Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess I will start my comments with stating that I guess my definition of real money is a bit different than the Premier's definition of real money. To me, $120,000, whether you are in a surplus or not, is $120,000. The reason that I am moving this motion today is I think we have to send a clear message that taxpayers aren't going to accept the way some of these deals are brokered. They are not going to take the favouritism and the political friends of certain people. There are those types of things that the taxpayer, the guy on the street, is just not going to accept, Madam Chair, and that's why I am moving this motion. I think there are other lending agencies in place. We have two lending agencies in our own government, there are the banks. I don't understand some of the comments that the Premier mentioned. We have a loan guarantee with one of the top five diamond polishing and cutting organizations in the world. For the life of me I don't understand that. There are other ways to do this and I think at the end of the day, we have to protect the taxpayer, we have to protect the public person, that is what this motion is set out to do. I am not sitting here saying we don't want big business, we don't want economic development, we do want that but we want it to be upfront and we don't want it to happen by other means or in back rooms or whatever the case is. I think this motion was set to make a point, and to make a clear point to the government, to the Cabinet, and also to the people out on the street that don't have a voice in this Assembly. They have a voice through us and that is what this is for. We will put it forward and I don't know what is going to happen with it, it will probably get defeated, but, hey, at least we tried and at least we are making the point that we are keeping an eye on the way that this government is operating. It has to be transparent, it has to be accountable to the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Madam Chair.
David Ramsay on Committee Motion 3-15(3): To Delete $120,000 From The Financial Management Board Secretariat Budgeting And Evaluation Re Foregone Interest, Defeated
In the Legislative Assembly on March 22nd, 2004. See this statement in context.
Committee Motion 3-15(3): To Delete $120,000 From The Financial Management Board Secretariat Budgeting And Evaluation Re Foregone Interest, Defeated
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
March 22nd, 2004
Page 147
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