 Mr. Speaker, before I begin my substantive contribution on the estimates of revenue and expenditure for 23, 24, with your permission, Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend sincere condolences to the family of Peter Gustaf, also known as Sentence from Canaries. I would also, Mr. Speaker, like to extend condolences to the Daria family of Werner. I would also, Mr. Speaker, like to extend condolences to the family of Peterson Edward of Werner. It's with condolences to UWP. I'm not hair long enough to be able to do that. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to draw the attention of this Honourable House that in congratulating Johnson Charles on his amazing achievement, Mr. Speaker, you omitted a very important bit of information. That important bit of information is that Johnson Charles is from the constituency of Ontario Canaries, more specifically, Millet. Mr. Speaker, I say important bit of information not for any self-aggrandizement, but to reinforce in the minds of every young boy and girl in the constituency that indeed, and indeed the country that they too can aspire to greatness. We, Mr. Speaker, in Ontario Canaries, are better than our misfortunes. Which brings me, Mr. Speaker, to another point, and I will say more about it during the policy debate. Mr. Speaker, this reference to Ontario Canaries being the poorest constituency and Miku North being the second poorest constituency is a reference, Mr. Speaker, we should set aside and move towards a metric that does not stigmatize like a constituency development index where constituencies are measured by, and to be determined, just a sort of indicators which are then rated, which is an entirely different mindset. And, Mr. Speaker, more on that later. The dignity, Mr. Speaker, of the people of Ontario Canaries is important. To me. Mr. Speaker, the member of a social syllabus attempted to harvest a short crop yesterday. A short crop. Many indicated that the fruit of prudential stewardship was as given as given form in the estimates of revenue and expenditure at the results of seeds they sowed. Mr. Speaker, for seeds to germinate and bear fruit, they must be placed into fertile soil. You cannot produce these results in an environment which is not conducive and devoid of love, due care and attention. And, Mr. Speaker, why I say that? Mr. Speaker, why it cannot be of the hands of the making. Mr. Speaker, as you may be aware, Senegal's debt to GDP ratio rose sharply during the COVID-19 crisis, increasing by some 31 percentage points or 50 percent from the 2019 levels. And it is a well-known phenomenon all countries did so. But on a comparative basis, this increase was vastly sharper than that post set by other countries. Not only in the world, but on average, countries increased their debt as a share of GDP by only 9 percentage points. Of course, Mr. Speaker, we are well-recognized the issue of the global pandemic. In the region, Mr. Speaker, excluding St. Russia, countries increased their debt as a share of GDP by 15 percentage points or 21 percent from the 2019 levels. Less than half the increase posted by St. Russia. Critically, Mr. Speaker, at 15 percent of fiscal revenues, the interest burden in St. Russia is also in the top quintile of the world. And it's 2.5 times higher than the average of other countries in this region. So it's nothing up to simply say COVID, COVID, COVID, and that these are the seeds of your hard work. It is clearly not. It is prudential stewardship from the member for cash resists. St. Russia, Mr. Speaker, was the only country in the region to have increased the proportion of its budget devoted to interest payments by 2 percentage points. During the COVID crisis, again, in part due to a relative large share of the debt stock of on-commercial terms, which the former Minister of Finance was very keen on doing, there was only one other country, Mr. Speaker, when I will mention the name in the ECCU, which continues to operate in the position of extended arrays and defaults. We are not aware of any of government of financial spears in the region, which has mounting payables of off-balance sheet commitments similar to those of the DFC. Mr. Speaker, having gone through all the heads, lying items in the estimates of revenue and expenditure, Mr. Speaker, I think it's important to underscore the fundamental philosophical difference between the government led by the member of cash resists and, of course, the member for Microsoft. Mr. Speaker, the member for social and I want to show if the Prime Minister will allow me to respond to his questions, Prime Minister, if I may. Yesterday, the member for social posed a series of questions and he made the point that he was concerned about justice and what we were doing. Mr. Speaker, as contained in the estimates, there will be an upgrade of the coroner's court, resources to the traffic court, the swift justice project