Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question will be for the Premier and it's on community empowerment. I know we've discussed this many times during this session but, as we learn about community empowerment, naturally, we see other areas that crop up that may be of concern. My concern is that some communities in a certain region may choose to take over responsibilities for certain programs and not others, yet another community in that region may take over a different choice of programs. One community, for example, may choose to deliver services connected with housing and health, but not training for employment. Another community in that region may choose to control employment training only and take no other responsibilities.
The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs has frequently stated that no community will be forced to take on any responsibility it does not want. However, does that mean that the GNWT will have to keep departmental staff levels up in order to continue to provide adequate services to communities that choose not to deliver some services? This means that our government will have to pay for staff to deliver services to some communities, but provide block funding to other communities who take over their own responsibilities. It seems to me that our government will soon have a very confusing arrangement in some cases; and, in some cases, a duplicate cost of service delivery. My question, Mr. Speaker, is under the mandate of community empowerment, can a community choose some responsibilities and not others.