Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Minister is well aware of my stand on tax initiatives. Being a new Member and only being here for six months, I don't think I have been given the opportunity, and I mentioned it during committee, that going through the draft main estimates, for all intents and purposes, was a waste of time. I don't think this government in six moths has made any clear indication to me that it's intent on cutting spending. I think that's the crux of our problem, Mr. Chairman, is our spending habits. I certainly am looking forward to the business planning process and going through that process with the Minister to try to identify some areas that I do believe this organization, the Government of the Northwest Territories, can indeed cut some spending and not have to dip into the pockets of its citizens, whether they are the high income earners or not. It costs enough to live in the Northwest Territories. I don't care what income tax bracket you are in; if you increase the cost of living here, we are going to have trouble attracting nurses, doctors, highly-skilled labour and the list goes on, Mr. Chairman. That causes me a great deal of concern.

The tax initiative looks like Robin Hood, much like the New Democratic Party platform here in the federal election, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. It smacks of that. It's not something that I think is worthwhile doing. It just shouldn't be allowed to happen. I am going to voice my opposition to this happening. I was opposed to the other tax initiatives when they were introduced at the beginning of the year. Every time folks looked around, the government is trying to dip into people's pockets. To me, it's just the wrong thing to do and I don't understand why this government doesn't take a long, hard look and start looking at some of the sacred cows that are out there, like the size of our civil service. Mr. Chairman, every time I look around there are new positions sprouting up like mushrooms in every department in the government. You look at the newspaper on Monday, there are positions being filled left, right and centre and it has been allowed to grow unchecked, Mr. Chairman. That causes me a great deal of concern. I think we have to look at our own organization and streamline what we are doing as a government.

Another Member mentioned during a committee meeting that in 1999 the Government of the Northwest Territories, prior to division, had 3,300 employees and today we have 4,400 and we have half the territory. The budget in 1999, prior to division, was $1 billion. Today, five years later, it's $1 billion. To me, that smacks of overspending, Mr. Chairman. Like I said, I am opposed to this tax initiative. I think it's definitely the wrong thing to do and until we can take a good, hard look in the mirror and make some tough decisions on the size of our workforce and other sacred cows out there, the boards and agencies, and I know there has been some work in that regard, but to me it's just not the right thing to do no matter who has to pay it. You can sugar coat it all you want. It's the rich who are going to be paying more taxes. It doesn't matter to me, Mr. Chairman, who pays more taxes. The fact of the matter is that people that live in the Northwest Territories are paying more in taxes and that is the bottom line. This government is going into their pocket yet again without having the decency to look into their own organization first and that bothers me, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.