Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seconded the motion proudly because I believe in this initiative. My wife and I bought a hybrid vehicle two years ago. I can tell you that when we were there, the salesperson said: where do you live? I said: we live in Yellowknife. He felt at that time, due to the analysis, that a hybrid vehicle might not necessarily give us the best payback. But that’s not how we run our family. We said that this is a smart, economical choice, and we’re making choices because we’re thinking of tomorrow as opposed to just today.

I would encourage any incentives that could be brought forward by this government that would encourage people to choose eco-friendly decisions. They make sense. Every step in the right direction — with a carrot approach, as opposed to a stick

approach — is the right way to do to this. This approach, by asking for a tiered system, says clearly that our government believes that if you’re making smart choices, better choices for the environment…. Let’s help reward people with that type of choice.

In closing, I want to emphasize that a northern made system does not necessarily mean we have to penalize the existing vehicles that are out there. It’s finding a way to encourage people to use and manage their choices just a little better. That’s why I’m in full support of redeveloping a new vehicle registration system that is sound and makes sense in the North.