A social services appeal committee meeting is being planned for the Kitikmeot region in January. Funding is available in the Social Assistance Budget.

A letter will be sent on November 27, 1992, asking if the week of January 11, 1993, is acceptable to the committee for holding this meeting.

One of the planned agenda items is for the department's human resource officer, Jerry Fryer, to provide training to the committee on social assistance.

Item 4, Return to oral questions, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question, asked by Mr. Koe on November 30, 1992, regarding the justification for hiring additional positions.

The old Department of Government Services had five regional superintendents. After consolidation, these superintendents were replaced by manager positions. In three regions, the positions have become vacant because of promotion or resignation. These positions are now being filled through competition.

The information technology professionals advertisement covers competitions for vacancies in existing positions in the systems and computer services division. Staffing action is required in order to meet clients' demands. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 4, Returns to Oral Questions. Item 5, Oral Questions. Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Stephen Kakfwi, you were in Cape Dorset alone and I was in Sanikiluaq at the time. I wanted to meet with you when you went to my constituency, but Mr. Minister had gone to Cape Dorset to meet with the local government in Cape Dorset.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister has some written information about the meeting that was held in Cape Dorset, and the residents of Cape Dorset wanted to find out what the Minister's plans are in this regard. I wonder if the Minister is going to go ahead with the decentralization of government programs that he discussed with the Cape Dorset Hamlet? Thank you.

Mr. Kakfwi.

Item 5, Oral Questions. Supplementary, Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I did not indicate earlier what I was trying to ask for. I was trying to ask a question regarding community transfer initiatives. I would like to repeat the question. Just recently, on November 23, 1992, I received a letter from the hamlet regarding the proposals. I am not sure if you have received it yet, but it had outlined the plans for community transfers. How soon can the Minister indicate to me or give me a written plan for the community transfers? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 5, Oral Questions. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Renewable Resources. Mr. Speaker, a concern was expressed to me by a couple of constituents, with regard to a trap line issue, in particular, with regard to the way Renewable Resources has arbitrarily decided to open up a certain trap line within our community. These constituents had the support of the Metis, and particularly the band, for this trap line to be granted to their family. I would like to ask the Minister of Renewable Resources how the department settles disputes on who should get a trap line

within a family once the individual who had the trap line registered in their name has passed on? Thank you.

Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the Member from Fort Smith is referring to a trapper who recently passed away and had two sons, the sons are now going to be the owners of that trap line. Thank you.

Item 5, Oral Questions. Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am referring to trap line 829, and the trapper did not have two sons, but two nephews. The band had decided that this trap line should be turned over to his sister who would give it to her two sons. Is the Minister indicating to this House that this trap line will, in fact, be registered to the two sons of the lady whose brother had passed away? Thank you.

Mr. Allooloo.

Mr. Speaker, yes, the trap line will be taken over by the family, rather than an individual who was trapping in that area while the trapper was still alive. He expressed some interest in continuing trapping along that particular trap line. However, the department advises me that the trap line is going to be turned over to the family.

Item 5, Oral Questions. Mr. Koe.

Merci, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Health. Earlier today, I spoke about the expectations of the residents of the Inuvik region concerning the construction of a replacement facility for the Inuvik Regional Hospital. As stated by the department during the 1988 health transfer, this facility is expected to be completed in 1998-99. Given that programming and planning for this facility would take two years, and construction would take three years, funding for the planning and programming of this facility would have to begin in the 1993-94 fiscal year to meet this timetable. Could the Minister confirm to this House that planning for this facility will start next year and that funding will be identified for the planning of this facility in the 1993-94 Capital Plan?

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I will check on whether the planning money will be exactly in 1993-94, but to give a little bit of a background on that, when the two units in Iqaluit and Inuvik were discussed at the transfer time, we put up those dates and my recollection - I was not the Minister of Health at that time, but I was involved - is that we were aiming for about that period of time. There are a number of issues that have to be resolved in terms of the catchment area of the Inuvik region. I believe that we should be given the planning, but some major decisions will have to be made on who will be using the regional hospital.

For example, we have not decided what we are going to do with the Sahtu region. Half of that region is using our hospital, and the other half is in Yellowknife. That type of planning should begin to take place and the board or the region, should be addressing that as soon as possible. Unless that question is answered, it would be difficult to plan a facility not knowing what the catchment area is and who will be using the unit. I will check into the matter to see that the discussion begins very soon.

Item 5, Oral Questions. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. These questions have to be answered. That is why planning should start immediately. Since the federal government has already contributed over $4 million toward its share of the capital costs in replacing this facility and major renovations for the Baffin hospital, will the Minister confirm that this funding already received by this government from the federal government will be used to plan for the new facility in Inuvik and for renovations to the Baffin hospital?