Mr. Chairman, Committee Report 14-14(6), first, we've already gone through the detail on this. Maybe just quickly I'll summarize the background and process we used at arriving at this report. We do have some committee motions that committee would like to make, but we'd like to hear if there are any comments from anybody. Just quickly, you'll remember on October 25, 2002 the Assembly instructed the rules committee to undertake a review of the operation and accountabilities of the committee structure and system. The standing committee was instructed to provide a report on those matters to the Assembly no later than June 30th and we did that.

Mr. Chairman, we met initially to consider background information on the evolution of committee structures in the Northwest Territories and then to formulate options on how to best proceed with the review of the structures and systems.

We decided there would be three basic underpinnings to this review: One, that consensus government would continue with the 15th Assembly; two, that the structure, roles and responsibilities of the Assembly and its committees would not change in the face of self-government agreements; and the review of the operations and accountabilities of the committee structure and systems is a separate process from the transitional planning exercise.

So with that, Mr. Chairman, staff was instructed to research and prepare briefing notes on potential committee structures that would lend themselves to the consensus form of government. Staff were also asked to consult with key managers on their thoughts on the current committee structure in relation to the legislative and budgetary processes and to receive input on the potential for changes they see as being beneficial to both committees and the bureaucracy.

In addition, Mr. Chairman, the committee provided direction to staff in the preparation of a survey designed to elicit Members' opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of the current committee structure, as well as their thoughts on the potential changes to committee structures and systems. Since we've been through this before, Mr. Chairman, I won't bother to go back over and reiterate the findings and results of the survey in that level of detail, but I am prepared to move several motions on behalf of the committee. I can do that now if there are no general comments.