Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this fall, the Regular Members from all committees joined together on, really, an historic initiative for this Assembly. It was the first time that we have seriously gone out to our communities, to our regions, to ask their opinions for our upcoming budget process and the three-year business planning cycle that our government has operated under for so long.
This really was a fascinating exercise. One that was very well understood too, Mr. Speaker, because when we were first looking at how to go about this, we were concerned that our message or what we wanted to hear out of this might turn into something like a very long wish list or a loud round of complaints. You know, it didn't turn out that way at all. It was something that was wonderfully constructive, very informative. It was candid, it was fresh, it was on the record. It is something that this Assembly and departments are certain to hear more about in the future. It is the consensus government that we operate under here. We are proud of this style of government, and we have to make efforts to make it work, and giving regular people, non-government organizations and professional organizations a chance to come before us and tell us what their expectations are is very much in keeping with our job and why we should be here.
A scan of what other jurisdictions in Canada do, Mr. Speaker, shows that up until this year, we were one of only three jurisdictions in Canada that did not have some kind of public consultation process going on. I am very pleased that we have changed that, and I really look forward to more of this kind of thing in the future and the annual visits to the communities and the regions that will really help us advance our style of government and the way we do our business. Thanks, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause