Minister of Social Services.

The question is taken as notice. Oral questions. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The question I am going to raise is regarding my Member's statement with regard to the forest in Liard Valley. The community of Fort Liard has set up a forest resource committee to try to develop a forest resource plan. I have already talked with Dwight Noseworthy about this. Hopefully we are going to go into Liard in January.

I know that Renewable Resources and Economic Development both have interest in the forest. But will the Ministers work with the community to help them develop a forest resource plan, since the government has stated that the direction of the government is for more community control? The community has strongly indicated to me that they would like to be very much involved in the development of that resource. Mahsi.

Minister of Economic Development and Tourism.

Mr. Speaker, I think I can say on behalf of my department, and I think my colleague's department, that yes, we will work with communities in that regard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

I do not know if it is a supplementary, but it has to do with forests, and it is directed to the Government Leader. As I mentioned earlier, there was a lot of clear-cutting right on the BC border which is only eight minutes' flying time from Fort Liard. Had there been any prior arrangements with the BC government when they gave the permits to clear-cut just up the river from Liard, in the traditional areas of the Dene people of Liard? Mahsi.

Madam Government Leader.

Mr. Speaker, not to my knowledge, but we will attempt to find out about it. Thank you.

That was on the edge of being a supplementary, but for the record we will consider it a supplementary, Mr. Antoine. Mr. Antoine, another supplementary.

There is a new government in BC, an NDP government. Will the Government of the Northwest Territories approach the new government in BC to see if some sort of arrangement could be made with them with regard to the destruction of the natural environment just up the river from Liard? I say this because there has been a lot more debris coming down the Liard, and the water in the springtime runs off rather than going into the ground, so there is the possibility of a lot of environmental dangers there. I do not know if there was any sort of agreement made with the Government of BC. Mahsi cho.

I will consider that a new question. Madam Government Leader.

Mr. Speaker, hopefully with a new government we will have more luck than we have in the past. I know in our water arrangements they have been the most difficult to draw in, even though they are part of the drainage system. Yes, we will contact them and yes, we will try to make an arrangement to have a meeting and raise the issue. Hopefully, being a new government, they will be more receptive than in the past.

Oral questions. Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I asked a question about the old church in Fort Providence of the Minister of Culture and Communications on Tuesday, and the response he gave on turning down the $25,000 request was because the Financial Management Board did not approve it. In the second response he did say that it was because of the 90-day freeze. Mr. Speaker, I have here a copy of a letter that was written to the community of Fort Providence from Charles Arnold, with regard to the request for that money, in which they did indicate that they were going to be able to get something like $25,000 but that the community was to understand that the contribution is from the moneys that were lapsed within the department this year. I understand that the freeze is on new moneys, and this is not new money, Mr. Speaker; these are moneys that are identified within the department. I would like to ask the Minister whether or not it also means that even though there are surplus moneys in departments, those moneys are also on freeze.

Minister of Culture and Communications.

Mr. Speaker, the Member is correct in that all moneys that might be in departments are frozen at this time with regard to capital projects. They have to go to cabinet prior to being spent, even though the money might be in the department. I would like to inform the Member that I intend to seek cabinet approval to go after the money he is talking about, but I cannot assure the Member that the money will be there until I get that approval. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Antoine.

Minister of Education.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The quarterly funding will continue as long as we are allowed to do so by the federal government. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Can the Minister explain more clearly about the situation here. What has the federal government to do with this? Mahsi.