Good afternoon. Item 2, Ministers' Statements. Ms. Cournoyea.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to advise the Members of the ministerial responsibilities assigned to the new Cabinet Members.

Excuse me, Ms. Cournoyea. Is this an emergency statement?

Mr. Speaker, it is an emergency statement.

Continue please, Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to advise Members of the ministerial responsibilities assigned to the new Cabinet Members.

Ms. Rebecca Mike will be responsible for the Department of Health and the Department of Social Services.

Mr. John Todd will be responsible for the Department of Transportation and the Department of Safety and Public Services. He will also be the Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board and the Public Utilities Board.

---Laughter

---Applause

Mr. Richard Nerysoo will be responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment Programs and Minister responsible for Arctic College and the Science Institute of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I want to add that it is important for residents of the Northwest Territories to realize the recent resignations of Cabinet have not disrupted our agenda. They are unfortunate but the election of Rebecca Mike, John Todd and Richard Nerysoo to Cabinet will ensure our ability to continue the directions that both the government and Legislative Assembly set out to achieve when we were elected a little over a year ago. Thank you very much.

---Applause

Ministers' Statements. Mr. Kakfwi.

Ministers' Statements. Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last night several Members of this Legislative Assembly joined me at a meeting with members of the Italian Fur Trade Association and the Italian media. Today the Italians are visiting a trap line in the Fort Simpson area and will return to eastern Canada and Italy on the weekend.

I am pleased with the interest the Italian Fur Trade Association and the media are showing in northern Canadian wildlife fur. They are making efforts to ensure the Italian public is fully aware of the extent to which fur-bearing animals are carefully managed by the hunters and trappers and the Department of Renewable Resources. The fur trade representatives tell us that Italians, living in a very small crowded country with no wildlife at all, place a high value on fur garments. In fact, one out of every three Italian women owns at least one fur coat. Yet, in their country many people believe all wild animals are endangered. Animal rights and anti-trapping groups prey on this misunderstanding.

The Italian Fur Trade Association is doing what it can to support our fur industry and advises us that we should do more in two areas.

First, it strongly recommends that our political leaders maintain contacts with members of the European Parliament. European politicians are under tremendous pressure to pass anti-trapping and anti-fur legislation and frequently do so without accurate information on the situation in northern Canada. The Fur Trade Association believes northern politicians meeting with European politicians can be most effective.

Second, the Italian Fur Trade representatives and media people are offering to work with our government and the federal government to organize and present exhibits in Italy which accurately display life in northern Canada. The fur trade and people's inter-relationships with the land and water and what it offers would of course be a central theme to any exhibit.

Mr. Speaker, it is important that our government take steps to counter the actions of all animal rights groups. Ads like those placed in the Toronto Globe and Mail and on C.B.C. recently by the International Fund for Animal Welfare can be very misleading to people who do not understand our lifestyle. We cannot win by attacking the animal rights groups directly but through cooperation with European politicians, media and fur trade representatives, we can do much to present accurate information. This support is critical to our hunters and trappers who represent the backbone of our economic and cultural foundation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 2, Ministers' Statements. Item 3, Members' Statements. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to announce the selection of my honourable colleague, Mrs. Marie-Jewell, as the Chairperson of the Ordinary Members' Caucus.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Mrs. Marie-Jewell on her selection. I know she will do an excellent job.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to point out that the chairperson does not control the issues in the caucus. The chairperson only controls the proceedings of the caucus. Mrs. Marie-Jewell replaces the Hon. Richard Nerysoo, who, as we all know, has been elected to the other side of the House and who served as the chairperson of our caucus. Thank you.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' Statements. Mr. Lewis.

I would like to begin today Mr. Speaker, by paying tribute to Mr. Titus Allooloo. We do this from time to

time because very often things go by unnoticed and they are forgotten. In Norman Wells during the 11th Assembly, Mr. Titus Allooloo skillfully persuaded all the Members of the 11th Assembly that it was time to have a plebiscite on division of the territories. He worked very hard, he was very persuasive and agreed that in the wording of the eventual plebiscite question there would be protection for the interest of the west. These kinds of things are often forgotten, Mr. Speaker. They are hidden away in the Hansard, which very few people read. It is only perhaps 15, 20 or 30 years later, or perhaps after the poor guy is dead, that people realize that the person who started this was never really recognized for it. Today however, at least this Assembly will know that it was this gentleman in Norman Wells who achieved that very remarkable event that lead to the plebiscite and the eventual division of the Northwest Territories.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' Statements. Mr. Dent.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Dent.

