Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, all of the communities we visited during our pre-budget tour, every one of them, and it probably applies to all 33 communities, have a real concern with the high cost of living in their communities. We listened as they spoke of the high cost of food, fuel, power and travel. Even the ability to harvest food off the land has become very expensive.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to stand up here and say that this government should be doing more, but, after listening to a presentation and hearing that this government spends $128 million on subsidies, 10 percent of our budget, I really don't have the right to stand up here and say that. I think what we need to do, Mr. Speaker, is start coming up with ideas. People have talked about the high cost of living for a long time. I think it is time to stop talking and start trying to do something about it.

The single biggest factor, I believe, to the high cost of living across the Northwest Territories, because we are so vast, is the high cost of fuel. It affects everything that happens in the Northwest Territories. With all of the resources that we have, Mr. Speaker, we should be able to refine some of our own fuel, and that may have a trickledown effect and bring the cost of living down across the NWT. Hopefully having a Mackenzie valley highway might help with the high cost of freight also.

Mr. Speaker, we have a lot of wealth in our territory, and it is time we start using some of that wealth and benefit some of our people and not just industry. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause