Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have a couple situations here in the Northwest Territories. We have the Inuvik situation and we have the Norman Wells situation coming up. The general

rate applications, we’re just increasing the cost of living for our residents. As stated, the more northern you get and the more isolated in the communities you get, the higher the cost is going to be. The government continues to subsidize the communities and some of the rates that they have to pay when we can actually be investing in some cost savings. I’m in support of this motion and as we move forward we have to look at how we have to help the people of the Northwest Territories and the businesses. Sometimes when you look at our small communities, the small businesses that have to pay these power costs, we have to find ways where we can continue for our small businesses to succeed and continue to contribute to our economies.

There were comments here and anytime that I hear Members talking about not supporting this issue and putting capital over livelihood – there was a comment there where we put capital over people’s livelihood – that’s not what we should be doing.

I thank Mr. Bromley and Mr. Blake for bringing this motion to the House and it’s one way that we start investing with this government with the funding to go into these cost savings for our people. It’s all about the people of the Northwest Territories.

I would invite Yellowknife Members to go into the communities to see. When I made a Member’s statement the other day, I said it has to be the communities that are the backbone of this government and not just the capital. One of my colleagues made reference to the high cost of living in Tuktoyaktuk. Go to Ulukhaktok and Paulatuk and see how those people can make it paycheque to paycheque. It’s true.

I was disappointed in hearing some of our Members not supporting such an initiative that should be common sense. I’m in support of this motion.

Another thing I was a little disappointed with was that the money was taken out of the budgets for energy programs when we’re looking through the business plans. I was also a little disappointed to see that this government allocated $100,000 to Inuvik residents with the situation that they’re in when it’s a bigger issue than just money put in there. Hopefully we can find solutions to that.

I would rather this government continue to pay all this money into this and find ways we can save costs and protect our people of the Northwest Territories, especially the people in the small communities. Like I said, I’m in support of this motion.