to help with the backlog of cases which the member for social mentioned. There's also funds to increase, to assist with the operational cost of the high court, including consultancy. Funds are provided for the DPP North and South offices. New rental for the second district court to assist with the relocation to allow for continued court seating. Rehabilitation of the first district courts. The GEMS project, Mr. Speaker, to assist with the digitization of court records to provide quick access to court data thereby increasing the efficiency of the court system. Mr. Speaker, he also went on to indicate that he was wondering why the increase in personnel was so few, but he did not mention, Mr. Speaker, that a significant amount of the money is allocated to regularize, regularize police officers, two additional probation officers, 15 constables for major crime units, and approximately 75 officers will be reassigned from different death duties to a more active, to more active duty. He also mentioned, Mr. Speaker, and I'm trying to read based on what he wrote, the no reintroduction of the K-9 unit. He also made the point that the Department of Agriculture was not giving sufficient assistance, which again, Mr. Speaker, is a figment of their imagination. $780,700 was made available to the previous LASNC program to protect banana produce. One million for the banana management unit, to ameliorate the challenges plaguing the banana industry, and I know the Minister of Agriculture could defend himself, but I figure once on my feet I will respond for you, Comrade. For pest and disease surveillance control, drainage infrastructure, and improvement in public awareness and training, Mr. Speaker. He also asked a question about farmers with disabilities. Land will be allocated to them. There's also $10,000 to provide as grant to farmers with disabilities. He also mentioned his point about the social arts and crafts center. I think he will be well advised that a total of $540,000 has been made available to develop component two of the social arts and crafts center, including training for vendors under the ROTC project. Heritage sites to be acquired to erect some of the green spaces that he referred to. He also made mention of the Department of Housing, and there was, he said, I believe, a reduction in the budget. Mr. Speaker, $2 million was this boost, including previous and spent from previous disbursements based on the agreed work program for 2023-2024. $5.2 million was approved. He went on to speak about the Department of Health, and why there was a reassigning of the salaries, reassign of salaries from consultancy to the respiratory hospital. And it's simply, Mr. Speaker, to assist with the transitioning of the respiratory hospital. Mr. Speaker, yes, the transition, to helping the transition to the respiratory. Sorry. When you get on your feet, you could ask the Prime Minister those questions. I don't think you should be addressing them to me. The Prime Minister sufficiently enough, all the Minister of Health, to deal with Mr. Speaker, I responded to the questions that he posed. I responded to the questions. So when you make your contribution, you will extend your points. Mr. Speaker, as time goes by, as crises emerge and as hope blossoms, we are shaping the history of this country together. For this, Mr. Speaker, we would like to say thank you. Thank you to the people of San Jose for their trust, for their patience, for their resilience. Today, Mr. Speaker, we are in a much better shape. It is all about people and people above all. Mr. Speaker, we have wisely leveraged our inherent strengths to protect our socioeconomic structure and provide the momentum for our recovery. Today, Mr. Speaker, the results are unquestionable. These figures, Mr. Speaker, prove our economic policies are right. And we will continue in this direction. Supply chain disruptions, the war in Ukraine are all impacting prices globally. And the former Minister of Finance, the member for Microsoft, is very keen on using the word austerity. I'm not quite sure if he understands what it actually means. But we are not in the business. This government and this party is not in the business of bringing hardship to the average solution. We are not in the business. No, we are not. And the figures prove what you're saying is, sorry? These inflationary pressures require us to act promptly. It is only with strong economic growth that we will drive our future. With more jobs, higher skills, higher production, greater investment, lower inflation and lower debt. COVID-19, Mr. Speaker, and the conflict in Ukraine are powerful reminders that self-sufficiency is vital. No one would have conceived, Mr. Speaker, that in the 21st century, the world will be apprehensive of food supply shortages. For us, as a country, producing more is no longer just an option. And the Minister of Agriculture touched on that yesterday. Higher