Item 3, Members' Statements. Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak about the participation of the people of Sanikiluaq in the environmental assessment process for the Great Whale hydroelectric project in northern Quebec. In Inuvik on December 4, the Minister of Renewable Resources announced that investor funding of $480,000 has been awarded to the Sanikiluaq Environment Committee, and another $25,000 has been awarded to the Nunavut Environmental Coalition for the Keewatin.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Minister of Renewable Resources, the Hon. Titus Allooloo, and his officials for their efforts to secure this funding. It will allow the people of that region to fully participate in the environmental assessment project.

I also understand that the Government of Quebec has provided funding to the people of Great Whale River to allow them to participate fully in this project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Members' Statements. Mr. Pudluk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement will be brief. Today, we are more relaxed than last week. Today in this House during our session people's faces seem to be much happier. I also want to state that when we have conflicts among the Members our constituents are unhappy as well. They can see through the statements and they can feel our unhappiness through the radios. We are more relaxed today, although we went through some hard times, which I am pleased to say are past. We will be heading home and Christmas is coming closer and we will celebrate the holidays with our constituents. I, for one, thought that if we did not settle the issues here that we would be going home with

unhappiness. I stand today to make a statement that I am very pleased that we have settled the issues and that we can work together and wish happy holidays to all. Thank you.

---Applause

Members' Statements. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I would like to congratulate Hon. Rebecca Mike, Hon. John Todd and Hon. Richard Nerysoo for getting the portfolios that they did. They have a big challenge ahead of them and certainly, I would be willing to work with each one in the particular areas that concern me.

Mr. Speaker, last Thursday night I was watching C.B.C. television and I was surprised to find out there is a community in the Northwest Territories I did not know existed, called Lynx River. Of course, you know this is a new setting for a C.B.C. program called "North of 60". In fact, this community is located outside of Fort Liard, which puts it in my constituency.

After watching the premier on C.B.C., there were a few things I observed about Lynx River. I noticed that the kids in the community were running around within the community causing a lot of mischief. The R.C.M.P. were chasing them around and so forth. Mr. Speaker, these children need some type of recreation facilities, so I would expect the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs to plan for the construction of recreation facilities.

I also noticed that the nurse has been keeping her medical supplies in the safe at the R.C.M.P. station. This is unacceptable. I am going to call the Department of Health to look at building a health centre. Speaking of R.C.M.P.s, the community of 125 people had two of them. As you know, Wrigley wanted one, so I would suggest that you transfer one of them over there.

---Laughter

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I noticed that the R.C.M.P. officer and the nurse were getting very friendly. It is like I have always said in the north, the R.C.M.P. always get their nurse.

---Laughter

---Applause

I hope it is the last day.

---Laughter

I would like to visit this community some time to see what is happening over there. As you know, the former Member for Nahendeh, my good friend Nick Sibbeston, worked as a consultant on this program and I would be pleased to ask him for a list of other capital requirements. This program is on tonight and it is an ongoing saga, so I just thought I would mention it today. Today, I hope, is the last day and I would like to say I hope everybody has a good holiday season and a good Christmas. Mahsi.

I am sure you will do well in the next election in that community, Mr. Antoine. Members' Statements. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to take the time to thank the previous Minister of Transportation for the work he has done to get the winter road between Fort Smith and Fort Chipewyan open. The community of Fort Smith, the citizens and I really appreciate that. I also want to take the time to wish him a very merry Christmas and the rest of my colleagues a merry Christmas, an enjoyable holiday and a safe trip home. Thank you.

---Applause

Members' Statements. Mr. Arvaluk.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I would like to congratulate Mr. Richard Nerysoo for being appointed to the portfolio that he will never regret. I would like to tell him that he is a very lucky Cabinet Member in getting that department. I can assure him that this department has a very dedicated and professional staff. He will recognize that the staff of that department, whether it is the board of directors of the divisional boards, or the C.E.C.s, or the department itself, is like a whole bunch of beautiful flowers. He will be able to make a bouquet out of that, which I hope I started to build. I wish him well because that is a fun place to work and I congratulate him and hope he is successful. Thank you very much.

Members' Statements. Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to express my appreciation to the Government Leader for her quick action today in assigning portfolios to the new Ministers. However, I am a little surprised that there are no shuffles within the portfolios of the veteran Members of Cabinet, even though these veteran Members are still fairly young. For example, the business community of the Northwest Territories is very concerned about the fact that we have one Minister who holds the portfolios of Finance and Economic Development and Tourism.

