Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me start off by talking briefly on how previous assemblies worked. We did have standing committees of this House. Previously, regarding the process of developing budgets, it was Cabinet and FMB that developed the budget and then we put it forward to the Finance committee and then it came to the House. So the Members only saw the budgets and any amalgamation or business plans once they were completed. Then they had the opportunity or the ability to remove things, cut from any capital or O and M budget that we did present to this House. They did not have the ability to put anything in their budgets.
In the 13th Legislative Assembly, which we all sit in today, we all agreed that all Members of this Legislative Assembly would have input in developing those budgets. So we have adopted some of the principles of the previous government and we have presented draft budgets and draft business plans of the departments to ordinary Members' committees. Members have had the opportunity to have input into not only taking things out of that budget, but putting things in. So now this time when we come up with a budget and we come up with business plans for this government for the direction we are going, it is going to be the first time in history of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories that all Members have had the opportunity to have input into the development of that budget.
So in the new way of doing business, Members have had the opportunity to have input, as well as to remove things and put things in. So I feel it is a better way to operate and I look forward to continuing to operate like that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.