Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question goes to the Minister Responsible for Finance and it is with respect to the hotel tax. In the budget document, Mr. Speaker, the projected revenue for this hotel tax is $1 million. I wonder if the Minister could tell us on what basis he has arrived at that calculation. What room spaces are we talking about in the Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Susan Murray who is in the gallery. She is a constituent of mine who is a spectacular aboriginal businesswoman, an artist, a tradesperson, and an exemplary citizen in my community, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and colleagues. I was saying, I do not think the hotel operators will be happy to be tax collectors.

Mr. Speaker, this tax initiative would create yet another regime within the government to manage more tax collection. I do not mind more jobs being created in Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker, not at all. What I do mind is that this is such an inefficient way of raising revenues.

I wonder, Mr. Speaker, by the time this government takes into account the staff they have to pay, and subtract the money it taxes on itself, how much net gain would it really have made from the proposed revenue of $1 million from taxation. I would guess maybe $500,000, and I would say if the Minister tried really hard, he could find it within the Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development budget of almost $75 million that he is asking for this year. That is, I will submit, less than one percent of the total budget.

The simple fact is that we have such a small tax base of hotel operators and hotel rooms. It is always expensive to set up a new tax system. For these reasons, I would submit that the net amount that will be collected by the government will be thoroughly outstripped by the burden it will create on the hotel users and operators. So once again, Mr. Speaker, I want to just say no to the hotel tax.

Most importantly, Mr. Speaker, I strongly object to this tax for the wrong thing this government is going to do for the tourism industry. This sector has been long ignored and paid lip service at best. In the recent past, this sector has looked to the government for leadership to develop a comprehensive tourism strategy, increase product development and expand marketing and research. Instead, Mr. Speaker, this government is making it even more difficult for them to compete.

I must say, Mr. Speaker, I am deeply disappointed that the first initiative of this government in the tourism industry was to introduce a new tax. I intend to oppose it vigorously in the coming days and months. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Mr. Speaker, may I please have the unanimous consent of my colleagues to conclude my statement.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that it may very well be that this is merely a trial balloon that the Minister is floating up in the air to see how it will pan out. If that is so, I am here to tell the Minister that this statement, and my press release this morning, should serve as the pin that would pop the balloon and make it fall out of the sky.

Mr. Speaker, my concerns for this tax initiative are many. First of all, it will send out a totally wrong message to the tourism industry, penalize tourists and hotel operators, and add a whole new tax regime in the Territory.

At noon today on the news, it was reported that a tourism operator in Toronto will not send tourism buses to Inuvik because the hotel costs are just too high in the Northwest Territories. They have not even heard about the new tax yet.

Let us look at the facts, Mr. Speaker. Two of the largest groups using hotels in the Northwest Territories are government employees and Japanese tourists. The latter group has been steadily increasing and it is expected to grow again this year to about 10,000 visitors from Japan.

In most communities, government employees make up the bulk of the hotel users. In effect, the government would be taxing itself, and at the same time extending a very chilly welcome to tourists. That really does not send out a positive, welcoming message.

Another problem I have with this is that hotel operators will be forced into becoming tax collectors for the government. Mr. Speaker, after years of no action, we have been seeing lately new constructions of hotels and motels around the city, and this government is responding to it by turning them into tax collectors. That is not the proper way to say thank you to those business people who invest in our economy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I may, I would like to change the topic a little bit to the issue of the budget. In what was otherwise a predictable budget yesterday, I was very surprised to see a proposal for a hotel tax of five percent being introduced. I want to take this opportunity to just say no to a hotel tax.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As someone who only has a sister, and no brothers, obviously I am envious of my fellow colleague, Mr. Delorey. They look great up there.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize someone. I am not sure if he is up there, but if he is, his name is Burt Galloway, a member of the national board of the John Howard Society of Canada, who is visiting Yellowknife for a meeting. He is also the past president of the John Howard Society and a consultant for the State Legislature of Colorado. He has a keen interest in parliamentary procedure.

Also, Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Mrs. Bea Campbell, who I had the pleasure of meeting at the NWT Health Care Association meeting in Hay River. From what I understand, she is a woman who does everything. I just wanted to welcome her. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for finally recognizing me. I thank the Member for Yellowknife South for making his statement very short.

Mr. Speaker, I believe we will have a lot of discussion on the budget in this House in coming days. Today, I would like to take this opportunity to tell my constituents and everyone out there about a very exciting communications tool that I launched yesterday, which is my website. The address is www.sandyleemla.com.

-- Applause

Mr. Speaker, as you are well aware, we as MLAs are constantly bombarded with information. We receive mountains of papers, documents, letters, faxes and a basket full of e-mails daily. We just received one more here.

We may be surprised to learn that some of them are actually really good stuff. My challenge has been to find a way to disseminate and communicate some of that to the constituents, and other interested parties of the public in a speedy fashion.

At the same time, Mr. Speaker, I have often found I am not always able to get a quick input and feedback from my constituents on issues that matter to them. Not as much as I would like to, anyway. After all, Mr. Speaker, everyone else is busy too and I can only make so many phone calls and have so many lunches in any given week.

This website, Mr. Speaker, I must also say has been inspired by a number of Range Lakes constituents I met during my door-to-door campaign. I remember a resident on Finlayson Drive who asked me if you get elected, "how would you keep in touch with your voters?" Another resident on Magrum Crescent told me that although she does not have time to go to meetings, she usually spends a few minutes on her computer at home.

Most importantly, Mr. Speaker, anyone who has visited my website will see that I have dedicated a full section of the site to the kids in our Territory, with a banner that says "kids are the greatest."

In it, I have pictures from kids from not only Range Lake and Range Lake North School, but from Fort Providence and anywhere else where I meet kids throughout my travels. It is my greatest hope that kids from all over the North will make this site a place to visit and to learn about what we do in this House.

I am pleased to report to you, Mr. Speaker, that e-mails and feedback I have been receiving so far show that it is doing exactly what I wanted it to do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause