Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if there was one thing we heard loud and clear during the election, it was that people of the Northwest Territories want the government to be more open. The Minister responsible for Public Engagement and Transparency is currently in the process of holding a series of public engagement meetings. At one of these recent meetings, the Minister was challenged on the transparency of Cabinet and its deliberations. His response was that, basically, everything was okay. Clearly, based on the input he received at that meeting and what I am hearing from constituents, everything is not okay. In taking a look at the Minister's accomplishments thus far, it is my view that he should be further along the process than he is at this point. The government has succeeded in launching its online mandate tracker. As well, the government has been successful in improving gender parity in board appointments and in launching this searchable website for these appointments, commendable indeed. However, this positive progress has been overshadowed by a lack of progress on other key initiatives. I am reassured that the government is taking steps to bring forward ombudsman legislation, but I remain concerned that the Minister has fallen behind on the commitment to have the legislation in place within two years.
Mr. Speaker, while the public engagement process is under way, there is no substantive progress on the development of an open government policy. This was to have been completed by the second quarter of 2017. Similarly, there has been no apparent progress on making residents aware of an appeal process existing under legislation. This online directory is supposed to be launched in the third quarter of this year. A new website reporting on ministerial travel and meetings is about six months behind schedule, but I understand that its launch is imminent, which is a good thing. Finally, perhaps most importantly to the public, I have seen no evidence of progress on how the government intends to report on the ways that public participation has shaped government decision-making. With so much work left to do in the area of transparency, I would encourage the Minister to listen carefully to the input he receives from the public and make this work a top priority for the remainder of his term. If it is done correctly, this 18th Assembly will be remembered for its innovations and progress in opening government up to the people it serves. After all, public business should be public. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.