levels of self-sufficiency not only means greater food security, but also more investment, more jobs and higher growth. We also need, Mr. Speaker, to support the transformation of the agricultural sector through mechanization, innovation and sustainability. Mr. Speaker, we will continue, Mr. Speaker, to support the expansion of this sector by giving due recognition to locally manufactured products and encouraging exports of Senusian goods. The tourism sector, Mr. Speaker, is fast recovering. We are confident that we will achieve pre-pandemic figures in the tourism sector. This shows, Mr. Speaker, that Senusia remains a destination of choice for travelers. We want everyone arriving in Senusia to be given the opportunity to discover our unique products and our unique sites. We need to support and reignite our incredible arts, culture and historical institutions. Mr. Speaker, it is an industry arts culture that brings together our sense of identity and unites us as one nation. We need to build on this momentum. Small and medium-sized businesses, Mr. Speaker, are the lifeblood of our economy and a powerhouse of growth and employment. Government will spend no effort to nurture the growth of small and medium-sized businesses. This budget ensures that Senusia remains among the most business-friendly countries in the world, for businesses to invest, train, recruit and innovate. The cleaning and green of Senusia is truly a nationwide effort. In advancing this green transition, we will secure a more sustainable future for ourselves and our children. Recently, Mr. Speaker, the island was, or I should say, a particular constituency was disrupted by a major financial crisis in Senusia. We will continue to continue to do so. We will continue to do so. We will continue to do so. Our thoughts are with those who have lost their homes and their belongings. Nothing can overcome the personal pain and loss. But we will stand by these communities, as the member for Grossly did say yesterday. We will stand by these communities to build resilience to flash floods and other unpredictable weather conditions. Our vision is that of a sustainable solution, greener, more efficient, more inclusive and more resilient. We need to reimagine our towns and villages as areas of sustainable living. This government has the unflinching conviction that the strength and resilience of our economy resides in inclusiveness and not benefits for just a few. We will spare no effort, Mr. Speaker, to ensure that all solutions have access to an equitable and quality education system, resilient healthcare, affordable housing, modern amenities and a safe environment. Mr. Speaker, the key to our development agenda is education. It is the source of opportunity for every solution. And constituents of my Mr. Speaker are now benefiting from the one university graduate for household. I have constituents of mine now, Mr. Speaker, in Taiwan and a few hopefully on the way to Taiwan this summer. In 2022, there have been a marked improvement in the performance of students in the Ansari County's constituency. I would also like to thank the member for then enough for always accompanying me on my school visits in the constituency. We will continue to invest to help every child achieve his full potential. Government, Mr. Speaker, will continue to support students with special education needs and learning disabilities. Two years ago, Mr. Speaker, we were faced with the worst and most unpredictable health crisis in our history. Throughout the pandemic, solutions, in particular our health care workers have been exemplary on the frontline fighting against the unknown to protect the lives of our loved ones. We, Mr. Speaker, are much stronger now. What the pandemic however has taught us is that we need to relentlessly improve our public health ecosystem and strengthen our resilience. This entails, Mr. Speaker, sustaining investments in infrastructure, technology, and skills. Therefore, we are increasing the health care budget to strengthen the capacity of the public health sector to deliver high quality services. We are providing for further recruitment of staff. The development and promotion of sports, Mr. Speaker, be it at a community or professional level, are key to a more resilient population. We will continue to support our athletes to participate in various high-level events. We also, Mr. Speaker, want to provide our youth the means to enhance their creativity, desire to read, and engage in sports. Government will continue, Mr. Speaker, to support the police in upholding law and order and for a safer solution for one and all. We are there for Mr. Speaker, providing funding to the police to offer quality and efficient service to the population. Mr. Speaker, I will turn quite quickly to the budget I will turn and the prospects. Mr. Speaker, the estimates confirm the effectiveness of our strategy. We will thus achieve our