Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on the issue of regional reorganization. It is an issue I have brought up numerous times, whether it be in committee or in this forum, to request from this government their plans or what the movement is on regional reorganization.

Mr. Speaker, since we have come into this Assembly, it has been discussed at the level of, we are moving ahead, we have to change the way this map of the Northwest Territories looks because of the self-government processes going on, and how the government programs are delivered through this evolving system.

Mr. Speaker, no plan has been put forward. Nothing has been identified in the sense of timelines as to how different departments will gear up in different areas and which regions today will be impacted by some of the decisions made. Mr. Speaker, I represent a community that is considered a regional centre to a large degree, whether it be by the private sector, for example, like the oil and gas interests today, or in government programs and services in their delivery.

Mr. Speaker, when I worked for the government many years ago as an apprentice mechanic, we used to travel throughout the western Arctic from Deline up to Sachs Harbour and all of the communities in between. Over the years, that has been cut back to a large degree and communities and other centres have developed, which is an appropriate way to go, Mr. Speaker.

Without a plan, it can be done haphazardly and cost more than is done so today. With the government expenditures as they are, knowing, as some might say, that we are in a surplus situation when you look at the dollars we expend on a yearly basis overall, we are in a rather tight situation.

Mr. Speaker, for my constituents, I am seeking to know if this government has a plan or a map that will spell out what my community will look like after regional reorganization is completed. With that, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the appropriate Minister. Thank you.

-- Applause