Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a preliminary report on Doing Our Part, the Government of the Northwest Territories' Response to the Social Agenda.

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight had its first look at the Government of the Northwest Territories' Response to the Social Agenda on October 30, 2002, when it was tabled in the Legislative Assembly. The committee sincerely wishes that the document had been tabled earlier in the session to allow Members an opportunity to raise questions and have a more informed debate during this sitting of the Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, the committee is encouraged by the government's acceptance and agreement to all of the recommendations put forward by the Social Agenda Working Group. However, we had hoped that the response would have been developed in collaboration with the same stakeholder groups.

Mr. Speaker, members of the committee are disappointed that the Premier did not take the opportunity to mention the $1.4 million in new funding to support several of the activities outlined in the response in his statement to the Legislative Assembly. The news was not released until late on October 30, 2002, and Regular Members learned about this at the same time as the public through a press release.

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight looks forward to finding out where this money is being allocated and for what purposes. Committee members question if this amount of money will be sufficient to address in a meaningful way the recommendations made by the Social Agenda Working Group. We need to know if there are plans for any more money allocated in this fiscal year.

Mr. Speaker, the committee expects to be involved in the development of any government-wide social policy principles and spending as recommended by the Social Agenda Working Group, with the expectation that the government will present a progress report to the Legislative Assembly in February 2003.

Mr. Speaker, that concludes the preliminary report of the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight on Doing Our Part, the Government of the Northwest Territories' Response to the Social Agenda.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that Committee Report 2-14(6) be received and adopted by the Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker,