Mr. Speaker, it has been a year since we came together as the 13th Assembly and we faced a difficult challenge. We have met that challenge to a degree, but I find myself questioning, have we approached it from the right angle? I know we have to, for future generations, balance the budget. For the lives of the future, for our children, for education and health care, we need to manage our way through this. Mr. Speaker, my concern is that we are focusing on government and not the people. My year here has taught me that within this arena we deal with policy, procedure and process.
I will refer to a comment by a colleague, when it comes to the constitutional affairs of the NWT, that although they have great significant political value - they have little nutritional value. I believe that as a government we need to start focusing on the people in our communities. The people in our communities have become dependent on the way government does business. I believe we are trying to change that focus. I think in all we do, we need to sit back and think of the people in our communities when we look at the way the government operates. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.