Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Just a follow-up on the business plan cycle for the Minister responsible. I would also like to ask the Minister what commitments he will assure me that I can and will have active participation in the leading of the direction of our government in this business plan cycle, because I am given to understand that plans may already be under foot in terms of setting up the business plan for our July session. Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk about the GNWT budgeting process. Mr. Speaker, since I was elected MLA, I have not seen regular Members have direct input into the government budgeting process. I was thinking to myself last night about the process and possible ways to better improve the system so that regular Members have their direct input. As a regular Member, I can see that we are the ones who have to answer to the people of our ridings. As things are now, to do that, I have to ask questions relating to the budget process and how the government plans to allocate the...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d just like to recognize Mr. Frank Pope, a former Fort Simpson resident now residing in Inuvik. Thank you very much.

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Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I won’t use up the committee’s time anymore in procedural matters. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have concluded my comments. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I am not going to support this motion only because I believe that by doing the increase the way it is suggested, that at least it maintains our ability to hang on to some of the programs and services that we do have. That is why I am in favour of it. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Does the Minister have the answer to the question previously when the tax rate was at 14 percent, what was our revenue from the corporate income taxes?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am in favour of raising the rate, but there is one thing in the Minister's opening statement that kind of interested me about developing alternatives to the current approach to the tax effort. I was just wondering what the Minister meant with that. Sometimes I get the feeling that it's up to us to come with unique solutions to our fiscal problems, but perhaps the government is going to have to do their own thinking as well. I'm just wondering if there are some alternatives that they have been contemplating, Madam Chair.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I, too, rise and I would like to talk about the business incentive policy. That is of great concern to residents and businesses I represent in the Nahendeh riding. They have indicated to me that they want the BIP enforced and used at all times. It was put into place to recognize the high costs of our northern contractors who have to endure year-round costs where southern competitors don’t pay taxes here or have overhead. The North is a great place to live, but if we don’t keep and utilize the business incentive program, the whole of the NWT will just become a...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just with regard to this appropriation, I know there was some significant debate in the 13th and 14th assemblies, but I'm just wondering how the regular budget impacts a supp. Does the department have to plead their case that there's absolutely no money in their budget? We're just going through this whole exercise where we do think that there is some money in the departments' budget. So for the Minister, Mr. Chair, what qualifies departments to claim a supp?