Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Auditor General's audit of the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs found that the department failed to adequately support community governments in their delivery of essential services, and, although the department monitored community governments' provision of some of these services, it failed to ensure that these met their basic requirements, namely the health and safety of Northerners. To put it simply Mr. Speaker, the department did not do their job.
MACA has accepted all of the recommendations and committed to updating their policies and accommodate the findings of the audit, but, Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time they have committed to improving their support for our communities. In fact, time and time again, they have made the same promises over the long history of this department, and they have, time and time again, failed to live up to these commitments. Northerners expect more than lip service this time. They want results and that this House will hold the government accountable to its citizens' expectations.
Over the years, MACA has centralized its policies, pulling away from the communities they serve. At one point local governments were asked to provide feedback on the performance of the department's regional offices, but this practice has since stopped, cutting off the department from crucial feedback to improve its operations. Since the New Deal, communities have been given more responsibilities and authority but without the necessary capacity building to successfully complete these transfers of power. The department has known about this capacity gap since 2009, so, Mr. Speaker, this concern is not something new to the department, nor is it new to the Minister.
Mr. Speaker, the New Deal should have been an initiative to empower decision-making in our communities. Instead, it appears to have allowed this government to download its responsibilities onto local government without the capacity to manage these crucial aspects of public government. It is unacceptable to me to see our small governments overburdened and set up for failure by a lack of preparation and support on behalf of the department. Only in the face of public scrutiny, Mr. Speaker, has the department accepted responsibility. I hope that this new Minister will now rise to the occasion and clearly correct these problems without delay, for, when it comes to the health and safety of our citizens, no excuses are acceptable and its time for this department to make things right. Thank you Mr. Speaker.