Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Minister of Infrastructure's optimism in his statement earlier today, but 75 cents of every dollar we have comes from the federal government. In this Chamber, we are all aware of the dependence on the federal purse.
For years we've been working with Ottawa, Mr. Speaker, signing on to devolution and managing more of our own affairs here at home. We're trying to be fiscally responsible while moving forward on our mandate priorities. We've been focusing on land rights to provide certainty for all levels of government and potential investors in our resources.
We even signed on with the federal carbon tax, even though there are lots of reasons not to do that. We do these things because we are team players. We want to work collaboratively with our friends in Ottawa. What are we working toward? I go back to the words of Arthur Laing, a previous federal Minister of Northern Affairs. In the 1960s, he articulated a vision of northern economic, social, and political development with the goal that "the territories underwrite their own expenses, and eventually contribute to the economic growth of Canada." He wanted to convince industry that northern investment was "no long-shot, but rather a sound investment in Canada's future."
Mr. Speaker, the 60s was the old days. A lot has changed since then, mostly for the better, but we should realize that we still hold the goal of growing and developing our territory to be able to pay our own way. In order to do so, we are still in the business of attracting investment to our territory. Berger told us to settle land rights, and we have made significant strides in that regard. McCrank told us to get our regulations in order, and again, we have made significant improvements that Northerners and industry see as fair.
The recent federal decision to delay support for some of our crucial infrastructure projects is disheartening, Mr. Speaker. Those projects could have set us up to attract new investment in exploration, new developments in tourism. These would have helped create the base we need on which to continue building toward self-reliance.
Mr. Speaker, we've worked in good faith towards our own self-reliance, but at times, it seems our federal partners aren't completely on board. To continue to lessen our dependence on Ottawa, we need confidence that we are sharing the same vision, and are equally committed to a strong and respectful relationship. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.