There seems to be a real contradiction here. On one hand, he has to hold the line, reduce the deficit, cut costs and raise taxes. On the other hand, he has a mandate to create economic development and, to do this, he has to create business and employment opportunities, probably by spending more money or making more money available to businesses and people in the north.

Mr. Speaker, I raise these points and hope they are considered when the next Cabinet shuffle takes place. I also want to wish everyone the best of the season, have a good rest. Mahsi.

---Applause

Members' Statements. Mr. Patterson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to congratulate and give best wishes for success to the new Cabinet Ministers with their assignments today. I would offer my assistance to the new Ministers who are dealing with the challenges of Health and Social Services, and the Workers' Compensation Board.

To Mr. Todd, Mr. Speaker, I would advise him respectfully, although I know he claims to have had inside information about everything that was going on in Safety and Public Services and the Workers' Compensation Board, to take some time to get briefed on those complicated and important departments before he jumps to extreme conclusions about solutions, as he was wont to do while he was on this side of the House.

To Ms. Mike, Mr. Speaker, I would offer the same advice. These are complicated portfolios and there is a lot to learn and I know that she will approach the issues with an open mind and will be willing to do her homework before she makes hasty judgements about solutions.

Mr. Speaker, I do sincerely wish them well. I know these are difficult assignments. It is tough to get questions on such complicated issues without any notice. I had 48 questions one day on one of those areas without even one minute's notice. If I am going to ask a question, I will try to give notice but I am not going to do so today, Mr. Speaker. I am not giving any notice today and I have a few questions that I hope we will all have some fun with. Qujannamiik.

Members' Statements. Mr. Zoe.

Mr. Zoe, your allotted time has expired.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to continue with his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Zoe.

Members' Statements. Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to deal with a very sensitive issue. I wish it had never come up. Mr. Speaker, I am very worried about certain aspects which have come to light about the office of the Languages Commissioner. For some time I have had concerns about the reported overexpenditure of salary dollars for casual staffing, talk of additional PYs in this time of restraint, the approval process for periods of leave without pay and other management matters within the Languages Commissioner's office. Those are administrative issues that can probably be worked out quite simply.

I am also concerned that regulations have not yet been made to identify the aboriginal organizations that were supposed to be prescribed as the key contact groups on language matters. This is a legislative issue that I may raise with the Minister of Justice. What troubles me very much are questions surrounding the sort of relationship which has now been confirmed to exist between the Languages Commissioner and a Member of this House.

Mr. Speaker, the role of the Languages Commissioner is very much like that of an ombudsman. It is critically important not only to establish an arm's length relationship but also the appearance of an arm's length relationship. From comments made yesterday in the Committee of the Whole, it is clear that an association exists which could threaten the credibility of the Languages Commissioner. This is regrettable and should not continue. The Languages Commissioner stated yesterday that she is accountable to each Member of this House. It is important that she is equally accountable to all Members.

Regardless of the fact that fine people are involved here, Mr. Speaker, this House should insist on only the highest standard when it comes to accountability.

Mr. Gargan, your allotted time has lapsed.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to continue.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to continue his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and honourable Members. Regardless of the fact that fine people are involved, Mr. Speaker, this House should insist on only the highest standards when it comes to the accountability of this office. Perhaps the situation is compounded further by the fact that a Member in question is also a Member of the Executive Council. There is a risk that public perception of decisions on the granting of leaves, the allocation of human or financial resources or the priority accorded to certain legislative initiatives may be affected by the nature of that friendship which exists. This could easily become a matter of confidence within this House. I do not want to see those issues arise. The matter must be addressed now before it leads to non-confidence considerations in the future.

Perhaps the problem is that the office of the Languages Commissioner is new and that not enough thought was given to the accountability process when the act was amended. The Languages Commissioner is an officer of the Legislative Assembly, not an employee of a department.

The only officer in a similar position is the Clerk of this House. The Clerk reports to the Management and Services Board and is held accountable by Members who sit on that board. If there are questions or input about the Clerk's office, they can be dealt with by the Management and Services Board.

There is no equivalent body for the office of the Languages Commissioner. That leaves an accountability vacuum with which I am very uncomfortable. Mr. Speaker, the honourable Members and people of the public who know me will tell me that I am not a mean-spirited or vindictive person. I try to be compassionate and thoughtful. I raise this matter only because I am concerned about the integrity of this House and its officer.

