Thank you very much, Mr. Minister. Would the Minister like to bring witnesses to the House?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Finance is looking at things they’ve studied before. They say we’re stable, we haven’t changed anything. That’s right. We haven’t changed anything. We’re looking to promote 2,000 people to come to the Northwest Territories.

What’s the indicator to bring them here? What is the government going to do to promote the Northwest Territories as a place to live and reduce the cost of living? Maybe we don’t have to stay the same. Maybe we reduce the cost of gas taxes so that people can come.

What is the government going to do in the future to encourage people to...

In the cost of living issue currently before us, why would the Minister of Finance not be talking to the federal government about this situation to allow a bigger tax break for Northerners, especially when we have a declining population?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated in my Member’s statement, the cost of living in the Northwest Territories has escalated to a point of crisis. My questions today – and I understand the government is working on an Energy Strategy – will be to the Department of Finance Minister.

My first question is: Has the government talked to the federal government about northern residency deductions and increasing that allowable tax deduction for Northerners so that more money can go into their pockets to assist with cost of living?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My question is good news or bad news, which do you want to start with? I’m going to end on a positive note, so I’ll start with the bad news, I guess.

Just like the Members here have indicated, I would have the same and similar concerns about our fiscal plan going forward. The government has spent a lot of money on fire suppression this year. Now we’re talking about an accelerated plan for the Tuk to Inuvik highway, which in one way is a good news story. We’re getting the project done quicker, but how do we afford that speed and, I guess, what gets run over by doing it...

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Next on my list I have Mr. Bromley. General comments.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you. I’m just wondering if the Minister believes or has evaluated whether we have actually a large enough base in our fire suppression budget so that we don’t have to always come back to this House. I know typically this is an exceptional year, but have we evaluated the base budget for fire suppression?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up on my Member’s statement about the forest fire season, I have questions for the Minister of ENR.

Now that all the smoke has cleared, does the department know exactly what the costs of this season’s firefighting was to the government?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to welcome everybody back to the Assembly. It’s been a busy summer throughout the North, and with the record fire season this year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff of ENR, the firefighters on the front, all the workers put together that helped protect this territory.

We had over 385 fires and three million hectares of forest destroyed. These people have been working hard for the public of the Northwest Territories, and I know the public appreciates them, especially in areas such as Kakisa and Reid Lake where the fires were right...