objective towards bringing on public debt to potential levels. The budget, this budget is driven by investment. We are investing to build resilience in our economy, in our public finances, and most importantly, in our people. Mr. Speaker, I will now elaborate on some of the measures for each and everyone. Government will support the people as it is always done. We have stood by the population, provided sensible advice to the then government while the pandemic was at its worst, and we will continue to stand by them. By them, I refer to the people of Central shock, not the opposition. This is why the focus of the measures announced will be investing in people. Mr. Speaker, we are subject to pressures from external shocks, disruptions to global supply chains, rising energy and commodity prices, magnified by the war in Ukraine, have impacted on the cost of living. We are not, Mr. Speaker, insensitive to this situation. We are not, Mr. Speaker, insensitive to this situation. We are not, Mr. Speaker, insensitive to this situation. This government has a responsibility to help those who are most impacted by rising prices. This is why we will provide direct support to the most vulnerable, the disabled and the pensioners. But also, Mr. Speaker, to middle income earners who are facing challenging times as well, we will ensure, Mr. Speaker, that no one is left behind because our people, our people, Mr. Speaker, need relief today. We have proposed meaningful targeted and appropriate measures to make life more affordable. We will ensure, Mr. Speaker, in terms of products, remain accessible to the population. Sorry? We will ensure essential products. You said bus fare and rent. You in government not, and bread, you in government not long ago, we will ensure that essential products are and remain accessible to the population. Because we will therefore continue to pay less for flour. And again, the government is subsidizing the price of flour. Sorry? The price of bread went up. Cooking gas. Cooking gas is another item that the vast majority of solution households need in their everyday life. We are therefore providing a subsidy to keep the price of a cylinder of cooking gas the same. Mr. Speaker, more jobs means more income. And more income means higher purchasing power. Fortunately, our economy is well on the recovery path. Jobs are available to the people, sectors such as renewable energy, ICT, manufacturing, tourism and construction are all in need of more employees. It is a unique opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to bring thousands of young solutions and women into the labour force. Mr. Speaker, more jobs for our people enables easier access to property. For many, owning a home is a life goal. This government will continue to help to make it a reality. We will ensure, Mr. Speaker, that each and every citizen has a decent and safe home to live in for himself and his family. A safe, decent and affordable place to live can make a difference in the life of a family. We believe, Mr. Speaker, that ending poverty starts with every solution having access to home ownership. The low-income households are the hardest hit by the rising prices. We know they struggle. We know that times are hard for them. We will not stay idle in the face of their difficulties. We will help them face these challenging times just as we have always done and we will continue to do. This is the philosophy of a central labour party government. Today, we are further strengthening our support to the people of Tenoche. We know that Tenoche households have insufficient means to support the essential needs of their families. Without government support, they will be unable to sustain their basic expenses. They are nonetheless, Mr. Speaker, the ones who are paying the highest price for inflation. Vulnerability leading to social exclusion is a risk that we don't want any of our citizens to face. COVID-19 has put to the test our social resilience. It is in the most difficult of times that you challenge yourself and go beyond the norms both individually and collectively. Throughout the pandemic, we have seen a formidable sense of solidarity among solutions. We have supported each other individually through NGOs. We, Mr. Speaker, will build on this momentum to further back our NGOs and charitable institutions in the impressive work that they do. And, Mr. Speaker, it is well outlined in the estimates. I will not be going through the heads again. You see, other people, Mr. Speaker, are also experiencing higher costs. We need to further help them to meet their everyday needs. Our elderly are those who have made the success of Tenoche. Today, we have achieved as a nation what we have achieved as a nation, sorry, Mr. Speaker, we owe it to them. We owe it to the devotion, the effort, the sacrifice, the passion for building this country. They deserve all of our respect, our support and our