Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t know if this is the right time for it with all these guys being up here, but I want to speak about the federal government’s attitude towards the Northwest Territories.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, we recently heard about all the cuts that were made. A billion dollars cut for youth groups and for volunteer groups, adult literacy groups and for women’s groups. Mr. Speaker, these people put a lot of work into the job that they do. Why should we have them sitting like little pups under the table waiting for some scraps to fall off. We have money constantly leaving the Northwest Territories and yet these folks have to fight for every nickel and dime they can get. It’s really not fair to these people who try to provide a service. The Canadian government gives money all over the place and maybe it’s time they started giving some money back to the Northwest Territories.

They like to talk about sovereignty all the time. We used to have an Armed Forces base up in Inuvik. That closed down a few years ago. Five hundred people left town. Maybe it’s time to look at re-opening that, putting another one up there so we can have those 500 people back.

We want highways, Mr. Speaker, and the thing that troubles me about the whole thing is the money that leaves the Northwest Territories. Every year we lose millions of dollars and we expect our NGOs and people who try to provide half decent services to constantly scratch and scrape for every nickel and dime they can get. It’s really not a fair process, Mr. Speaker.

I think it’s time this government, and I know Ottawa listens to us, and I think it’s time…

---Interjection

Michael McLeod

Deh Cho

Well, I’m hoping Ottawa listens to us. Ottawa, are you listening?

---Laughter

I’d like to see our government send them a real strong message because it’s the people of the Northwest Territories that elected this government and we should be looking out for their best interest instead of having our strings pulled from Ottawa. I do not like the fact that they do make a lot of the decisions for the Northwest Territories. I am not a puppet and I don’t think this government should be. So I think it’s time we took a strong stand and maybe told Ottawa that enough’s enough. We want what’s rightfully ours. Thank you.

---Applause

Member’s Statement On Federal Budget Reductions

Speaker: MR. MILTENBERGER

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to join my colleague in talking about the federal government and ask the people of the Northwest Territories to consider this as they reflect on the Conservatives' approach to social policy as it pertains to the North, to the needy, to women, to those that require literacy training. They have absolutely savaged those programs. They have cut smoking cessation, adult literacy, youth employment, women’s volunteerism programs, the Court Challenge Program. Mr. Speaker, it’s shocking, it’s appalling and it was done without consultation. This government seems intent on ruling and governing by edict and fiat. In fact, I know that most jurisdictions found out about this in the newspaper or on TV. In fact, some of the program departments in the federal government found out about the cuts on TV.

So this is a shameful display for those in Ottawa that ask to lead us. While my colleague is pleading to Ottawa to listen, my suggestion to the people of the Northwest Territories is much more fundamental and I am asking them to keep this in mind, because I understand the Conservatives are going to need every seat they can get come the election. When it’s time to vote in the Northwest Territories, remember what they have done to our social programs.

It’s as simple as ABC, Mr. Speaker; “Anybody But a Conservative.”

---Applause