To the motion.

Question.

Motion 27-12(1), Carried

Question is being called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Motion 26-12(1), contribution to the NWT Council for Disabled Persons. Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to move the following motion:

WHEREAS the NWT Council for Disabled Persons provides advocacy and services for disabled persons throughout the Northwest Territories;

AND WHEREAS the council depends heavily on the use of local volunteers and on fund-raising to cover much of its costs;

AND WHEREAS the council has received no capital funds from the Government of the Northwest Territories;

AND WHEREAS the council finds the cost of rental space puts a heavy burden on its resources and has begun a drive to purchase its own building;

NOW THEREFORE, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that the Department of Social Services considers a contribution to the NWT Council for Disabled Persons' building project. Thank you.

The motion is in order, Mr. Lewis. To the motion.

The seconder of the motion is Mr. Gargan. He was here when the motion was ruled in order, but he is now not here. To the motion. Mr. Pudluk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am happy to see such a motion. Prior to the election, there were disabled people living with families that I had a chance to meet. There were many questions that were given to the MLA. There are many concerns. The main concern is that there is not an adequate building for disabled people for use by them. People who have to look after disabled persons do have a hard job. They are burdened. They have to think about it. There will have to be a service for disabled people and a sufficient and good place for them to be. I stand today to support the motion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the motion. To the motion. Mr. Whitford.

To the motion.

Question.

Question has been called. Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to first of all apologize to Mr. Lewis for not being here when I seconded his motion, but I, too, support the motion. I know that Mr. Whitford did say that it might be difficult to find the necessary moneys to make a contribution for the disabled persons' building project, but I believe that as part of the capital plan the Minister could perhaps allocate a designated amount. Perhaps that might be the answer to making a contribution, unless the government wants to sponsor the whole project 100 per cent. I believe the intent of the motion is that there are moneys that the Council for Disabled Persons have already received, and they need further contributions. I believe that is what it is. I fully support the motion, and I would like the rest of the Members to do the same thing. Thank you.

To the motion, Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to support the motion. In our constituency it is difficult to care for these disabled persons and the elders. It is important that we understand that they should have a good place. I realize that we are short of money, but I feel we should think seriously about this very important item. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Pudlat. To the motion. To the motion.

Question.

Motion 26-12(1), Carried

Question is being called. All those in favour? Opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

We will move to Motion 30-12(1), Small School for the Settlement of Kakisa. Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to move the following motion:

WHEREAS the present education structure in Kakisa is a resident trailer with the porch serving as a classroom;

AND WHEREAS the desire of the people of Kakisa is for a two-classroom unit which could accommodate both an elementary classroom and a resource centre for adult educational needs;

AND WHEREAS persistent and extensive lobbying in this regard during the 11th Assembly produced no apparent results;

AND WHEREAS practically every community in the Northwest Territories has a physical structure for education with the exception of Kakisa;

NOW THEREFORE, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that this Legislative Assembly recommends that the Minister of Education consider the construction of a small education facility in Kakisa as a high priority in the department's plans during the next four years. Thank you.

The motion is in order. To the motion, Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agreed to move this motion even though it is not in my own constituency, Mr. Speaker, because for a large part of my life I was a professional educator, and there were always problems in determining how far you could go in providing the services to people.

It seems to me that the government is not consistent in the way it provides this service to people, and Kakisa is a perfect example of a place where young people have to be educated and for some strange reason that has been the exception. Whereas other places have been allowed to get facilities, this one has been asked to manage with something which is less than adequate for providing a good education for young people. I propose this motion for that reason. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The seconder of the motion, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Member for Yellowknife Centre making this motion. Mr. Speaker, it was only four years ago that the first school was established in Kakisa. They do have a resident teacher that lives in the trailer, and they have built a small portion to the

trailer that they are using right now as a small classroom for the students.

Before that, Mr. Speaker, students in Kakisa used to go to Fort Simpson. That was pretty hard on the parents as well as on the students themselves. The only time they actually had the opportunity to go home was during Christmas and Easter and during the summer months. This is the first time that they had a small school.

I had written a letter to the Minister of Education before Mr. Allooloo became Minister. When Mr. Kakfwi was Minister, he did get a small school in his constituency of Colville Lake, which is the equivalent size of Kakisa. It was on that basis that I asked the Minister at that time to consider Kakisa for a small school.

Mr. Speaker, the intent of the motion is not that the school should be constructed this summer, but I would like the government to seriously look at Kakisa's need and perhaps look at the possibility of having a small school constructed during the next four years. We also have a lot of adults in Kakisa that are full-time trappers that really did not have a formal education; we even have young people at my age that did not have that much opportunity to go to elementary or high school, that would like to learn, and perhaps this would give them an opportunity. Presently, even though they do have a literacy program in the rest of the communities, Kakisa does not have that because there is no place to have such a program. So I would like to ask the Members to support the motion.