Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Unanimous consent granted.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Young northern entrepreneurs are increasingly absent while we support multinationals. This government continues to promote these trends while wailing about our loss of population, lack of performance in our local economies, trades and social institutions and the soaring costs of energy.

Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity to move forward in a different way. I ask the government to show our public that they actually see the connections in the choices we make and that they will be changing course and making the right choice. I look forward to responding to the opening address. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The public is passing judgment today, and they’re saying that these new tax initiatives are the last straw. From what I see, the motto of this Finance Minister is “tax first, ask questions later.” I encourage the Minister to listen very carefully, because you can hear the caravan of people exiting the Territories. If Mr. Miltenberger has his way, that’s what we’ll see.

In the past couple of weeks I’ve had my fill from the public, hearing their concerns about this Minister trying to fix our financial problems with more taxes. They have had it. They’re his ideas, and I’ll tell you, they’re not mine. The problem is — and I say to the Finance Minister to listen very carefully — the government has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. We don’t need new taxes. We need someone with some real imagination over there.

If Mr. Miltenberger had his way, everything suggested on his list would affect every person’s basic cost of living. That means milk, butter, heating oil, and don’t forget the power bill. Don’t get me started on the health care premiums. I can clearly see this Finance Minister has been getting sensitivity training from Revenue Canada, which is not the way to go.

Mr. Speaker, the only surprise I have on this initiative is that it wasn’t released at Christmastime. As I look it over, you can clearly see they have no direction. You can clearly see that over at the Finance department no one understands bread and butter economics. What they’ve chosen is a path to destroy our economy, not to help it.

With power rates spiking, home heating going up, what is the next straw? There will not be one, because no one will be here. Let me tell you: good financial policies will encourage investment, and they will certainly help our tax base grow. They will help businesses create employment. By the way, just in case you’re not listening, that means more taxes, naturally. More people working will help this territory far more than putting the thumbscrews to the cost of living of the average person, who’s had it. Every additional person, as it’s been said here today, can add at least $20,000 from our federal grant. That doesn’t even take into consideration the spending this generates.

At this time I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Unanimous consent granted.

Mr. Speaker, let me give this Finance Minister a lesson. If we encouraged 2,000 people to our territory, that would cover our shortfall. By the way, that means 60 people per community. We can encourage a grow with the

North policy, as opposed to taxing them to death. Let’s start on some of those migrant workers, as has been articulated clearly here.

In closing, the financial gaps are big; imagination is low. As one person told me yesterday, it’s time that we start showing some backbone with some mineral tax instead of milk tax. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Hawkins on June 18, 2008, regarding services for children with autism.

The Department of Health and Social Services does not operate under a framework or policy that is specific to autism. Services for children with disabilities are delivered within the context of the integrated service delivery model, which allows for access to rehabilitation services, referrals to specialists and, if necessary, voluntary support agreements through the Child and Family Services Act. A framework for services for children with disabilities is being developed.

The Department of Health and Social Services in partnership with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and Stanton Territorial Health Authority is currently consulting with service providers. This collaboration provides an integrated and coordinated approach for developing a consistent service delivery protocol across the spectrum of disabilities.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize two constituents from the riding of Great Slave: Lena Pedersen, a former Member of this House, and Todd Parsons, the president of the UNW.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to recognize my beautiful mother, who usually watches us on TV but decided to show up in the gallery today. She’s also a resident of Avens Court.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to recognize Dick and Loretta Abernethy, constituents of the Weledeh riding and the parents of my illustrious colleague here, Mr. Abernethy.

If we have missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the House. Hope you’re enjoying the proceedings. It’s always nice to have an audience.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Finance. The Minister has put out a revenue option paper. He has held a round table with representatives from many territorial organizations. I’d like to ask the Minister: from his discussions to date, what is the appetite like for a resource tax in the Northwest Territories that could address this gap in finances that they have been referring to? Will he be bringing forward a response to the resource tax? What’s the downside?

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’ve embarked on a revenue options discussion, not the tax increase option discussion. We met; we had a massive circulation and mail out of the papers looking for feedback.

The round table was very productive. It brought together a very interesting group of Northerners from organizations across the North that don’t normally spend a lot of time together to talk about the issue of revenue options. There’s very strong commitment to the North and building the North. There was no unanimity when it came to the issue of, clearly, taxes. I’ll be coming forward with a report from the round table. I’ll also be coming forward, in due course, with the business plans in the upcoming budget session with what’s going to be proposed in terms of potential options to generate new revenues.

As my colleague Mr. Krutko said, the idea of a resource tax has been something that’s been out there for a long time. No government has had the courage to introduce it. I would like to ask Mr. Miltenberger, as the Finance Minister: is he aware of any downside to this government raising revenues through a resource tax?

As the Premier indicated in his sessional statement, there are a lot of things happening around us in the world that are affecting life in the North and business in the North. With every decision we make, be it taxes or other options for generating revenues, there are going to be upsides, but there are also going to be downsides. I’ve heard the Members opposite talk in great detail about the mass exodus and what they’re hearing from their constituents. For the first day of session the political hyperbole was fairly interesting, if not somewhat misleading. It was very interesting and makes the point that there is concern about taxes. So we have to look at the potential impact — what type of tax that would be — and what it would do to the bottom line, in addition to what other considerations we may be looking at right now. Thank you.

Interjection.

Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe I have a point of order on the grounds of being called out as misleading the House.

Mr. Hawkins, under what rule are you stating your point of order?

Interruption.

The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Well, Mr. Speaker, it either falls under 23(h), which is makes an allegation against another Member or 23(i), “imputes false or hidden motives.” I think those are good places to start. Of course, I would also say 23(l), which, in my mind, speaks disrespectfully to a Member on this side of the House. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. I pretty well clearly heard what the Member said in reference to some of the comments that were made from the Regular Members’ side of the House. I don’t think there was a direct threat or comment that he was misleading the House. I’m going to rule your point of order out of order.

Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask Mr. Miltenberger which part of what he’s heard from the representatives of our constituents on this side of the House today could possibly, with regard to the tax options, be considered misleading? Thank you.