Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the NWT travel budget. Mr. Speaker, to the untrained eye, the travel budget for the Government of the Northwest Territories is quite scary. My concern is, as I see it, that there truly is no official policy or accountability with numbers being nailed down. All of these numbers are dug out from historical numbers and given to us as prospective numbers for the future. The budget for 2002-2003 actuals totalled $22.5 million. That seems so large. It could almost be a department on its own.

Mr. Speaker, I observe that this travel budget truly is difficult for even a guy like myself to nail down and truly get a good grip when they say we have 25 percent reduction across the board. The way it's designed, Mr. Speaker, seems that if there is money left over, that could potentially be travel money. I think that causes concern to all Members here.

Later today, Mr. Speaker, I will be directing my questions to the appropriate minister and asking if they will be willing to bring the total global travel budget under the control of their ministry. Mr. Speaker, I would like to see that Minister take control, lead by example, grab the travel budget, organize it under that department, define clear policies, and demonstrate clear accountability of management on this valuable resource of the Government of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause