Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I make comments to the Minister's opening presentation. Also, I have specific questions to some specific departments that the funding is spoken for in terms of what their plans are for. Madam Chair, the remarks would be similar to my colleague Mr. Lafferty, in terms of ensuring that the small communities are looked after in terms of standards of services and programs. I know this government and past governments have struggled with how we balance in terms of having larger centres versus some communities, as Mr. Lafferty alluded to in terms of the RCMP issue here in terms of having RCMP in communities that do not have any detachment. How do we have that sense of balance and fairness and rights for people to feel safe and protected in communities? I know it has been a really hard struggle and issue to deal with because the little amount of funding that we have before us and the little amount of resources that could ride RCMP services to communities like Colville Lake and Tsiigehtchic. I am happy for the communities of Wrigley and Gameti for receiving an amount to look at their communities. I am hoping that Colville Lake is on the list for something they can look at. It also requires lots of dollars, Madam Chair.
I am looking forward to some interim solutions that could be dealt with in terms of helping out the people in Colville Lake in terms of having some type of law enforcement be a little more consistent in their community and a little more on a regular basis. I am going to just make mention of that and I will get to the point when this comes up in the supplementary appropriation.
Madam Chair, regarding the supplementary, what I heard overall I like what the Minister presented to us. Madam Chair, in our small communities, we certainly look for support and help in our communities. We are looking at the issue of reducing our cost of living. How can we do that? A big ticket item issue is greenhouse. What are we doing to help with the greenhouse issue here, and the environment, the caribou, the training? I am certainly glad to look at the department's role in this to look at the aboriginal languages in our communities and support that concept here in terms of strengthening our aboriginal languages in our communities.
Madam Chair, I am really happy to hear from the Minister in terms of the apprenticeship programs that are going to be introduced back into the system to help our people and establish some strong skilled people that could be role models for people who are finishing high school. I think that is a real dead on bang on job in terms of how we get this type of work into our communities.
There are some good things about this. There are some things that I think need to be voiced. The Ministers need to hear that we need some flexibility in some of our regions. In my region, of course, we don't have the all-season road. We don't have a bridge. We don't have the luxury of some of the other regions. That is the nature of the Northwest Territories. However, we have to give some consideration to our communities who don't have these types of services available to them and make provisions in there to strengthen them. Madam Chair,
what is the best part of equalization amongst our communities in terms of standards, programs and how we can help each other? Otherwise it is always going to be the small communities versus the larger centres in terms of programs and services. If the small communities do not see that that is going to be it, then they will be a little more boisterous and a little more persistent as to how funding is allocated in the government here. That won't be a good thing for us in terms of our Assembly here. I wanted to say that, Madam Chair, in terms of my opening comments. I will get to the specifics later on when we do clause by clause.
Overall, I think this is a good thing. I think the government is looking out for our smaller communities at the start. But for me, it is not enough yet. I am going to ask the Minister, I think he can do more. But that is another matter at another time.
However, Madam Chair, I just want to conclude my statement by saying I will get into the budget when it is the appropriate time. I just want to give my comments to the Minister. I think helping out in our region is a plus. Looking after certain things for us would benefit the whole North. Thank you, Madam Chair.