Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My Member's statement today is about community empowerment. This is a phrase which is used repeatedly by this government and I know it raises questions in the minds of some people.

First of all, I will explain, according to my understanding, what community empowerment is not. It is not the colonial approach to government that has existed for so long in the North. Colonial, by definition, means control by one power over a dependent area of people. This conjures up an image of an out-of-touch, top-heavy bureaucracy which dictates the choices, priorities and agenda of communities; communities which may be vastly different in terms of size, demographics and culture.

Community empowerment is not a central government which sets global policies which apply across the board regardless of these vast differences. Community empowerment is and encompasses such things as multi-year block funding, community transfer of programs and services, training, ownership of infrastructure and assets, community justice and wellness. This major change in focus in the way the government does business raises many questions in the minds of the people who know how the government works now. Even with the shortfalls of the present system, some may find it more comfortable to maintain the status quo. Questions about community empowerment; big answers. I will only raise a couple of these questions today as they relate to things that are being asked in my riding.

For example, in communities where a local government may consist of a hamlet council and a band council, which is the recognized body for transfer purposes? In my particular riding, I have a First Nations Dene council, I have a town council and I also have a Metis Nation council. As another example, a well-established shed business community, primarily centralized in larger communities has been built on the premise of the policies now in place. These businesses service and supply surrounding communities. With capital and O and M dollars in the hands of communities, are the current policies of purchasing and tendering applicable anymore? Who pays when the money runs out before the project does?

Minister Todd, in his Budget Address, indicates that he wants the private sector to take up the challenge of creating jobs. It's a statistical fact that 70 per cent of investment for economic expansion in the small business sector comes from within...