Thank you, Madam Chair. I thank the Finance Minister for that. At committee last week there were a number of questions about decision points and I think some Members were under the impression that by approving the $2.5 million we’re saying yes to the, well, if it ends up being $250 million, but that’s not the case. I can’t reiterate that enough. We are not at that point. We need to get to a point, as the Finance Minister said, where we can make an informed decision on whether we can afford it, what it’s going to cost us, and those discussions will happen in this Assembly with the Members of this House. That’s how this project will move along.

When I was at committee on Friday I gave the committee my assurances that every step of the way this is a big project. You’re looking at a $250 million estimate. It’s a big, big project and we need to be working through this project together. We need to be supporting one another and working with one another to ensure that the project does get completed and we can maximize the benefits to residents here in the Northwest Territories and people in the Northwest Territories. That’s what I intend to do and I look for that support from the Regular Members to allow us to go out and do this initial due diligence, the work that has to be done up front. As a government we have to invest some of these dollars so that we know exactly what we’re getting ourselves into and whether or not we want to get into it. It’s the price you would pay for progress.

We have to progress. If we were to backtrack on this and waste a year and lose a year, it’s just not something I think we should be even entertaining. I think we need to find this money, get the work done and move forward. Get some things accomplished here. This project is in an area where they need the jobs, they need the opportunities, and it would be welcome economic activity in that region of our territory.