Committee members look forward to the opportunity to comment on the findings of the review of the Northwest Territories Child Protection Service completed by the Child Welfare League of Canada.

It is hoped that given the significant amount of money spent on hiring a southern contractor, the recommendations contained in this review will provide the department with many ways to improve child protection in the Northwest Territories. Committee members are committed to working with the department to improve the child protection services in the NWT.

In a related matter, there is concern on the part of committee members that the department may have too many initiatives and reviews going on at the same time. While committee members do see the need for the initiatives and reviews the department is working on, the concern is whether there are sufficient resources and staff to implement initiatives or analyze reviews. The committee would like to remind the department that members would prefer to see programs or initiatives that are an unqualified success, rather than programs and initiatives that do not meet their objectives.

Members will be examining future business plans to determine whether the department has overextended itself.