Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, successive Ministers of MACA over the years have continued to blame the feds on the closing of the funding gap for municipalities. Mr. Speaker, if they moved any faster, it would almost look backwards in my humble opinion. I mean, it's effectively perfunctory at best.
Mr. Speaker, only hiding behind the feds and blaming them is a play book that can only be used so many times. The issue is perennial. We hear it over and over and over again, moving slow, yes, we want to do this. The next page on the Minister's blame book usually has to do with I'm fighting for you as hard as I can at the Cabinet table, so when people like me ask prove it, show me the money, they go, wow, that's Cabinet confidentiality, you know, what happens in Vegas oh, sorry, what I mean is what happens in Cabinet stays in Cabinet, Mr. Speaker. We all know how that rolls.
Well, the good news is I read some unedited Hansard the other day, and a Member and I want to make sure I get it correctly is quoted by saying: My community, like others, struggle with health care issues, education concerns, formula funding for the town of Hay River. The good news, Mr. Speaker, is they might even be in Cabinet, the Member who made that, and even maybe even potentially the better news is they may even be the Minister for Municipal and Community Affairs. One will only tell if Members on this side of the House have an ally there. They will do the work. We'll find out.
In the meantime, our communities, all of them, struggle daytoday and then you hear that we're going to have to put a 16 percent tax increase to meet the basic needs of our community. Shame. It's terrible. Then they were able to work it down to seven and then to six, and thank goodness, the city of Yellowknife settled on five. My goodness. They're carrying the weight and responsibility of the territorial government.
Mr. Speaker, every one of our communities on this side of the House I don't care about yours ours, Mr. Speaker, are stealing from Peter to pay Paul. Well, I can tell you right now, we're running out of Pauls, Mr. Speaker. Our towns can only do so much.
Members' statements.
