Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions about matrix organizations are for the Honourable Premier. My first question is: has Cabinet made a deliberate decision to move toward a matrix-style organization structure for the GNWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Cabinet hasn't made a conscious decision that says we are going to have a matrix-style of organization structure as such. We have discussed the issues of the integrated service delivery. One of the guiding principles that we actually tabled in the House here on December 10, 2019, says that we will evaluate, develop, and deliver programs and services using an integrated, client-focused, and solution-focused approach. People should not have to go to six different agencies, different departments, to actually get services. It is not okay. Sometimes the stories that people have to share are horrible, and it is not okay to have to keep bringing them up all the time. We recognize that.
I don't want to take credit for what we have done. I know that, in the 18th Legislative Assembly, this was a priority, as well. I can't say about the 17th. I wasn't part of that one. In the 18th, I know that we had a number of different departments that had working groups that worked across departments. We had deputy ministers' groups that took different issues. Our own committee of Cabinet had different committees that looked at all different Ministers with an integrated approach. That is being carried forward into this government. Again, we don't have anything that is structured, that is written down, that is organizational at this point. We are challenging our departments, and we are just forming. All Ministers will be taking part in overseeing what is going on in departments. Thank you.
Would the Premier be able to speak to any planning under way right now for any other types of initiatives in the style of the integrated case management program?
As I stated earlier, at this time, we are just kind of new into the area. We do recognize the importance of working together. Again, I will use an example that was used here tonight on how departments do already work together. We had a Minister stand up and say that Municipal and Community Affairs and ENR are working together on waste management. That does show how departments are, and we recognize they are, interconnected, that you can't do things in silos. We are trying to work better toward making sure that all the aspects are covered.
I appreciate that response. Has the GNWT undertaken any type of global research or analysis to determine how other programs or services could be delivered in the collaborative style of the integrated case management, or are initiatives of this nature left to individual departments to propose and to plan and to then go out and try to set up those initiatives together?
Again, another example of how we work together, and working together on the other side. The previous questions were about integrated case management. It kind of falls in, appropriately, to this question again. When we were doing the integrated case management, there was a lot of research done on it. The previous government, again, started this. They looked at models such as the New Brunswick framework on the delivery of integrated services for children and youth, as well as models in New Zealand. There are important lessons to be learned from other jurisdictions. Best practice says you don't always keep reinventing the wheel. You look at the wheel that is there and make sure it doesn't need any repairs. That is being done.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Final supplementary, Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Premier be willing to commit to doing a study of the GNWT to see what programs we can bring together to allow us to better serve our clients across the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
As I just stated in the last question, we have done quite a bit of research cross-jurisdictionally for our integrated service delivery. We can do research for the sake of research; we can do studies for the sake of studies and plans for the sake of plans. However, we have done this research. We have the program running. It is just been evaluated now. I would suggest, honourably, that we hold back for a minute from doing more research and see what the evaluations come up with first. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
