Debates of October 20, 2006 (day 12)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would just like to talk about the community co-management agreement that the government, Municipal and Community Affairs, signed with the Deninu Kue Community Council two years ago. Mr. Speaker, this agreement has definitely lead to better financial management and better financial stability of the municipality as a whole. I commend the government on that, which was the true intention of the agreement in the first place, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, what has been overlooked, I feel, is the human resource aspect of this agreement. What I would like to see from this government is the responsibility which the government inherited by agreeing and signing this co-management initiative be followed up on. By this I mean, Mr. Speaker, that this government has responsibility to ensure that all aspects of municipal management are addressed on a regular basis, preferably on a monthly basis in conjunction with council meetings.

The government has the responsibility to hear what community members are concerned about and act accordingly. Areas of concern that are often overlooked are often those that are sensitive in nature, such as personnel, staffing and employment issues. I feel that the overall success of such co-management agreements are often overshadowed by the lack of attention to concerns related to staff or government officials. If this government investigates all inquiries into government actions or lack thereof towards some of the conditions of this agreement from an objective, mutual standpoint and take the appropriate measures to mitigate or resolve, residents would begin to trust the government- of-the-day and have more confidence in these agreements that ultimately are intended to build better working relationships between municipal and territorial governments and build community capacity and also build a practice of fair community governance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.