Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I along with some other Members have some concern with the funding and where it is being spent. In this area, we look at the Social Agenda. That was a move that surprised members of the Governance and Economic Development Committee when we heard that this is in fact now in the Executive.
We have heard a number of explanations, but it still does not seem to fit in that area in light of the programs we would be involved with in the Governance and Economic Development Committee. Maybe it belongs better as Regular Members in AOC, so I do not know where that would fall under, putting monies with certain departments.
As well as the Energy Secretariat, Mr. Chairman, it lines up with other energy initiatives and there is quite a list of them. When we look at initiatives by this government, whether it is Arctic Energy Alliance or if it is the next section, the hydro initiative, as well as within the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development and the Housing Corporation, there are a number of energy areas within departments.
As Mr. Dent just raised, in the area of participation with different groups in the Intergovernmental Forum, when we talk about governance structures, that, Mr. Chairman, is fairly significant in the fact that previous governments of the Assembly have tried to work and deal with that issue on its own in the area of constitutional development. Here we see it at a table that is removed, in a sense, from this Assembly. All we would be receiving is updates.
At some point, it is going to have to come back to the people in this Assembly for ratification, so hopefully that is being reviewed. In fact, again, when you tie it to another initiative, we have a special committee out there on the sunset clause and self-government, as well as the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, which deals with a lot of the groups as well. We seem to be spreading ourselves all over the place in the sense of covering all the bases and trying to do everything at once, from a number of different areas.
That concerns me, Mr. Chairman. When we look at that in the area of program dollars, as I see it, in the Social Agenda. For example, under the Energy Strategy, demonstration project in innovations of energy technology, you would think that would fall under a number of other areas within this government and not in this Cabinet Secretariat.
There are concerns here. I would like to know from the Minister if this is in fact going to be an ongoing process from within this government and Cabinet as they look for places to stick different programs. Is this a trend that we are starting to see here, Mr. Chairman?