Even more important, Mr. Speaker, this is a matter which relates to our aboriginal languages. I was a big supporter of the office of the Languages Commissioner when the Special Committee on Official Languages brought forward its recommendations. I am still a supporter, Mr. Speaker. I feel, however, that if the credibility of the office becomes damaged, then the credibility of our efforts and our progress in this area of aboriginal languages will be damaged. Mr. Speaker, this is just too high a price to pay. I trust it will be possible to deal with those concerns effectively, compassionately, with finality and with a spirit of consensus. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Members' Statements. Item 4, Returns to Oral Questions. Item 5, Oral Questions. Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, on November 23, 1992, the Member for Keewatin Central, to whom this question is directed in his capacity as Minister for the W.C.B., described the W.C.B. as troubled, inefficient, ridiculous, monolithic, adversarial and out of control.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the honourable Minister, today, is it the Minister's view that these extreme statements from his own mouth accurately describe this board for which he is now responsible? Is it still out of control today?

---Laugher

This is an historic moment but I must say that this question is asking an opinion of the Minister and, as such, I cannot allow it. Mr. Patterson.

All right, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will try another one.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, an honourable Member of this Legislature recently described the recent increase in employers' assessments as totally unacceptable and said it was short-sighted to even contemplate such a decision which would so terribly tax the private sector. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board if he, taking into account this strong opinion from a respected Member of this House, is going to be taking action and exercising his ministerial authority to deal with these totally unacceptable rate increases of the W.C.B.? Will he be taking that action? Thank you.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to bring to the attention of honourable Members that the Ministers who have accepted the portfolios were not advised of which portfolios they were going to get until 12:30 today, and it is my understanding that the Commissioner has not signed off the written correspondence to officially make them Cabinet Ministers. Due to the fact that I had several questions to answer and I was late in doing that, I hope that the honourable Members would give the new sitting Members a little bit of leeway. Thank you.

Oral Questions. Mr. Koe.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On November 30, 1992, I raised questions in this Assembly to the then Minister of Education about the status of the transfer of the old adult education building located in Inuvik, to the Native Women's Association to use as a training centre. At that time, the Minister said he would get back to me. Mr. Speaker, I am still waiting. My question to the acting Minister of Education is, when will this government be transferring this building to the Native Women's Association?

Mr. Kakfwi, the temporary acting Minister.

Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

The need is not for new office space, the need is for classroom space, and the old adult education building apparently suits the needs of the Native Women's Association. They are currently leasing space and the lease price they pay, I was told, would cover the cost of moving into this new building. the Departments of Education and Public Works had investigated this at the time, I think it has been three or four months now. My concern is, why is it taking so long? My question again is, why can the departments not get together, assess the situation and come up with an answer quickly?

Mr. Kakfwi.

Item 5, Oral Questions. Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It has taken up some time to get to the Ministers' Statement 1-12(3) "Getting Down to Business", a statement delivered by the Premier on November 17. In this statement, the Minister indicated that she will be departing from tradition. It is very unclear to us, Mr. Speaker, why the Commissioner's address has been referred to as a throne speech. This was, in fact, delivered by the Premier, rather than by the Commissioner. Could the Premier give us some rationale as to why the Commissioner did not give us a Commissioner's address, but a statement delivered by the Premier?

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I probably am not as well versed to the protocol that the honourable Member is quoting from. I do not know what protocol he is talking about or, what general standard of address that he is talking about. I generally ask the department to present what we are doing and how we are doing it. I request that it be written up in that manner. If it should have been done by the Commissioner, I was not aware of that. However, if the honourable Member feels that some things are best said by the Commissioner, I am certainly willing to have that input. Thank you.

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

Will the Premier give us some explanation as to why, on this particular occasion, the decision was made to have the throne speech given by the Premier, who obviously is not the Commissioner, and whether she intends to outline Cabinet priorities and accomplishments in this manner in the future?

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I really do not know what he is talking about. I am not sure that there was a design, in my mind, for what a Commissioner would say and what a Premier would say. If he thinks that a statement should be made by the Commissioner, I would be pleased to learn some protocol from him, if he feels that some things are inappropriate for the Premier to say and best rests with the Commissioner. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question will be for the Government Leader. I am following up on the question my colleague from Yellowknife Centre had asked

regarding your statement of November 17, which she titled "Getting Down to Business". Mr. Speaker, in her statement, the Government Leader remarked that, over the first 12 months of her term she has, "developed and begun implementation of a comprehensive plan that is making fundamental changes to the structure of government and the way it does business in the territories." Mr. Speaker, we have seen a number of documents, Minister's statements and discussion papers in this House and even promises which have come forward from the government. I do not believe that we have seen a single plan that shows us how they are supposed to be integrated with time lines for the implementation of this plan and a basic evaluation. Is the Government Leader working with a single, integrated plan or merely looking at different initiatives for this government? Thank you.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, for many years, the people whom we represent have complained about the way the government operates. What we have tried to do is develop a more streamlined approach to the operation of the government, which would make it easier for us to respond to initiatives that are developed through this Legislative Assembly. A year ago, we had a planning session at a strategic meeting which we all attended. So far, we have been working on that plan. We have tried to implement some of the stages on reshaping northern government. At the same time, we are trying to respond to initiatives and requests that have been put forth from the regions and this Legislative Assembly.

