The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, as I have said, some $200 million flowing into federal coffers that are already bulging under a $9.1 billion surplus. We get about $8 million out of this $200 million. I do the math, Mr. Speaker, and it just doesn't figure, especially as our Legislature struggles this year on how to pay our $20 million of our budgets for health, education, housing and other matters.

Mr. Speaker, we often hear criticism and outrage of how huge multinational corporations plunder the resources of developing nations. They get away with it by taking advantage of lax, uncoordinated and short-sighted governments. Is the NWT any different? Why are we allowing this to happen?

Mr. Speaker, our northern governments have got to pull together now more than ever, to put aside our differences

and pull together on the urgency for a deal to share our resources. The message we need to spread across Canada and especially in the halls of Parliament and the bureaucracies of Ottawa, is that Canada must choose finally to cast off the regressive mantel of colonialism toward the NWT.

---Applause

Ottawa must see that we are a genuine, vital and legitimate part of the Canadian federation. We are a player, a partner, and more than a source of cash, Mr. Speaker. We ask only to be treated fairly and equitably. It is time for the agreements on devolution and resource revenue sharing to be a reality for us and the aboriginal governments of this land. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I think about the Mackenzie Valley pipeline it raises a number of concerns for me; primary concerns such as what it will do to benefit northerners. We should be asking these questions for a long time. We had been, is the way I see it. At this time, I think we should know some of the answers before we break ground. Our return to the Mackenzie Valley pipeline for the Northwest Territories without a resource revenue sharing agreement is expected to be $900 million over the next 30 years compared to what the federal government's share is, which is almost $22 billion.

Mr. Speaker, this adds insult to injury. The federal government also seeks to reduce our grant for taking our small piece of the pie from the pipeline revenue. Mr. Speaker, this is raping and pillaging of the NWT and this needs to stop now.

Mr. Speaker, I want to make it clear, our milk is no longer free, so stop taking it, federal government.

---Applause

It's time to marry the cow into a real agreement.

---Laughter

Until the federal government gives the Northwest Territories our share of resource revenues, until they invest into our protected areas, the Northwest Territories isn't prepared to risk our beautiful environment to become what one environmental group called us, "America's gas tank."

The GNWT is investing so much money in the pipeline; we're opening new offices, we're hiring more people in the government, we're doing assessment after assessment without really knowing what our return on the investment is going to be. If we took all the money that we have invested in the pipeline strategy and we put it into early childhood education or a stronger arts program or something better yet, such as youth, we'd be seeing real tangible results, Mr. Speaker. Real results. Mr. Speaker, as I see it, we are racing to build a pipeline, but unfortunately there is no race for the Americas that compels us to head first into an early childhood education program and that's a real shame.

Mr. Speaker, I'm also concerned about the Alaskan pipeline, the way the United States Senate has passed legislation designed to jump start the construction of the pipeline down the Alaska Highway. This bill includes permitting approvals and loan guarantees worth nearly $18 billion U.S. Mr. Speaker, that's $22 billion Canadian and to make my point even clearer, America is subsidizing their pipeline 24 times the amount...

Mr. Hawkins, your time for your Member's statement has expired.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, may I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement? Thank you.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, honourable colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I'll say again, this bill includes permitting approvals and loan guarantees worth nearly $18 billion U.S. That's $22 billion Canadian, as I've said. To make that point, as I've stressed, clearly that's 24 times what the GNWT will get over our life of this project. Mr. Speaker, that does not make any fiscal sense. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT should be working with the Americas about buying off and sitting still for 20 years because we'd be much further ahead making a side deal than trying to charge into this in competition with them.

Mr. Speaker, if the Alaska pipeline goes first, what happens to all our time, money and efforts that we've invested over the last many years? What happens while we wait for the next 20 to 30 years? I think that may be a waste without any type of certainty.

Mr. Speaker, I do want to support this pipeline, I truly do, because I see tangible benefits. All our northern peoples can gain from this. But from where I'm sitting, it looks like this territory is carrying all the risk and this hasn't changed over the years. We need rock solid guarantees from our federal government that warrant our investment. We need a change of attitude from the federal government for us to truly get on board.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I look upon the United States as being a big giant, those Philistines of the Americas. Mr. Speaker, tell me our Premier is not our little David out there on the plains with an unloaded slingshot.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, we need something concrete, not guarantees and promises where we take an empty leap of faith. Mr. Speaker, our shepherds better have a pouch full

of concrete investment of smooth, solid rocks before we take on that giant. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was going to recognize the folks who are visiting with us here in the Northwest Territories from the CPAC channel that are interviewing a number of Members and Northerners to put together a documentary about us. Thank you and good luck.

---Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item, 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You already mentioned their names, but I would like to mention a fine constituent of mine who is Pat McMahon, a former mayor of this fine city of Yellowknife. In her fine company is Captain Tony Evans of the HMCS Yellowknife. I'd like to draw to the attention of all Members of this House that I'm wearing the Yellowknife ship's pin right on my chest here with pride. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize Walter Goose from Holman. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize the great goaltender from Deline, Danny Gaudet, and the community's good negotiator for self-government. Welcome, Danny.

---Applause

Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I'd like to welcome anyone in the gallery who may not have been mentioned. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to direct my questions today to the Premier of the Northwest Territories, the Honourable Joe Handley. Mr. Speaker, in following up on one of the statements of my colleagues on the subject of leadership, I have already, during this session, briefly touched on this subject with the Premier and asked him some questions. Mr. Speaker, I think this is a very timely discussion with respect to the pipeline. The Premier has heard many Members today refer to some of the frustrations that we feel with the response we have received over the years when dealing with the federal government about the northern agenda. I think this is a very timely matter and I would like to have the Premier, on the eve of his departure to Ottawa again to speak with the powers that be, again share with us why he thinks we, as Members and elected leaders in the Northwest Territories, should feel encouraged and why we should feel that the federal government does understand and hear our issues and has them, in fact, on their agenda. Thank you.