Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The primary role of the Department of Executive is to support Cabinet by translating its political direction into administrative action so the entire government and its partners can succeed in achieving goals arising from Towards a Better Tomorrow.

The work of the department also includes support to the Premier's office, Ministers' offices and the Executive Council; coordination of the government's relations with other governments and with the public; government-wide strategic planning and policy development coordination; corporate human resource services; support to departments to improve government-wide communications; and the provision of protocol services.

Mr. Chairman, during the life of this government, the department has been assigned the lead for a number of key initiatives necessary to fulfill our collective vision. These include the Northwest Territories Energy Strategy, Maximizing Northern Employment and the Social Agenda Framework. I have already briefed the House on the social agenda. Because we are not seeking additional funding for this initiative in this budget, my remarks will focus on the other initiatives I have mentioned.