Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this Assembly, Northerners have navigated crisis after crisis that started with a global pandemic. But during COVID, some monumental things happened to support residents' basic needs. This government payrolled income assistance clients, implemented harm reduction programs, found housing solutions for vulnerable residents, and equitably distributed laptops to students for access to education. These are huge, Mr. Speaker. And they happened in short order.
This bold action, and a need for fiscal recovery, offered a path forward to a common-sense approach to allocating government financial resources based on how effectively programs and services give value to residents.
Mr. Speaker, government renewal was sold as a review to better provide transparency to territorial priorities and how services and programs contribute to those priorities, evaluate the true cost and benefit of programs and services, and build more accountability for results into funding decisions.
In the life of the 19th, finance has changed FMB program evaluation metrics for new spending, how it deals with short and longterm budgeting and reviewed its approach to capital budgeting. But this does not address the status quo spending of this government and, for four years, life has been anything but status quo.
I believe in the value of government renewal, Mr. Speaker. The public service continues to grow as do resident priorities. Budgeting and spending patterns have impaired the GNWT's longterm sustainability. Planning and spending are often reactive, and capital continues to drive debt.
We are three years into the life of the government renewal initiative and anticipating its successes. We have yet to see the completion of a single department. And with nine departments and nine agencies to get through, I'm worried about the effectiveness of this process given its pace. The GNWT needs a stable fiscal footing to support the territory's sustainability and increased value for dollar for the money it spends. But, Mr. Speaker, residents can't afford to carry the cost of getting there and rely on the creative and innovative internal efficiencies promised through government renewal.
In 2020, the finance minister rightfully said, quote, if ever we needed creative problem solving to achieve responsive and effective results, it is now, end quote. We are still there, Mr. Speaker, and one could say it is even more relevant today. I'll have questions for the Minister of Finance at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Met. Member for Frame Lake.
