Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. The question of ombudsman, as the Member indicated, has been around for some time. I think every jurisdiction in Canada except perhaps for one or two provinces and territories don't have an ombudsman. In the past there have been questions of cost. I think an ombudsman office costs up to $10 million in Quebec. I guess Yukon is the closest example, where it's about $400,000. That was one of the issues.

The Government Operations committee supported it. It was recommended. The 17^th Assembly ran out of time to get it done, so it was put forward as a recommendation from the 17^th Assembly to the 18^th Assembly as a transition item. Certainly, if I am elected Premier, and all Members support or reinforce the need and agree for the need of an ombudsman, I would be very prepared to do so. I think that certainly I am aware of instances where individuals have long-standing issues that they've tried to address through the government and come up against many dead ends. I know last Assembly we also interacted with the ombudsman from Ontario who was very persuasive and he was very proud of the work that he did as an ombudsman and of the fact that he could resolve long-outstanding issues for employees, government employees or individuals in Ontario. Certainly, I'd be prepared to move forward with it and move forward in a timely basis. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.