Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Like my colleague, Mr. Roland, the refocusing in the department's vision statement is a fairly significant piece of work. I personally tend to support the direction this department is taking to align itself in a more business-like fashion.
It has been an interesting exercise, at least in the committees, or in the departments that have been reviewed through the committee I sit on, the Economic Development Committee. Various departments seem to have different ideas about what a vision statement is, goals and strategies. Perhaps through the lead of this department, there will be some further alignment and tuning of other departments. Again, what I would support is a more business-like orientation.
The growth in the department was naturally a focus of attention. It is a consequence, as the Premier has point out, of some forced growth, some layers of government and administration being taken on into the department and some new initiatives. I guess for me, there is a good side and a bad side to this.
There is a concentration and a subsequent growth in the Department of the Executive. It signals a couple of things. That this department has the lead, political, trouble-shooter, take charge, take initiative in government. It is the one that is certainly closest to Cabinet. It has a responsibility to be fairly innovative and move aggressively on important items. We have gone over these several times, Intergovernmental Forum, the change in regional orientation, significant moves for this government. I support them.
There is a balance in what we are seeing in many other areas, and overall erosion of public investment at the community and regional level on the ground. Two examples there, Mr. Chairman, are the cuts to municipal block-funding and the steadily declining investment in capital spending. While the Minister has indicated he has listened to the committee and has gone in and found some more dollars and some more streamlining, there is a concentration and subsequent growth in this department that tends to catch attention and will continue to do so. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That is all for now.