Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Dennis, for coming and for laying out pretty clearly the case for this bill.
You raised a couple of points around responsible government and still having NWT grounded in a very colonial approach in the federal government's relationships with the territorial governments. I think this case of the borrowing capacity is a good example of that.
I have a couple of points.
I just want to put on record the exact quote out of this letter of December 13 from the Parliamentary Budget Officer, because I know this has come up with the estimated costs. He says, “With respect to Bill C-530, our review indicates that there would be no incremental cost arising from adoption of these legislative amendments.”
I think it's important for that to be on the record, because I know it's a concern that people have raised. That's just a comment.
The second piece that I wanted to have you address is this: have you heard of any arguments against this bill, and if yes, what are they? I'd like you to present your counter-arguments. Have you heard any criticism of the bill, anything that you think is a legitimate concern that's been raised with the bill?