Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One quick word about the diamond mines. We have a GDP of about $3.6 billion a year. Of that, half of that comes from the diamond mines. So when you look what they pay in royalties, but you have to combine that with all the money and

value added that comes into the territory, that if we didn’t have those diamond mines and the $1.6 billion or so that they contribute to our economy, we’d be having a considerably more difficult conversation in this House.

The approach that we are taking in an area that has some of the highest costs of living in the country is to look at trying to build the strategic infrastructure that’s going to help create the conditions and provide the tools for continued economic growth that will expand our tax base as a result. I point to things like the $80 million commitment to put in the Fibre Optic Link which, if it holds true as to what happened in Kiruna, Sweden, we’ll see over the years an added value to the community of Inuvik of hopefully over $100 million a year. If we get good at it, the value added in terms of jobs could be anywhere in the neighbourhood of 400 jobs, if Kiruna, Sweden, is any indication.

It’s that kind of investment that we see as where we want to put our attention and invest our money, as opposed to at this point looking at expanding the taxes on Northerners. Thank you.