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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - After nearly six weeks of high drama and in-fighting, which peaked when cabinet was nearly toppled in a non-confidence motion, the legislature ended its session congenially Thursday with the approval of the GNWT's $1.3 billion budget.

This session of the assembly was action packed with two conflict of interest complaints filed against Premier Floyd Roland; public upheaval over the ill-fated supplementary health benefits program; and two highly-organized protests where nearly 800 residents descended on the legislative assembly to oppose the government's ambitious board merger plans.

However, Finance Minister Michael Miltenberger said too much attention was paid to the big-ticket issues, but, in the end, MLAs were able to accomplish a lot, adding 99 per cent of budget items had the agreement of MLAs.

He delivered his first budget last month and called this session "unique".

"We came in with a budget that was well-received in all quarters, given the circumstances - which is the main measure of the government - and at the same time we had to deal with the non-confidence motion," he said.

Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins used words like "extremely emotional, personal and stressful," to define the past six weeks.

"I would describe it as one of the most challenging sessions I've ever been through," said the five-and-a-half-year veteran of the legislative assembly.

Tensions didn't stop at the door of the legislative assembly during session either, a flurry of lay-offs and business closures were announced in the city and across the North as the global economy sputtered.

Hawkins said it was important for MLAs to remain focused on the business of the people.

He said many people approached him in places like the grocery store asking why MLAs "seemed to keep getting lost in the frustration and personalized nature of this session," while people were losing their jobs.

The consensus amongst most regular MLAs coming into session was that communication from cabinet was poor, which was the basis of the non-confidence motion brought forward.

"Our power is lost if we are not in the loop in making decisions," said Hawkins.

Miltenberger said all MLAs realized how close to the brink consensus government was pushed and that everyone was going to have to put in the work in caucus for it to survive.

Hawkins said communications improved as session progressed, but said cabinet decisions are difficult to change once they are made.

MLAs did show their power by opposing cabinet, twice telling them to go back to the drawing board with the supplementary health benefit program and board merger plan that had drawn the ire of seniors' and school and parent groups respectively.

Miltenberger, lead minister of the refocusing government committee, said it met last Wednesday and spoke about the future of board reform.

The government plans to move ahead with it, however, not in the manner that was previously set out.

"The issue of 70 to seven is not the target at this point," he said.

The committee intends to pull together information and come up with a basic plan to present to Cabinet and regular MLAs in April.

"Hopefully we can reach a consensus and then we will be able to move forward and let the public know."

He said the consultation schedules outlined in the reform package released in mid-February will be scrapped.

"It would be somewhat premature to go out and consult when we are not sure at this point what we would be consulting about, since we haven't finished that regrouping work."

The rest of the recommendations made by MLAs, as they perused the budget line-by-line, did not have the same success.

MLAs recommended government put $80,000 back in Skills Canada funding and reinstate a community road chip-seal program.

Miltenberger made no commitment about either motions, but said he will respond to them in the not-too-distant future.

MLAs will now spend the next two and a half months doing committee work, reviewing reports and bringing legislation out around the Northwest Territories for consultation.

What has been called a "soap opera" by many may not be over, as the status of both conflict of interest complaints filed against the Premier in the last three weeks are still pending.

The legislative assembly reconvenes on May 27.