Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the people living in small communities do not have the same level of access to government services or medical care as residents living in the capital do. By this very nature, the quality of life and social health are reduced compared to people living the capital, which is not okay. Moreover, the capital is the central hub of the government so all major programs and services and government agencies and departments are headquartered here. This means that most government decisions are usually made from the capital which, in effect, deprives small communities from proper regional decision-making authority.
Mr. Speaker, continuing to go down the route would go against the heart of one of the priorities of the 19th Assembly, which is to increase regional decision-making authority.
The Government of the Northwest Territories has always structured itself from a centralized approach, when really it should be the other way around, especially since our territory encompasses so many Indigenous and self-government communities as well as regions with ongoing land and rights-based agreement negotiations.
Mr. Speaker, for these reasons our government needs to function with a decentralized approach so we can empower small communities with more autonomy and a better quality of life. Too often I see some very basic seemingly no-brainer decisions that could, and ought to, be made at a local level but instead are being made from the capital.
I will have questions for the Premier later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
