So all of the preliminary analysis was based on one model and all of the serious analysis that we’re asking about is going to happen in the next seven weeks. Mr. Speaker, I have to ask this Minister why would you launch a plan or a model or a scenario with none of that stuff

having been done? This whole initiative should be dubbed failure to launch, because, yet again, another ill-conceived, ill-prepared idea thrown out there into the public. Why wasn’t the research done in advance before putting this out? Thank you.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, there has been about a decade or so of work: Strength at Two Levels; the Cuff report; the Deloitte Touche report on governance, on boards; the work done by the Boards and Agencies committee; the recommendations for a whole host of different approaches to how we deliver services in the regions. We looked at all that. All that was there. It’s all documented. There are hundreds of thousands of dollars going back to the last century with the Minister of the time -- I believe it was Minister Ng -- started with a $400,000 report. Over the last 10 years I would suggest we probably spent a couple million dollars studying this issue. We’ve looked at all that. We’ve looked at things like experiences that people have had in the business. We’ve looked at the Tlicho model and we made some decisions to move forward. There is no easy way to do this type of process that’s going to cause restructuring, that’s going to change the status quo when it involves so many boards and so many people. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is for the Minister of refocusing government. What’s the benefit from doing this if there’s no cost savings? Why? Was there any time on this and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The lead Minister for refocusing government, the Honourable Michael Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, I’d be more than happy to let my colleague...(inaudible)...

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, this issue is trying to improve the governance, improve how we deliver the service which would improve the service, we believe, to individual community members. At one time or another every program area has struggled with the governance structure, with deficits, with other issues, with rental arrears, with cost overruns, with those types of things. To say if the system is not broke, why would we want to fix it? The constant concerns we get about health, housing, education

are the top three in this government and have been in the 14 years that I’ve been here, usually with housing at the top followed a close second by health and then education. We have to look at all these particular factors and how we’re spending our money. As just a finance context here, we are moving in, we are in one of the most difficult times financially since the Great Depression, and things are continuing to get worse daily. We are going to be charged to be as effective, as efficient as we can. For those factors is why we thought we wanted to move on this and it’s been identified as an initiative of the 16th Assembly. Thank you.

Mr. Minister, how will this benefit my constituents of Nunakput other than getting headaches worrying? Let the different boards take care of themselves and let us take care of our own people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the intent is to facilitate the things we’ve been talking about in this House with case planning, the ability to better coordinate the decision-making, to thin out the financial admin overhead in the governance, to put as much money possible at the program level recognizing that we are always going to be challenged with more needs than our resources. It’s for those reasons that we believe that this board reform will, if done right, improve how services are delivered at the community level. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister indicated that he has roughly about seven weeks before we decide as to go/no-go or to go forward in terms of this seven weeks to put some discussions on the table in the regions; 70 boards into seven. Can the Minister outline to me exactly the process that the people in the Sahtu region can satisfactorily say, yes, we had a meaningful consultation in terms of looking at this initiative here and we think that this is the way to go? Can the Minister safely say in seven weeks here, come back and say I had a meaningful consultation where people in my communities are saying today no to this initiative. What would make them change their minds in terms of this seven weeks’ length here?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The lead Minister for refocusing government, the Honourable Michael Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, we’ve laid out the timeline to 2010-11. We have a very intensive amount of work that we’re going to conclude by April. I can commit to the Member that as board reform proceeds past April there will be a very thorough consultation process built in to take forward whatever the final decision is on next steps. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The time for question period has expired; however, I will allow the Member supplementary questions. Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister has indicated that in April he will have some other discussions. I guess what I’m asking here in terms of building from the community from the bottom up and looking at initiatives here in the Sahtu region. I guess I’m asking in terms of what or how many more red flags does this government need, and this Minister need to say this is a no-go process here, we should be looking at something else other than board reform in terms of it moving forward with this government.

Mr. Speaker, the issue of board reform or not is a decision we can make in this House. Decision of board reform, but not 70 to seven but some other configuration is also a decision. We’ve been moving to respond to a priority of the 16th Legislative Assembly. We’ve put

forward a concept. We’ve been doing the work to prove it up. April has been determined as a date and the Member will be fully involved in April when we do this review. It’s been indicated that there is a motion coming forward; we’ll be looking to see what that says. It will help clarify the next steps. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I would again request to the Minister in terms of what in theory sounds good but in practical reality is not very good for our region or for the people in the Northwest Territories in terms of this initiative. When the Minister took the Agencies and Boards committee’s recommendations on the inventory, what process did he fail to allude to the Regular Members in the communities that we’re now looking at a Board Reform Initiative? There was a gap missing there. What steps has the Minister not taken?

Mr. Speaker, we believe at this point we’ve taken the steps that we can to advance this initiative. We’ve built in a milestone date, there’s a tremendous amount of work being done. All the senior people from all the involved departments have been involved in the work. We’ve sent out hundreds of packages. We’ve crossed the land, in terms of consulting. I’ve been to a number of regions and met with boards, health and education, so has the Premier, so have the

Ministers. We recognize that there’s more work to be done after April, once we decide on next steps. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 8, written questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to item 7 on the orders, oral questions. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a question for Minister Miltenberger, Minister for refocusing government. I’d like to ask the Minister what meaningful work and consultation has been done with the boards to find efficiencies prior to taking the singular approach of a board roll-up. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Lead Minister for refocusing government, the Honourable Michael Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, for my entire time in this Assembly the boards, like every other part of government, has worked with the government-of-the-day to hit the various targets as we struggled with efficiencies, as we struggled with deficits. The first budget of this Assembly is a case in point where we had to struggle with reductions. All the boards were involved in their respective areas along with the rest of government. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, is the Minister saying that no consultation about this approach was taken in advance to discuss, design, find efficiencies prior to the roll-up decision? Thank you.

The issue of efficiencies within the current structures have been looked at as we’ve done business from Assembly to Assembly, depending on the fiscal circumstances. We took this on and there has been 10 years of work. I’ve laid out some of the reports that have been done: the Strength at Two Levels, the Cuff report, there was a report back to the 13th Assembly, the Deloitte Touche report. This is some of the work that has been done all for many hundreds of thousands of dollars. We’ve, as well, brought this up in the House with statements, it was

reviewed in committee. There has been a lot of lead up to this. This is not an issue that just came on to the table. It’s been with us now for a decade or so. Thank you.