Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to use my Member's statement today to speak on parts of the budget that I heard Minister Roland present before us. I am pleased to see that there is more money going into student support. I think that is a good move that we have to continue to encourage our students, especially with the students that are going to school up North as opposed to going to school down South where there is a different cost of living. That is a good move and, hopefully, a lot of that money comes to the students that are going to school up here.

I am pleased to see the money going into the Language and Cultural Instructor Program. I think that is also another good move. The money for hiring apprentices, I think, with all the opportunity that is coming down, it is good to see more money going into hiring apprentices so they can be used on the pipeline when that goes ahead. I am always pleased to see money going into fur harvesters, people that continue to try and live a traditional lifestyle. I have always been a big supporter of that.

If you look at a map of the Northwest Territories and there are a lot of dots where each community is, and we talk about connecting the NWT and connecting the dots but we don't seem to do it. I was surprised to hear that not one kilometre of road has been built since 1987. I mean

four months, that should be long enough to do one kilometre.

---Laughter

It just blows me away, Mr. Speaker, that, as was mentioned in the budget address, $923 million in the past five years has gone to Ottawa. We need a highway to connect the NWT, $700 million, we would have $223 million change left over. It is a real injustice to the people of the Northwest Territories that we have to go to Ottawa to beg for our own money. That is not acceptable.

I am pleased to see a little stronger tone being taken in the last two budget addresses as to trying to go after the money from Ottawa that rightfully belongs here and we all know it. They continue to control the purse strings and we have to go begging for what is rightfully ours. Mr. Speaker, I am frustrated with this. I think the leadership across the Northwest Territories should be frustrated with it and try and unite and go down there and get a deal that will work for everyone. Then we can come back in the Northwest Territories and bicker amongst ourselves as to how we are going to divide it. But first we have to get the money, because $923 million over five years is not acceptable, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Applause