Masi. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The role of the Municipal and Community Affairs is to support community governments and Aboriginal governments. We take that seriously. We will often help actually drafting some of the bylaws. We provide orientation to new governments on how to do bylaws, what the meanings are, how to interpret them, how to enact them.

When they break a bylaw, we try not to be punitive. Our first step is actually to support the community. If we get a complaint, we will actually reach out to the community government and try to speak to them about the bylaw that they may have jeopardized and see if they can actually look at revising the mistakes that they have made. Our job, like I say, is to support them, not to become authoritarian and take over.

We can go into administration. We can do co-supervision. Those are the last resorts. That is not the first process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the Minister in that answer. I really applaud the department for taking that approach. I think it is a very positive way to help them grow as a community. Can the Minister provide: when the department offers council training, do bylaws and following them get discussed during the process? When they get in there and do the training and that, are bylaws discussed and how they have to be followed?

Most definitely. With every new council that takes place, we do an orientation. The interpretation and the right understanding of the bylaws is critical in that. That is the main function of community government. We do spend time with them. We try to help them understand both how to develop bylaws and how to interpret them.

Again, like I said, our job at Municipal and Community Affairs is to support designated, thank you for clarifying that, Aboriginal and municipal governments. If we get a complaint at any level, either regional or at headquarters, we try to get the regional departments to go into the community. They are the ones closest to the ground; they understand their communities and their regions. That regional officer will go in and actually work with them. We don't tell them what to do. It is really important to note that. We will provide them advice, as the honourable Member has said.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the answer from the Minister. How can residents of the NWT address issues if they are not being successful in getting the municipal government to deal with the issues that they bring forth to them? Thank you, Mr. Speaker

The first step for any resident who has a problem with their municipal, Aboriginal, or designated authority is to ask if they can speak to the council. They are public bodies. They are responsible to their residents as public entities. People are allowed to go and present to the council. At a last recourse, if that does not work and the resident is still not satisfied, they have measures through the court of law. If they feel that the council has broken a bylaw and it has impacted them and they can't find a successful resolution, then they can take it to court. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.