Mr. Speaker, today I will provide Members with an update on community empowerment and the progress our government has made in working with communities.

Last summer, extensive consultation on community empowerment took place and we found positive support for the initiative. In October, Members of this Assembly discussed community empowerment and its implementation. Members were assured that community empowerment is community-driven. That means communities set the pace and communities decide when they want to pursue greater opportunities.

The motion of support for community empowerment is proof that Members are behind this initiative and willing to help it become a reality in all of our communities. I thank you for this support. I want to assure Members that we are committed to continuously improving this initiative as it proceeds. Your suggestions are important and help influence the thinking and ideas that lead to positive change. Community empowerment is delegating an appropriate level of authority and control from the territorial government to the community level of government. With authority and control comes accountability.

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Government Operations recommended that the Auditor General of Canada undertake an independent review of the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs to assess and determine the financial health of communities through their municipal reporting processes.

I am pleased to report that my department has begun work with the office of the Auditor General to identify and address the accountability issues. Meetings, including a full day presentation by my department on how we monitor municipal financing, have been held with the Auditor General's staff. These meetings have already proven beneficial to both parties and we look forward to receiving and sharing their report on our municipal processes.

Mr. Speaker, my department is updating its Community Development Strategy which will outline the community and government process for reviewing and approving proposals for transfer. A lot of work has also been done on the issues associated with the transfer of infrastructure to communities. While some issues are still outstanding, implementation is proceeding.

Infrastructure transfers will result in communities owning additional infrastructure that they will have control of. With ownership, Mr. Speaker, comes additional responsibility. Regional infrastructure workshops are being planned to assist communities with these new responsibilities. At these workshops, community leaders will have an opportunity to discuss infrastructure transfer issues related to community empowerment.

Mr. Speaker, departments have identified a number of social programs that can be made available for transfer. These include community supervision, Education Act provisions, child and family services, Aboriginal Custom Adoption Act, community wellness funding and social housing programs, including rental and home ownership programs.

Other outstanding issues include financing community empowerment, liability and labour relations issues. Sorting out all the outstanding issues is a complex process, but I am pleased to report that the work is progressing and being prepared for Cabinet's review. I look forward to discussions with Members on these matters.

Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to working with communities to ensure that community empowerment is successful. We have developed a community development approach to help communities identify where they need to develop expertise, skills and capacities to take on greater control, authority and responsibility. Mr. Speaker, I will soon be making another statement explaining the good work that has been done to prepare the community development tools.

To highlight, Mr. Speaker, successful community development starts with planning. Community-based planning is a way for people to work together to improve the existing and future conditions of their community. It is a tool communities can use to establish a vision of what they want to achieve and how to achieve it.

To determine if a community has the resources and capacity to successfully delivery community programs and services, a community assessment is done. Assessments help communities to identify existing community resources, skills, capacity and training needs required to reach their future goals. For those communities with identified training needs, training opportunities are also available.

Communities that are not ready to pursue community empowerment can still benefit from community based planning, assessment and training. We encourage communities to take advantage of these community development opportunities. Regional interdepartmental teams are available now to facilitate the planning and assessment work in communities.

Mr. Speaker, over the next week I am going to speak more specifically on how we are working with communities to build community capacity to take on more responsibility from the territorial government. I will also share with Members examples of our community empowerment successes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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