Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning. Mr. Speaker, later today, I will table a report on progress in Government of the Northwest Territories Year 2000 Initiative.
As my honourable colleagues may be aware, the Year 2000 problem, sometimes referred to as Y2K or the millennium bug, is a potentially serious issue that can affect microprocessors in many types of equipment. Computers are the most obvious target of this bug, but other systems such as controls for buildings' mechanical systems, medical equipment or vehicles may also be affected.
The Government of the Northwest Territories has taken this problem very seriously. Work began back in 1996 to evaluate the potential impact and to develop a strategy to deal with it. Given the distributed nature of many of the Government of the Northwest Territories information technology systems, and the wide variety of other systems that may be affected, each department was asked to develop a plan to address its specific needs. The Financial Management Board Secretariat coordinates this work.
I am pleased to report that significant progress has been made in tackling this problem. Eighty-one percent of the Government of the Northwest Territories major computer systems, systems that keep this government functioning on a daily basis, have been evaluated and corrected. Also, 85 percent of the personal computers currently in use have been evaluated and are ready for the Year 2000. The local area networks that allow our computers to communicate with one another have also been evaluated and 83 percent are Year 2000 compliant.
Systems with embedded chips pose a particular problem. It is often not obvious where embedded chips are in use. Of the embedded systems identified to date, fully 98 percent have been identified and deemed to be Year 2000 compliant. Efforts in this area continue.
This report provides much more information on both the nature of the problem and the work that has been done so far. It is this government's intent to make this information available to the public, and to any other parties who may have an interest in our Year 2000 efforts. It is the nature of such a project that this information will change, virtually on a daily basis. This report will be updated monthly to keep it current. Copies of the report are available from the Financial Management Board Secretariat, or on the Government of the Northwest Territories Website.
It is important to recognize that the Year 2000 problem is enormous in scope and has no precedent. As a result, it is impossible to guarantee that every single eventuality can be addressed through this initiative. It is our intent to ensure that our most important services are not interrupted by this problem. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
--Applause