Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I wanted to provide a few opening comments on the Department of Finance. Again, I know the Minister and the department have worked extensively over the past year to try to develop this macroeconomic policy framework and hiring new people to work in a policy shop within the Department of Finance.
I mentioned last year, and I don't think it's a coincidence, the Department of Finance actually looked at a loss in positions when the Bureau of Statistics was moved over to the Department of Executive. Lo and behold, a macroeconomic policy shop was set up in the department.
I am going to provide the House a little bit of an analogy if I could, Mr. Chairman. I would equate the Northwest Territories today and our government today like an adolescent child on an allowance. Let's say instead of his allowance being $1 billion a year, it's $10 a week. Mr. Chairman, it's like that adolescent kid going out and hiring four investment specialists from Investors Group, or you could pick and choose who you want, trying to tell that kid how to spend his $10 a week. Oh, little Johnny, you can afford to go to the movies this week...
---Laughter
Mr. Chairman, if you put it in that context, this policy shop is premature. All the work that's been done to date is hypothetical. We don't have a resource revenue deal with Ottawa. We are on a fixed income, more or less, we have an allowance. We have limited or no ability in raising revenue. Make no mistake about that. Our debt limit is set in stone at $300 million. We have no control over that. Investments, we are limited in our investment capability on a fixed income. Again, I take issue with the fact that now...We saw in our discussions earlier today an initiative like the ABC review of boards and agencies across this land. For most Members, it was one of their number one priorities. Meanwhile, a macroeconomic policy shop with four people in it is shoved in our face. That's what it was, Mr. Chairman. We are just made to take it. I don't understand, in the absence of a deal with Ottawa, how can we afford at this time to be developing a macroeconomic policy framework? It's all hypothetical; absolutely hypothetical.
Again, I wanted to mention that for the record. I was opposed to the hiring of the positions last year. I am still opposed to the policy shop being in the Department of Finance and I stand by my thoughts on this, Mr. Chairman. I am not an economist or a specialist in the economy or things of that nature, but I do have a brain and I try to think about things in a logical fashion. Mr. Chairman, as much as I think about this, it just causes me a lot of...