affection. Today, Mr. Speaker, they are indeed severely impacted by the rising prices. We need to further support them. Mr. Speaker, the older we are, the more costly life becomes. And it's for that reason, Mr. Speaker, we are determined to assist the elderly. Besides the support, Mr. Speaker, to the vulnerable, the disabled and the pensioners, we are also given special attention to those who do not need our support in normal times. Today too, Mr. Speaker, are also affected by the rising cost of living. We can and we need to ease their burden throughout these trying times. The government will continue to support Tenoche families. It is our priority. We will support them in the welfare and education of their children, in the healthcare of their families and in preparing for the future. The rising cost of living is affecting not only Tenoche, but also the middle income earners. This government is conscious that they both require direct relief now. Whereas the middle class is usually able to cater for their families, today it is irrefutable that they also need support. We are responding to their call. Is it the right thing to do? The answer can only be yes. Mr. Speaker, I want to spend a little time discussing some of my constituency matters. Mr. Speaker, our strategy, the philosophy, the vision of the Prime Minister is for the people, by the people. Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity, Mr. Speaker, yesterday to listen to the member of Babuno, and a few days earlier, the Prime Minister said to her to keep her secrets and not share it. I will heed his advice and I will not share all of mine. But I want to show the people of Ansari Canaries that I am in the kitchen and I am in the kitchen. I am in the kitchen with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance. And nothing goes out the door if we don't reserve a little bit of it for the people of Ansari Canaries. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, when we are speaking about the home care givers, the street lighting, the repairs of our jetty both in Ansari and in Canaries, I know the Minister of Tourism is working very hard to ensure that we have defined from the CTA that we could repair the house in Ansari and the installation of boys. Mr. Speaker, the Otawa Court, which has long been a dream for the young people of the constituency, is about to be littered. Other sporting facilities based on my discussions of sport will begin the love and attention that they so desire. Mr. Speaker, we have the housing sites in Jackmel, Ansari and Canaries. They look forward to the Minister of Housing with lightning rapidity to spend our lack with it too, to develop and make those passes of land available to my constituents. Mr. Speaker, we have repaired, installed, and will continue to erect bus stops. The Jonas Road, Mr. Speaker, was improved. The Vanna-Venus Ansari Link Road, Mr. Speaker, will continue to complete as per the contract. Mr. Speaker, but more importantly, we have embarked on the solarisation of the fishers complex in Ansari. And the difference, Mr. Speaker, is whatever that we are saving from the cost of electricity will be put into a fund to help the fishermen whether it is for medical purposes or to send the children to school. There will be an interpretation centre and boardwalk in the mangrove in Ansari thanks to some funding from the European Union. A new bridge, Mr. Speaker, will be erected in Ansari. Another gym, Mr. Speaker, is about to be commenced in Jackmel. Lights on the plane fill in Jackmel, Mr. Speaker, and hoping without any shenanigans unlike what happened in the past, will become a reality. The lights on the van are caught. We also have a smart classroom in Canaries. We also, with the permission and the funding from the Minister of Tourism, will be having Carnival in Ansari and in Canaries. I did not request any assistance for jazz, but I have requested assistance for Carnival. The sun has set. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my appreciation, deepest gratitude to the staff of the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and the youth economy for their commitment, Mr. Speaker, to this process. I would like to also extend my appreciation to the stakeholders who have shared their views and all those who have contributed to the preparation of this budget. We have given due consideration, Mr. Speaker, to their suggestion. Let us make no mistake. The measures unveiled, Mr. Speaker, are certainly not a cost. And I know the Leader of the Opposition, the Member for South, because South will refer to them as a cost, Mr. Speaker. But in our view, Mr. Speaker, they are an investment. An investment in our country, an investment in our future, an investment in our people. Mr. Speaker, to close, I would like to share this quote from Joseph A. Stiglitz. The only true and sustainable prosperity is shared prosperity. I thank you, Mr. Speaker.