Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to say a few things on the budget. One of the issues that we talk about is to try to encourage employment and job opportunities in the Northwest Territories. What really frustrates me is I have 14 people in my riding of Aklavik and there are some 20 people being laid off from the Arctic Tern facility in Inuvik which gives us something like 38 people being laid off in the Inuvik region. I, for one, feel that we’re spending $1.4 million to promote awareness in southern Canada for jobs and life opportunities in the North. If those individuals in Aklavik alone, those 14 people, can’t find work, they have no choice but to leave. Probably their best bet for employment is to move to the Yukon. If those 14 people left the Northwest Territories, they will take almost $300,000 of transfer payments with them and never mind if their families leave with them. I think that this government is not very considerate of the individuals, the effect of layoffs, the effect of limited jobs in our communities.

We have some 45 percent unemployment in my riding. I have never expected in the last 15 years as a Member of this House that I would see 45 percent in my community. I think it’s frustrating that we come here and talk about a budget with all these great ideas and concepts but we are laying people off that are the hugely affected by unemployment and statistics in our communities. I think we’re sending the wrong message by spending $1.4 million in southern Canada when we can’t even find jobs for people who live here. I’d like to ask the Minister what exactly we’re going to do to ensure that we can keep the residents of the Northwest

Territories employed so they don’t have to leave the Northwest Territories for work.