Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Welcome to all of those in the gallery today.

Mr. Speaker, there is a tradition of Finance Ministers in Canada wearing new shoes when delivering the budget address as a direction described in the annual budget. Today, I am wearing my mukluks. I do this as a reminder to myself of where we come from and the importance of the work we do for residents in all communities, large and small, throughout the Northwest Territories.

A budget address not only describes important activities that the government is investing in the upcoming fiscal year, but also how we will manage the public resources that we are responsible for. My mukluks remind me of my past, but also how the decisions we make on investments and managing the government’s resources impact not only today’s generation, but also future generations.

At the beginning of the 18th Assembly, Members of this House worked together to produce a mandate that would contribute to creating strong individuals, families and communities that would share in the benefits and responsibilities of an economically prosperous and environmentally sustainable Northwest Territories.

This government’s first budget, last June, set the course for achieving this by making difficult choices to begin to put our fiscal house in order. The 2017-18 budget continues this effort to guarantee that we can provide the core programs and services that the Northwest Territories residents need, and deliver on the priorities identified in this Assembly’s mandate.

As we enter the second year of our mandate, we are clear on our priorities. These priorities can be summarized as follows.

We want to foster lifelong learning, skill development, training and employability. We need to start our children off on the right foot. We need to see that they get every opportunity to lead fulfilling and productive lives. We need to ensure that Northerners have the skills and training to fill jobs that will be available over the coming decades.

We want to lower the cost of living for NWT residents by increasing the amount of affordable housing, supporting the use of energy-efficient technology, and providing the infrastructure to reduce major cost drivers for both residents and industry.

We want to foster community wellness and safety by providing the core social programs that support our residents to live healthy lifestyles in their home communities.

We want to invest in our economy, encourage economic diversification, lead in environmental stewardship, and create business and employment opportunities for all Northerners.

As a government we want to improve accountability and transparency in how we operate and to work together with Aboriginal and community governments, the federal government, industry, and NWT residents to ensure our future prosperity.

In short, we want to invest today in a better tomorrow, but we have to do this without breaking the bank.

This is a budget about building a prosperous future on a sustainable fiscal foundation. This budget continues our strategy for making crucial investments to strengthen our communities and develop our economy within an environment of flat revenue growth.