Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is budget day in the Northwest Territories and I was interviewed by the media after the budget

address and I said that, overall, I am pleased with the budget.

This budget will not see the same volume of investment in things like capital infrastructure that we have realized extraordinarily in the last few years, but I think the 16th Assembly will be

remembered for carrying this Territory through a recession at the same time using those stimulus dollars and extraordinary capital investments to help ease the impact of the recession here in the Northwest Territories. I’m putting this on the record today, but I hope that this government will be remembered for that, the 16th Assembly, for

managing us through that.

Otherwise, the budget is not throwing excessive amounts of money around and, as it should be for the last budget in a government that is in a situation where their outgoing is kind of a steady-as-you-go, continuing to recognize the priorities and investing some money, but I believe it is, overall, a good budget.

Mr. Speaker, to the issue of the community that I represent in Hay River, I am very pleased and thankful that we have seen the capital projects that we have in the last while in Hay River, starting with the assisted living facility which is now fully completed and operational. The trade school which has been built onto the high school is something that, when I was first elected, I made a list of 10 things I would like to see happen during my 10 years in office. I didn’t think I was going to be here 16 years. I didn’t think it would take this long. However, the trade school is there in Hay River and it is a tribute to the people who worked on it and who had the vision to see something like this, and to the fact that there are opportunities for many great trades opportunities for young people here in the North and in Hay River.

Mr. Speaker, we are in a difficult time in Hay River right now, though, and certainly the construction that is taking place on the retrofit on the high school is going to help offset that; also, the plans that will be underway and the tenders that will be let for the construction of our new hospital. Mr. Speaker, we see things that are on the horizon, though, that just a little bit of help could bring them to fruition and we could realize the benefits of things such as Tamerlane Ventures with their mining operation at Pine Point. The Finance Minister did not mention Tamerlane today in his address. I will take that as just an oversight, but we need to get behind that company, which would see a real marked economic activity in Hay River. That is the end of my time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.