Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Yellowknife is sometimes referred to as the "great vacuum" because it sucks the jobs and wealth from the regions into the capital. At least that is what some people say. In the last Assembly, there was a focus on decentralizing positions out of Yellowknife and into the communities. I have heard time and time again from my constituents that this process needs to continue. However, Mr. Speaker, while I agree decentralization is a key to securing the NWT's future successes; I don't believe a piecemeal approach is the answer.
We need to take a step back, look at the geography of the territory and look at the competitive advantages of each region and community, and ask ourselves, if we wanted to design an efficient and economical government structure, keeping in mind that we have 33 communities that we need to keep viable, how would we do it? If we were honest with ourselves, I think we would say that we need to go from five regions to three, make Hay River the South Slave's regional centre and move a much, much larger proportion of government operations out of Yellowknife and into Hay River and Inuvik. Capacity is often a problem with filling positions in small communities. But by moving substantial control over operations to regional centres, we will be better able to provide supports to regional communities, which means we can provide them with more positions as well.
I appreciate the decentralization efforts that have been undertaken, but I believe a new vision for how we govern is needed. Right now our regional structure is based on politics rather than practicality. The South Slave is a prime example. Fort Smith is the South Slave's regional centre. If you didn't know the history of the territory, you would have no idea why. It is not centrally located. It is the farthest community away from every other community in the South Slave. Hay River, on the other hand, is the closest to all the communities. Hay River is also the economic driver of the region, yet ITI's regional headquarters are in Fort Smith. I could go on. I have nothing against Fort Smith, but this just shows that our basic structure is inefficient. There are other examples, like the way Fort Providence's transportation equipment goes to Yellowknife for service when Hay River is closer, or how some communities are administered from three different regional centres depending on the department.
Mr. Speaker, I am suggesting that this government take a long, hard look at how we do business. Just because we have been doing things a certain way doesn't mean that is the only way to do it. The voters want a change. Before my time is up in this Assembly, I hope to give it to them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.