending. Community expectations have been raised when they have been consulted and when they have identified their priorities. This government should be prepared to explain how they made the choice of which project to support and which ones to drop. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause