Could you speak into the microphone and just give us a very brief outline of the subject matter.

It is a concern from the hamlet council of Coppermine.

Okay, Mr. Bernhardt. Let the record show that it is a concern. Members can read what that concern is. Tabling of documents. Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table four documents. I would like to table Tabled Document 18-12(1), an article written by Fran Sugar and published in the Canadian Women's Study Journal. The article documents the shameful conditions faced by female inmates of native descent in the Canadian penitentiary system. I wish to table Tabled Document 19-12(1), a document of the First Nations Circle on the Constitution, "Speak Now For Our Future." I would also like to table Tabled Document 20-12(1), a community kit, and Tabled Document 21-12(1), with regard to the schedules of the hearings that will be held in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Gargan. Tabling of documents. Tabling of documents. Item 12, notices of motions. Mr. Zoe.

Notices of motions. Mr. Gargan.

Mr. Speaker, on December 16, I will be moving the following motion: Now therefore, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for North Slave, that this Legislative Assembly recommends that the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs consider allocating funds for the construction of a garage in Kakisa as a high priority in the department's capital plan. Thank you.

Notices of motions. Mr. Koe.

Thank you. Notices of motions. Mr. Zoe.

Notices of motions. Notices of motions.

Item 13, notices of motions for first reading of bills. Item 14, motions. Motion 23-12(1). Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker:

WHEREAS the community of Kakisa has held many discussions in recent years with the Department of Renewable Resources about the possibility of receiving a walk-in freezer;

AND WHEREAS the department is in the process of developing a policy regarding freezers for communities;

AND WHEREAS this need for such a community freezer for Kakisa still urgently exists;

NOW THEREFORE, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kivallivik, that this Legislative Assembly recommends that the community of Kakisa's need for a walk-in community freezer be considered a priority for inclusion in the Department of Renewable Resources' five-year capital plan;

AND FURTHER, that the long-awaited policy concerning community freezers be formalized by the cabinet.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Gargan. Your motion is in order. To the motion, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the former Minister of Renewable Resources is aware of the dialogues that I have had with him. As recently as July, the Minister did indicate that they have been discussing the policy on walk-in freezers with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and DPW, and it is going to be a cost- shared thing. However, in communities with a population of over 300, they have received grants for walk-in freezers. Fort Providence has one, and I believe that in a lot of other communities where traditional activities are a very important part of the community life, those kinds of facilities have been established.

I understand that the policy is not in place yet, but in the event that it is put in place, I would like the department to consider Kakisa as one of the communities on their list of priorities to receive one.

I hope Members will understand that Kakisa is a very traditional community. When they go on hunts, they go as a community. In the fall when they go on moose hunts, the whole community does that during the week. In a small community like that it is pretty difficult when you have seven or eight moose and nowhere to store them. So that is one of the reasons.

The other thing is that one of the activities of Kakisa is that they do have a bit of what is known as commercial fishing. They sell fish in Hay River to the Freshwater Fish Marketing Board. What they have right now is a building that they use, and the planes or trucks bring in the ice, and they put it in this building to keep the fish fresh. But the ice does not last more than two days, so this is a continuous problem for them, to keep getting ice from the Freshwater Fish Marketing Board. If there were a walk-in freezer, it would save a bit of money on this delivery of ice from Hay River every other day.

I ask Members to support the community of Kakisa in obtaining a freezer.

Seconder, Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seconded this motion because I believe that wherever there are aboriginal people there is always a requirement for some kind of freezer, because most aboriginal people do their hunt in the fall and not necessarily when it is frozen out there, when you are able to freeze things outside. In my area there are instances of botulism, created by unpreserved native foods. I believe that freezers play a very important role with aboriginal people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the motion. Mr. Pudluk.

Motion To Amend Motion 23-12(1)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am sorry I cannot speak too well because I just got back from the dentist. I still have some concern, as I indicated yesterday, about the allocation of funds for the regions. Therefore I would like to make an amendment to the motion: To add the following after "Renewable Resources' five-year capital plan": ...provided that any allocation of funds comes from the total funds identified for the Fort Smith Region and not from planned allocations of other regions of the NWT."

Thank you. Do you have a seconder? Mr. Arvaluk. The amendment is in order. To the amendment. The mover has decided not to speak to the amendment. Mr. Arvaluk.

I will try to articulate as well as my colleague, Mr. Pudluk. We had an understanding that we would have a fair and equal discussion through our standing committee on finance and through other means such as committee of the whole. What are the regional and community priorities? I certainly will be talking to MLAs from the Keewatin on our regional needs and commonalities, to prevent unfair distribution of capital funds. In this consensus government we have to be very careful in all the regions, all the communities, that some are not left out or some get too much. That is why we have regional disparity even in our own riding, the Keewatin. To prevent this from happening, this amendment is necessary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, I am concerned at the implications of these motions to our capital plan and to the way the government spends money in the NWT, simply because it should be done on the basis of need. We must realize that at times across the NWT some regions have a greater need than others, and if we were to start carving up a capital budget and saying this region gets this much and this region gets that much, I think it would take away from addressing the needs of people.

I understand the mover of the amendment; I understand exactly what the Member is doing. I guess he is saying that if you want to move things around in your region, okay, but do not let it affect my region. I understand that, but I think we are going to be trying to work through MLAs and through the standing committee on finance to address the issues of the capital plan.

I said earlier today in the House, and I stand by it, that we will be talking to MLAs with regard to the way that they want the economy to go in their particular regions. Let us face it, capital plans mean capital buildings, mean things that may produce revenue, and they are tied directly to the economy. So, Mr. Speaker, I just want to express the concern that we are beginning to balkanize the NWT as far as the capital plan is concerned, instead of doing it on the basis of need. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.