Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mrs. Groenewegen on May 8, 1996, on the GNWT position on transfers of program and facilities to municipalities.
The Member is correct in her statement that, under the community transfer process, the government agreed to work with municipal councils, band councils, community corporations and Metis locals in whatever way the community decided it wanted to approach transfers.
Under the community empowerment initiative, we will be talking to communities about how they might decide the kind of governing structure which best suits their particular and unique needs.
The government prefers to deal with a single community governing or administrative organization which is accountable to all residents of the community. In Nunavut communities, this will, in all probability, be the municipal government.
In the West, community governance is a little more complicated. It is the community residents, not the central government, that must decide how the community can best be served. If it is a community's wish that the government enter into transfer arrangements directly with a community council, band council, community corporation or Metis local; the government will consider ways to do so. It will be the challenge of community residents and their governing organizations to develop community consensus on these matters. The government can then respond. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have another one.