Mr. Speaker, I realize that over the years the establishment of government in the Northwest Territories has occurred along the lines of programs that were federal programs offered to any provincial jurisdiction, Northwest Territories and the Yukon territory. Those programs were predesigned in one package. If you wanted to access those programs, the access were with the guidelines and the criteria that have been established. Clearly, from the community discussions over a number of years, communities have objected to having to take programs that already have guidelines that really didn't fit into the community. We've heard that message for a long time now, not just in the last couple of years. It's not a revelation, it's something that has been haunting many of us for the last 15 or 20 years on how do you make those changes and how do you give and empower the communities with the necessary tools to look after themselves; and how do you build individual self-esteem, dignity and pride; and how do you help community leaders guide the community into a healthy community?

Certainly, that type of flexible approach has not been awarded to the community. It has not been awarded to the GNWT because the programs have been designed at the federal level with the anticipation that it could suit anybody anywhere and not have the problems of trying to be flexible.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that it has been with the protests that have come from the aboriginal organizations and from Northwest Territories communities and leaders, of how much destruction has been done to communities and community well-being by creating dependence on a welfare system that really was a negative system and really didn't support growth and well-being. The community wellness strategy -- as the honourable Member for Iqaluit has indicated -- does lead to discussion away from the bureaucratic approach to how programs and services have been applied in the past and looks to giving more to the community. The communities certainly want to take a hold of the issues that arise in their community, they want to resolve problems; but they want the tools and the flexibility to do so.

This document is really a document that has come out of a lot of discussions over the last number of years in trying to empower the communities to take on that responsibility and that accountability. It's going to be a major change. Recently, with the meeting with the group that has been set up under Mr. Nerysoo's responsibility on income reform, it was clearly stated that while communities were very excited and really looking forward to getting the show on the road, they were a bit apprehensive that we'll get the kick-start, people will get excited, then the ball would be dropped. So we had to make a commitment on behalf of all the Legislative Assembly Members and Cabinet that we're behind this initiative, we want it to work. And the communities are the ones that will have to grapple with the issues at home, and we have to try to provide the tools so they can resolve and set direction and priorities to resolve their problems.

So, yes, it does answer that one question. It's a long answer, but I think it's a pretty exciting thing when people say this is what we've been saying all along, now can we get on and get it done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.