Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the weekend I was privileged to be in Inuvik to participate in the opening of the new health insurance services division. Mr. Speaker, it was over one year ago, on June 16, 1992, that announcements of decentralization were made. Inuvik was chosen as the regional centre for this branch of the Department of Health. There have been many positive effects of this decision, especially in Inuvik, where the 12 employees who were transferred, currently 10 are employed in the division. Of those ten, I think nine of them are from the Inuvik region. There are many people to thank and many departments and agencies involved in the timing of the opening. I would like to thank Arctic College for the decentralization training program they put in place for this, the Department of Health, all the new staff who were trained and are now working in these offices, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation who own the building these offices are in and lease back to the government and the people of Inuvik for attending the opening and witnessing this historic event.
In cases of decisions like this, I will personally continue to support initiatives to decentralize, not only in my own constituency, but across the north wherever it is feasible. When we make decisions such as this, it allows government to bring the delivery of their programs closer to the people of the north. Mahsi.
---Applause