Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a few more comments to add and questions to ask. As I sit here, I marvel at the fact that this has taken so long. The Minister's opening statement mentions that Minister Handley started this, and I'm not sure, but that takes us to the last Assembly. It has taken this many years for us to get here and just when you think it's not going to happen, there is a bill in front of you that makes it happen. We are told now that a lot of details that would make a substantive difference as to how these programs and organizations are going to run are yet to be decided, but will be by a program review that is going to be undertaken by whomever the CEO and new management is. It is just unbelievable how long it takes for any sort of major changes in government infrastructure and government structure.
We have a totally new Minister, new DM and probably by the time this program has changed, we will have a whole new group of MLAs sitting on this side. We are all into a year of this Assembly. I guess that is my point. I'm hoping the Minister will do what he can to push the program review and make some real substantive and lasting changes as quickly as possible.
I'm still not clear on what these changes mean. Mr. Ramsay stated that we aren't really changing a lot, but we are changing; we are combining these two organizations into one. The purpose of the legislation, as it is written in the preamble, is pretty broad. It says the purpose of the legislation is to establish the corporation and then the purpose of the corporation is to support the economic objectives of the GNWT by encouraging the creation of...There are three elements to that, as I see it.
The Minister indicated earlier in answering questions that he would send directives to the corporation to make sure that it's meeting the objectives of the government. I am hearing all these different things, but I'm thinking that this is going to look more like the Power Corporation, in that the CEO is going to be hired by the board, as opposed to being more like the Housing Corporation where the CEO is a government employee. If it's more like the Power Corporation -- and I may be wrong -- then how are the Minister and this Legislature going to have a say on how this organization is going to meet the objectives of the GNWT in terms of its...I think it says support the objectives of the GNWT. I don't know what that means. I would like to know what is the relationship going to be between the board and the Minister and how does the Minster envision this legislation will accommodate the direction between the Minister and the board.