Thank you Mr. Chairman. I want to repeat a statement I made yesterday as a preface to my remarks and that is that I support community control and management. I support communities to control and manage their own affairs, especially in the areas of prime importance to them.
Yesterday, I spoke about my concerns and I also raised some rhetorical questions. At the end of my comments here, I would like to make those as actual questions.
Yesterday, other Members spoke and some Members, I felt were made to feel that criticism was levelled at them for their comments. One comment that was made was that, as politicians, we should be involved in public policy not micro-managing. I believe I have a responsibility to comment, criticize and generally question and compliment the government direction, government policies, government programs and government initiatives. In the course of my job of doing that, if I am micro-managing, then so be it. I am micro-managing. But that is my job.
I said yesterday that community empowerment is an extremely complex process. The words "community empowerment" sound simple but the words of tremendous complexities associated with them and my concerns are following.
That community empowerment not be instituted too fast. That communities determine the pace of the initiative. That pilot projects be assessed and reports be prepared. That success models be used as role models.
Building community governments as we know them today started in the late 1960's and early 1970's. It is correct that prior to 1967, and some years after in certain areas of the Territories, area administrators were the people in charge. They controlled people. They did things in communities that was not acceptable and certainly not acceptable today. And it was not a good system. But it was a system that was there to bring government into the North.
The new system took many years to take root when the territorial government moved here in 1967 and it was emphasized for many years to develop local government. And yes it was rudimentary. Mr. Evaloarjuk and Mr. Rabesca were part of that government in those days. I just want to remind Members of that. Eventually that system served as a good system, for many years. And now we are ready to move on. We are ready to move on to new systems again.
We are ready to go into an evolution of community empowerment. We want to give communities responsibilities. Public housing, transportation, education, economic development, renewable resources, workfare, welfare reform, community justice, health, social services. That is what communities want to take over. There has to be a concern also with the form of government that is going to take place in Nunavut. It is my understanding that has not been totally decided yet. Neither have we decided it in the West. We do not yet know what form this territorial government will take completely.
The government initiative that is before us is twofold. One is empower communities and the other is to cut costs. Now those are my general comments that I want to repeat. I support community empowerment. But let me get to the question.
When we hand over responsibility for all programs in the communities, and I mean you are talking to me about all communities in the Northwest Territories, not just Cambridge Bay, not just the larger communities. You are saying to me that all the communities are going to get this. How does the Minister envision the administration will be done in the communities and how does she envision that the municipal councils will function? And I would like to ask the Minister that.