Good Afternoon. Orders of the day for Wednesday, December 18, 1991. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Amittuq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am proud to announce that this year the language bureau published two books for learning Cree: "The Cree Language Program Teacher" and "Student Manuals." These books are written for adults learning Cree as a second language. The dialect which the books use is Northern Plains Cree, spoken in Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

These books have been distributed to the centres for teaching and learning, the Fort Smith Band, Dene Nation and many other organizations, including Cree groups in the Prairie Provinces. The books are available free of charge to the public.

(Translation) With these books we can support the Cree language. Mahsi cho.

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Ministers' statements. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Zoe.

Thank you, Mr. Zoe. Members' statements. Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I have now had the opportunity to review the statement made by the Government Leader yesterday regarding grants for Dene bands. I have also had the opportunity to speak with the chiefs from my region, as well as the national chief of the Dene Nation. The general reaction to this initiative is one of cautious support. I would also lend my support to this initiative. It represents the gesture of goodwill on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories and can be a starting point for us to build a better relationship. I believe it shows that the cabinet has taken very seriously the remarks of the chiefs during our meeting in Fort Rae, and I thank them for that.

I am cautious, Mr. Speaker, because I feel that the whole issue is one of a larger constitutional significance dealing with the jurisdiction of the federal government. I would like to make it quite clear that the federal government is not living up to its obligations to my people under the treaties that we signed with them. It is my hope that we have a full discussion of these issues in the committee of the whole during the winter session, with invited representatives of chiefs, as well as the Dene Nation. Mahsi.

Mr. Bernhardt.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to bring to the Legislative Assembly a concern that has bothered me for some time. During my campaign visit to Cambridge Bay I was visiting people door-to-door. On the Saturday afternoon I was stopped on the road by a high-ranking civil servant of this government. He stopped his vehicle and asked me how my campaign was going. I replied, "Better than I expected." He replied, "You mean to say these lunatics are letting you into their homes?"

Mr. Speaker, I hope this is not the prevailing attitude of our senior civil servants, about the people they are paid to serve. I have more incidents of this nature, but I am not about to let these things go because this guy is a senior high-ranking paid official. In my opinion he did not have the right to call the people that I am about to represent, "lunatics." If we are called lunatics, he should have looked in his truck beside him -- you know what I mean.

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But before I could reply, he took off.

I must apologize to the House that recently I was a drunk, but I quit hiding in self-pity and I had the courage to change and now look where I am.

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Just six months ago I was a drunk in the streets here but then I said to the Lord that I needed strength somehow, and by golly I never thought I would come this far.

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Thank you, Mr. Bernhardt. Members' statements. Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to set the record straight on matters concerning Our Lady of Fort Providence, the Catholic Church in my home community. As most Members are aware, our Lady of Fort Providence has sat empty since it was closed in the fall of 1989, and has suffered further decay from weathering.

Mr. Speaker, Members may not be aware of the historic significance of this church in my community. Our Lady of Fort Providence was built by the people of Fort Providence in 1923. For a week's work our parents received wages of about five dollars and gifts of food or clothing from the missionaries. Since the church cannot be reopened until it is proclaimed safe by the Fire Marshal and the building inspector, I have lobbied extremely hard to force this government to provide at least enough money to stabilize the building so it could be used during the Christmas holidays.

During the final weeks of November the government and the Hamlet of Fort Providence signed a contribution agreement which should have allowed for the church to be reopened in time for Christmas. Due to the fiscal restraint however, the government subsequently decided against proceeding with this project.

I have talked with the contractors in Fort Providence and I have been informed there is not enough time to stabilize this church in time for Christmas. I therefore decided not to pursue this issue any further. Instead, I have consulted with the chairman of the finance committee, the Government Leader and the Minister of Culture and Communications, and have expressed my desire to work with them to ensure that the proper restoration plan is put in place.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to add a brief explanation to the news report that was broadcast this morning. It was announced this morning that Members of this House voted against my motion to divert moneys from the museum for possible use in stabilizing the church in Fort Providence. I would just like to inform the public, Mr. Speaker, that I had planned to withdraw this motion for the reasons I have just stated, but I was unfortunately absent from the chamber when it came time to vote on the motion.

Mr. Speaker, Members of the House were aware of my intention to withdraw this motion and had no choice but to vote it down. I think the public should be made aware that the Members of this House were not voting against the Fort Providence church, but were instead voting according to my wishes. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Gargan. Members' statements. Members' statements. Mr. Whitford.

Thank you, Mr. Whitford. Members' statements. Mr. Ningark.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the holidays are approaching, we received a book called "Living Kindness" from Jeannie Marie-Jewell. She gave that book to us written by Madeleine Bird and Agnes Sutherland. I would like to say in this House that I am very thankful and also I am pretty sure the people in Nunavut are also thankful about this book. Even though I did not read all of it, I managed to read some of it, and it is very meaningful. To this date any books or magazines that I have read, I find it the best so far. I encourage the other MLAs and the residents of the Northwest Territories to be aware of this book about their lives. This was dedicated to her grandson or grand-daughter, and through this book I am sure she means us well. I wish to take this opportunity to thank honourable Jeannie Marie-Jewell on behalf of this House. Can you say thank you to them from us?

Thank you, Mr. Ningark. Member's statements. Mr. Allooloo.

I wish to use this time to thank my constituents for re-electing me again and wish them a Merry Christmas. I would also like to thank the Members here for electing me again to cabinet. I would also like to thank the Nunavut caucus. It seems that in the last couple of weeks we have been meeting a lot, very late at night. They have been very co-operative.

I would also like to thank the staff of the previous departments I had in the last four years, namely the Department of Renewable Resources and the people that helped me to deal with renewable resource issues, as well as the Aboriginal Rights and Constitutional Development staff and Culture and Communications.

I would also like to thank my personal staff that I had within the last four years, especially Anne Todd, my former secretary; Ernie Comerford, my former executive assistant; and also Heather Myers and Marty Brown. I would also like to extend my thanks to my present personal staff, Vivian Squires and John Stephenson who are helping me.

I am very proud to have come this far to represent my people and I will try my best to fulfill the expectations they have of me and the Legislative Assembly, as a Minister. Qujannamiik.

Thank you. Members' Statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Kakfwi.

Returns to oral questions. Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Bernhardt on December 17th. The capital, as well as the ongoing operation and maintenance costs for public housing in the NWT, is cost shared on a 75 per cent CMHC, 25 per cent NWT Housing Corporation basis. In receiving this funding from CMHC, the NWT was expected to follow the principles of the federal public housing rent scale. The federal public housing rent scale stipulates that the rent levied for public housing units should range between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of gross household income. These figures represent the national recognized affordable indicator for what a household should pay to rent a suitable, adequate and affordable home.

If the NWT Housing Corporation designs a rent scale for the assessed rent below 25 per cent of gross household income, CMHC would reduce its contribution to the NWT Housing Corporation to recover any operating losses. I will give the Member a copy, as well.

Returns to oral questions. Mr. Whitford.

Proceed, Mr. Whitford.