Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. Economic development is on the rise in the Baffin. Tourism in Cape Dorset has fully progressed. A lot of the businesses that were involved in outfitting were running very well but they are not any more. However, outside of Cape Dorset this activity is on a downslide again. Do they still have plans to encourage economic development activity within the Baffin area, to encourage outfitters and tourism?

We have some students from our regions taking economic development-related courses. I understand they are taking outfitting courses. I understand they will be finished in March. I understand the funding for those programs will be cut off. I want further information on this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Pudlat, in future if you could just ask one question at a time. We will treat that as two questions and you can give two answers to it.

Mr. Speaker, I am aware of there being some concern on Baffin Island in this regard. As I have said to the House before, what I would like to do is to meet individually with MLAs and perhaps regionally with MLAs and get some idea from them of how we can address their own particular problems. In this instance that is what is going to be required; finding out what people in the particular area feel is the answer to their problems.

As far as funding cuts for those programs, I am not aware of it, but I will look into it.

Oral questions. Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question to the Minister of Social Services. When a grandmother dies and leaves behind grandchildren, the descendants who are then living receive inheritances.

Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, it falls under my responsibility. The Member, I believe, is referring to the situation of people who die without having written a will specifying what happens with their property following their death. In that event the matter is handled by the office of the public trustee which reports to me as Minister of Justice. Thank you.

Thank you. If you have any specific questions, perhaps you could deal with the Minister at your own leisure, Mr. Pudlat. Oral questions. Mr. Bernhardt.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to direct my question to the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. Would the Minister please explain why 25 per cent of a person's salary is used for rental charges within the corporation?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Twenty-five per cent of gross salary is applied to rental units.

Supplementary, Mr. Bernhardt.

Can I ask why the figure of 25 per cent is used and how did it come about? Who set the rate of 25 per cent of one person's salary?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will take the question as notice and I will supply the Member with a complete briefing.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my question to the Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board. Mr. Speaker, with regard to the definition "principally engaged," the Minister indicated that the priorities and planning committee was consulted, the Department of Personnel, Department of Social Services, the Department of Renewable Resources, Department of Finance, Department of Justice and the Workers' Compensation Board were all consulted with regard to looking at the definition of principally engaged. I would like to ask the Minister if there are records of each department's opinion on what principally engaged means.

Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe the honourable Member is referring to some comments made to him in recent correspondence with me on the subject of hunters and trappers and claims before the Workers' Compensation Board. Mr. Speaker, I certainly would not want to get technical with the honourable Member in this House, but the correspondence does refer to decisions that were made by the previous government in 1990. I am not sure if the rules permit me to provide information about an issue that was dealt with by a previous government.

However, Mr. Speaker, I will undertake to provide the Member personally with as much background as I can on that particular issue and how it was handled by the previous government. Having said that, I would also want to assure this House that the issue needs attention and I plan to review it as a priority from here on in, and I do not think we need to confine ourselves to previous solutions when we are looking at this problem. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Gargan.

Mr. Patterson.