Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is the Northwest Territories, and we do things a little differently up here. The way we live, work, and govern together is different than Southern Canada. It is a product of a different history.

The fusion of traditional knowledge and innovative technologies means the history of our people and the sustainability of our land are at the forefront of our decisions and that each decision balances where we are going and how far we've come.

The Northwest Territories is a land of remarkable beauty, with strong and resilient people. More than half of us are Indigenous and exercise constitutionally protected rights to land and resources, through modern treaties that cover 70 percent of our territory.

Regardless of ancestry or place in origin, all Northerners access the same public services, such as healthcare, education, and transportation. We must all work together to ensure those services are sufficient and effective. We share a vision of a self-sufficient Northwest Territories, one that is a role model for Canada and the world, where all people, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, live, work, and prosper together.

Without political parties, we put a high priority on collaboration, cooperation, and information-sharing to make decisions together, both in the Legislative Assembly and with other governments, including Indigenous governments at the regional and community level, municipal governments, and band councils providing municipal services. Our partnership approach to government is unique and evolving. It is far from perfect, and we have our growing pains, but we are a small enough population to know that respect and relationships are key to making it work.

I believe we have a collective will to grow and evolve and to fairly share the benefits and responsibilities of governance at the community, regional, and territorial level. We have a vision of our public and Indigenous governments working together to make decisions about the land and its resources. These decisions balance economic growth with environmental protection so that the land continues to sustain for future generations.

I believe that the GNWT has to show both leadership and humility and be willing to make the difficult concessions necessary to settle outstanding land claims, resource and self-government agreements in this generation, not the next. The settlement of land claims and a spirit of reconciliation will bring with it stability and an even more collaborative way of governing. The settlement of outstanding claims will also bring with it an influx of federal dollars and further opportunities within communities as they draw down programs and services and we become role models in reconciliation and cultural resurgence.

I believe we can achieve the goal of settled land claims, but only if we make up our minds to do so and are willing to make the sacrifices we will each have to make to get it done. When we do reach that goal, we will have set a world class example of reconciliation that is a model for the rest of Canada and beyond. We are deciding our own future together, Mr. Speaker.

The North is a place of opportunity and a land of history, driven by people with passion. We want those of you out there beyond our borders, those who are community-minded and hardworking with an adventurous spirit and respect for the land, to be part of the future we are building.

Mr. Speaker, the North continues to be a place of unrivalled opportunity. We are open for business, adventure, and life. We want to grow our population and our economy. During the budget address, the Minister of Finance stated the primary economic driver for the NWT economy will be government investment. I would agree that this is the case, at least for the short term, until we further diversify our traditionally resource-based economy.

As long as government investment is driving the economy of the Northwest Territories, the GNWT has an obligation to ensure that we maximize the benefits of this investment for Northerners. This is what we meant when we agreed that adopting a benefit-retention approach to economic development would be a priority of this 19^th Legislative Assembly. This means we cannot settle for 40 percent northern participation in the construction of major infrastructure projects such as the Tlicho All-Season Road. I think most Northerners would agree that they would rather see the road take a little longer to build with 100 percent of associated business contracts going to northern businesses than to see it pushed through quickly with southern firms reaping the profits.

These are the tough decisions that we as leaders and legislators need to make. We need to take any and all steps necessary to grow northern businesses and to ensure that Northerners are the primary beneficiaries of the investments we make. We need to ensure that, when we let contracts or enter into public/private partnerships, the terms and conditions of those agreements are predominantly favourable to northern businesses.

This means we have to scale down our expectations and timelines, recognizing that capacity is an issue for the Northwest Territories. We need to ensure that impact and benefit agreements are just and enforceable. We need to make sure that construction projects include components of training and retention for northern workers, tradespersons, and businesses. We need to break down the tendering process, to provide additional opportunities for northern businesses. We need to ensure that our procurement policies do not unfairly and inadvertently place undue burdens on northern businesses, Mr. Speaker. We need to access federal funding in a way and in timing that facilitates our needs and is not, as my colleague from Yellowknife Centre has said, the "tail wagging the dog."

Most importantly, we set the parameters for the scale and timing of government projects such that they are realistic and northern-friendly. As politicians, this means we may not get everything done within the four-year window of our term. It means that we may not be there to reap the political credit of the projects we put into play, but we have a bigger responsibility to do what is right for the people of the Northwest Territories and for our children's children.

We need to do more to ensure our fiscal climate facilitates investments. Our current corporate tax rates are the antithesis of Robin Hood. Small- to medium-business tax rates are higher than the rest of Canada, and corporate tax rates for larger businesses are lower than the Canadian average. I am pleased to see that the Minister of Finance is committed to reducing tax rates for small and medium businesses to rates comparable to the rest of Canada. This will undoubtedly support small-business growth. At the same time, we want to continue to attract larger businesses to the North. Consistent corporate taxes for large resource sector businesses will provide sustainability and predictability for our people.

As I thought of the current fiscal situation of the GNWT, I couldn't help but remember 1986's The Money Pit starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long. If you don't remember it, it's the story of a young couple who use their life savings to buy a dilapidated old house in need of major repair. This creates strain on their relationship that all homeowners, I'm sure, can relate to.

Well, Mr. Speaker, look at the fiscal situation we face together at the 19^th Legislative Assembly. It does at times feel like we are in the daunting first phases of a house renovation that has the potential to become a major money pit. We have an underfunded health system that is overly dependent on supplementary appropriations and puts children at risk, an education department in need of a passing grade, and a Power Corporation dependent on government subsidies to keep the lights on and power rates affordable, and we're all running on a hope and a prayer that the Housing Corporation can keep the roof over people's heads through the winter.

However, in this chaos, there is opportunity. We are in a fiscal situation that requires the government to dive deep into how it is doing business and to be brave enough to admit that we can do business better, stretch our dollars farther, and evolve our business practices.

We may find racoons in closets in the process, we may argue on paint colours, and we will most likely never agree on the style of the couch, but we are all here because we all agreed that we love the bones of this house, Mr. Speaker, and that is what connects us and makes building this dream home together worthwhile.

I have faith in this Cabinet to deliver, but you have to be in the driver's seat. If you sound identical to the Minister who held your seat 150 days ago, then the odds are that you are not following through on your end of the promise to deliver change. Take risks. Shake up the way things have always been done. Break the mold. Be bold.

Let's do things differently up here, and, even more importantly, let's get things done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.