Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to thank all of the honourable Members of this Assembly for their hard work and dedication to finding that common ground that has produced a stronger mandate than we initially started with. One of the hallmarks of our governing system is that we put aside our political differences and come together as a Caucus and work collaboratively and constructively. That does not mean we disagree, but it means the diversity of our opinions gives us a stronger basis to draw upon and make better decisions for our people.
This is a more refined version of the original document in many respects. It is less ambitious, more realistic, and is practical within the short time we have left serving our constituents before we head to the polls. The priority actions that are going to make the biggest impact on diversifying our economy, creating jobs and growth, and taking care of people in need are all centre stage in this document.
As many people know, I am a big believer in transparency and openness in our political processes, and this mandate speaks to that in the first place. By having a public debate on this document and by tabling it for all Northerners to see, we are letting our constituents into the decision-making process, and allowing them to do that is one of the reasons I ran. Of course, this process is capped with the mid-term review that will be taking place tomorrow, which, again, speaks to greater accountability and transparency in our consensus government.
Many of the processes that we have in place have been in place for a long time. They just have not been particularly public. Now we are able to do that. I think laying a road map for where we want this government to go, what kind of priorities are important, and what will be the best value for our money are all important considerations, as well as ensuring that the viewpoints and aspirations of all of our people, regardless of whether they are from Yellowknife or from smaller communities or regional centres, all equally reflected in this document.
Now, members of the public and, of course, honourable colleagues will note that there are changes, and there is a tracked change document that has been tabled as well as a companion to this revised mandate. I hope that the government will be in a position to speak to some of the changes and why they were made. In many cases, it is to have more realistic outcomes, but in some respects, many of the mandate commitments have not been advanced sufficiently within the last two-year period that marks this review period. If we are going to move off those mandate commitments, I think it is important to tell people why and to communicate very clearly with the public why some of the more ambitious goals that we have set for ourselves have to change. I hope we have the opportunity to do that today in this House and, if not, to communicate that through other means, through the government's own communication channels.
That being said, democracy is about compromise. That is its great strength, and we all have to give a little to get a lot for our constituents. At the end of the day, we will have a new revised mandate that will give more impact for the two-year period we have left. I look forward to continuing the debate on this document and to considering any potential changes that come forward on the floor today. Thank you, Mr. Chair.