Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to see a large infrastructure investment being brought before the House. I think infrastructure is the easiest way to create growth and jobs in the short term, and, if the projects are targeted in a good way, they can be a strategic investment in the future of all our communities and the future of our economy.
My only real concerns is actually the large size of this budget, and my colleague the honourable Member from Yellowknife North spoke well to this point. If you look at the percentage of infrastructure carry-overs from 2002-2013, the average was 32 percent of all funds carried over into the next year. If we apply that percentage to this proposed budget, that is $103 million. From 2017-2018 to 2018-2019, the carry-over percentage was 46 percent, $130 million of $270 million in the total appropriation. My concerns are primarily around that. I would love to see all this appropriation get spent and directly invested, but it does seem like the government struggles at times to move all of the infrastructure investment out the door. I know the Minister has given this some thought, and has some ideas on how we can improve this. If we are looking at nearly 50 percent of this appropriation not being spent in the year it is supposed to be, I think we have to really ask ourselves: are we doing the best job we can in investing in the economy and investing in critical infrastructure? It is a big territory, and I know many of my colleagues have issues with the large percentage of capital spending on highways, roads, bridges, and culverts, but, given the size and the geographical remoteness, I think those investments are just a necessity of life in the NWT now.
I think we have to do the best job we can in this last term to make the biggest impact on the economy, and I think this budget is headed in the right direction, but I would appreciate if the Minister could alleviate some of my concerns around these large percentages of carry-overs that we see year and year again. Thank you, Mr. Chair.