Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Just some general comments from me, as well. I spoke about it yesterday to the Minister of Finance; however, it was more appropriate under the Financial Management Board, just with respect to our capital planning process.
I'm not entirely convinced that the capital planning process is working for us. It's outside of us now and we don't really see it. The only feedback that I can get is from the communities, hamlets and settlements that tell me that people are flying into the communities, asking them their needs and then flying out again. I am not too sure that is proper consultation of the capital planning process, and that kind of concerns me. How do they actually get their say, and how do I as a Regular MLA get my say into the capital planning process?
Being elected last year for the first time, I saw it was in the business plans and I was made aware of a few things only because there was something absent in the capital plan. I said how do I get that back in there? Our process of how we have our say, how we advance things, is still not clear to me.
There are certain needs that have to be addressed. In particular, I like to use the Nahanni Butte gymnasium as an example, only because it's a very good example and a very clear example. Here is a community that doesn't have this base facility. Is that not a need identified by our government? That is how I see it. All communities should have their base needs met before we move on to others or, indeed, give other communities two gymnasiums, such as in the capital plan for Yellowknife, Mr. Chairman. I'm not to clear on how that works, if the Minister can address that for me, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.