Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my Member’s statement is about fiscal responsibility and how it relates to the repayment of corporate income tax overpayment.

As all Members of this House know, we are well aware of how this Assembly has the unfortunate task or, I should say, the burden ahead of us in the next year to repay the federal government close to $300 million for its corporate overpayment tax that dates back to 2002.

This can no longer be pushed back or ignored by this government. When the last government realized -- that is the 14th Assembly -- over four years ago that it received an overpayment of corporate income tax of over $300 million, they had some tough choices ahead of them. But they decided to spend it, Mr. Speaker. They knew that spending it wouldn’t fall on their government. It would fall on the government that followed them to pay it back.

Mr. Speaker, decisions like that, treating it like an interest-free loan, was not responsible. Mr. Speaker, the government of that day, the 14th Assembly, spent like it was footloose and fancy free, spending with no regard to who has to cover the payment. I am not sure that they were hoping that; either they were thinking or hedging their bets on the fact that they would get a resource revenue agreement or whatnot, but, unfortunately, it is time to pay. If they were hoping that pennies would fall from heaven, and their bacon would be covered, well, unfortunately, it is our bacon that has to pay the piper.

Mr. Speaker, that is not fair of the last Assembly to put that burden on this government. We now have to be smart and a lot wiser with our fiscal policies. I compliment Minister Roland on his fiscal work that he has done, but we need to go one step further. Waiting for a grant from Canada, as they often talk about our resource revenue sharing agreement, is like having them dangle a carrot in front of us. It is there, but it just seems to always be out of reach.

Frankly, Mr. Speaker, I am tired of waiting for that resource revenue agreement, but we have this burden in front of us. Mr. Speaker, we need a sound fiscal policy that says when we realize we have an overpayment of some sort, we clearly set it aside and not put that burden on the next government to figure out how they should pay for it. The government of the day with the overpayment looks like the heroes, and the government that has to pay looks like zeros.

So, Mr. Speaker, in closing, I will have awe-inspiring questions for the Finance Minister. I know he will be really receptive to the points I make. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause