David Ramsay

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Minister, did you wish to comment?

Detail, detail. Thank you.

All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is defeated.

---Defeated

Clause 2.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will keep this fairly brief, and I'll just go back to some comments that some other Members had in that it's only going to cost a box of doughnuts; $7.54 a year or whatever. In the Minister's opening remarks, he talks of the basic level of that tax bracket that you'll see an increase of $7.54. At the beginning of the upper tax bracket of $110,000, you'll see an increase of $227. Mr. Chairman, those numbers paint the rosiest picture possible. I've done the math on what the government is intending to raise, and if you do the math on that tax bracket; that first...

Thank you for clarifying that, Mr. Handley. To the motion. Ms. Lee.

No, thank you, Madam Chairperson. It might be a good time for me to go in the chair actually. Thank you.

---Laughter

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will start my comments. I have had a chance to be in the chair for awhile and my blood pressure came down a little bit and I had something to eat.

---Laughter

---Applause

I feel a lot better, Mr. Chairman. Once again, I would just like to reiterate a couple of things. The first one is the obligation that Members of this Assembly have to do what we can to deliver a balanced budget to the residents of the Northwest Territories. I also wanted to talk again a bit about the formula financing arrangement that we have with Ottawa and how I see that as a key inhibitor to any...

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mrs. Groenewegen.

I take exception to it though, Madam Chairperson, I am sorry. I do appreciate your comments, and I will move on now.