Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I'd like to raise some concerns in this House about the Information Technology Services Centre and the impact that they've had in some communities.

Mr. Speaker, prior to the incorporation and development of this particular model of service delivery, departments provided their own service, they built up their own infrastructure, and in communities mainly outside of Yellowknife, support services in the private sector were built up to assist the government to do this.

The Information Technology Services Centre is a concept that was done to improve service to provide integration of service across government to provide consistency and compatibility of service delivery systems within government, all of which are good things. However, Mr. Speaker, there have been some unintended side effects, in my opinion, that have had a negative impact in communities like Fort Smith, Hay River, Fort Simpson, Norman Wells and Inuvik. There is significant market disruption. The service providers in the private sector that used to be there, that developed as a result of the request of government to help them provide those services, have been marginalized. There has been, I think, significant centralization into Yellowknife and services provided to the regions out of Yellowknife. The intent of the service centre, in my recollection, was to be compatible and not to provide a negative impact on communities.

I've been on this issue with Ministers now for a couple of years, but it's reached the point where I think it's time for us, as the government and as the Legislature, to take a look at the issue of what happened in terms of market disruption, this unintended side effect, and are there many possibilities of remedy that can be worked out with the communities and with the private sector. The intent never was to put people out of business. I'm going to be asking, later today, the Minister to look at what steps could be taken, and a review could be done, to talk to these service providers in the communities to see what steps could be done to remedy the situation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause