Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I would like to quickly respond, starting with the honourable Member's last point regarding the work plan to address the concerns with lands administration operations. The department has developed an internal work plan to begin to address some of the issues that were identified in the study. We will be implementing this internal work plan to address the different issues. I take the Member's comments very seriously. Their urge for the department to work with the standing committee and the NWTAM. The NWTAM is the organization we have been working with as a department, and we will continue to work with them on lands administration operations.
We would like to work with the standing committee on this matter, because it is an area of big concern to all of the communities throughout the North. This whole area has been left for some time now. With the impending self-government arrangements which are just around the corner, the whole area of municipal lands is going to be addressed. We need to have a good understanding of that. This is how I would like to make the point that the work plan is more of an internal one to begin to address some of the issues we have identified. Once we have an idea on how to approach it, we will address that with the standing committee, and share it with the NWTAM.
The block-funding arrangement is fairly new to this government. The changes happened about four years ago with Yellowknife in 1995, and 1996-97 with the other communities that began to join this new way of government funding, the tax-based municipalities.
Each municipality came up with their own way of funding. It was not strategically thought out to be fair and equitable. Each community is unique in its own way. They each have their strengths and weaknesses. That is how the block-funding was arranged.
The water and sewer subsidy program is in there. Some of the communities are separate and some are included in the operations and maintenance. Once we looked at it, we found out there is no consistency in that approach. We really need to work to see how we could address this area.
The legislative changes, we are just beginning to develop an approach on that. We are in the process of beginning to review the municipal legislation. This has been ongoing since 1995. This review was a joint project with this department and the NWTAM. The department is preparing a legislative proposal based on a report submitted to this Assembly in December of 1998. This legislative proposal for the Dogrib Community Government Act, which is based on a self-government arrangement, has to be prepared as well. The two proposals are coming forward here and will be reviewed.
We will be consulting with the NWTAM in about one month or so on these two areas. We will be reviewing these two proposals approximately at the same time.
The timing, again, I have already mentioned that earlier to other honourable Members, that this department is quite aware that we need to work out, and to ensure enough time is given to the tax-based municipalities, or any municipality, with any changes that may happen to any funding level. We take note of that. Thank you.