Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm all about economic growth, always have been. Very pro-business. A long-time resident. Born and raised here, you know, and I wish I would -- when we were going through the capital estimates to cost this budget and see by community. And when I see two MLAs from Yellowknife get up and I bet you -- I bet you 75 percent of these capital estimates is for the capital. And you have two MLAs from Yellowknife making those kind of comments.

I did not do that because I think if we're going to have economic recovery, Mr. Speaker, this is the way to go. I think they have to be more careful on the way the contracts are given out. I think they have to be more careful on the terms of the contract. I think they have to make sure that the money stays in the North. I am sure that we're going to have a new procurement policy, and those are going to make sure that our people are looked after in the North.

What comes out of this budget, there's a few extra buildings for regional centres and communities. We get the crumbs, always. And we're very happy with the budget because we know at least we're going to have some new buildings this time.

That hasn't happened in regional centres and communities for some time. And it disturbs me that it comes across this way when economic recovery is extremely important during this pandemic and, hopefully, we get through this pandemic.

Businesses are suffering, large and small. And it trickles down to the entire Northwest Territories. If you don't have business, you don't have no social programs.

I feel really strongly that, you know, when you talk about the negative part of rebuilding, it's not okay. You have to be in business. I've been in business for 50 years. The only way we put food on the table is because we were in business. We had to work really hard to do that. It wasn't given to us. There's lots of us like that in -- and also in Indigenous culture, you know.

Growing up, many of us -- my father had to go out on the land when I first grew up. I worked for 50 cents an hour when I was in high school in order to get a new sweater for school.

So there's a lot of disconnect when I hear people that have not been born here and gone through all those hardships in the North and making those kind of decisions on behalf of our own people.

I fully support this budget because there has to be economic growth in the business sector, in the wider sector of government. Mistakes are always made. Mistakes are made even in business. But you correct them and move on and learn from them.

And so that is the reason I will be voting for this budget. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.