However, the problem we have faced in the past is how to streamline the government so that people feel that they could access programs and responsibilities from this government. We are still working out that initial plan. I do not want to say where we had the meeting, because other initiatives that have happened since then give a location. We did have a strategic planning session on what we wanted to do with consolidation and streamlining the government. We are still working out that plan. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Mr. Speaker, about a year ago we were still in session. The Members took the time to go page by page through the Beatty Report. Everyone felt that the Beatty Report would be the blueprint for the government. As time went on, the credibility of the Beatty Report eroded on some of its basic recommendations. I do not know if it was because it had some factual errors. Is the strategic plan from the "Getting Down to Business" statement developed from the Beatty Report? Was the Beatty Report the basis of this particular plan? Thank you.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, as the Legislative Assembly knows, we never did adopt the Beatty Report. We did prepare from elements out of the Beatty Report on reshaping northern government on areas where we felt would be beneficial to use from that study. However, the document that is more appropriate to refer to is "Reshaping Northern Government", which does have some elements of the Beatty Report in it, but not all. Thank you.

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

This is the final supplementary, Mr. Speaker. In November of last year, this House held its first territorial leadership meeting and listened to the Government Leader outline her reasons why the Members should support her bid to head the government. When she was then asked by the Honourable John Todd whether she was prepared to take the risk and make structural changes to the government, she indicated that "I know that there is some fear out there if we do not make those changes and do not take those risks. As the Legislature, we are in serious trouble. As a Cabinet, we would be in more serious trouble." Recognizing that apart from consolidating Government Services with Public Works, Education with Communication and Culture, there is some concern that there has been no significant structural changes. Will the Government Leader ask her officials to assess whether or not this prophecy has come to pass? Is this the reason why we have seen so much discontent in this House? Thank you.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I guess it is an opinion on what discontent is and what accelerated questions are or if we are just people wanting to know what is going on. I do not like to phrase it as discontent. Certain things happen. People are not supportive of it. I just do not feel that we can always frame it in one word. I believe that much of the problem that we are having is that we just do not have the financial resources we once had. There is a lot of fear out there that one area will get something over another area. I know that is fundamental and people are struggling to represent their communities and deliver projects, programs, employment and training and academic excellence to communities.

We hear not only from this Legislative Assembly, but all across Canada, in all parts of the world, including the United States of America, which is the richest nation in the world, about financial problems.

Inherently people have that fear. There is a lot of pressure put on the ordinary M.L.A.'s. People are asking how much is going to go, where are we going to end up, are we going to get the things that we wanted and were planned for? I think all that pressure is on every one of us. Out of that there will be more and more pressure on the Cabinet to deliver and try to retain that standard, and that pressure is shown here, in Yellowknife, which is the capital city of the Northwest Territories at this time. That puts a certain amount of pressure on people too, because it has had a certain standard and it has been recognized and it has a certain amount of affluence. All those things are inherent in what you could call discontent.

While this is going on, we are trying as a Cabinet with the Legislative Assembly to organize this government so that the bureaucracy does not suck up all the resources. There is not any financial possibility of doing programs or projects. All those are inherent, I do not know whether we can blame it on one thing. Certainly, trying to change a bureaucratic structure and keep everybody happy is almost an impossibility, but when I spoke to you at the leadership meeting, I did indicate that I would try to do that. There are risks in doing that and I recognize them.

We have not concluded all the consolidations, we have not concluded all the recommendations in terms of restructuring the financial area. The Government of the Northwest Territories is on top of the "Strength of Two Levels" report, on top of the identification of the "Reshaping Northern Government" and on top of the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts that we must do to legitimize that we are looking after our financial resources. There is a lot of pressure and it comes from all over the place and of course it is going to be represented in this House. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Government Leader, what further consolidations are to come about and when does she anticipate that they will be completed? Thank you.

That is two questions, Mrs. Marie-Jewell. Could you ask just one question, please? Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

(microphone turned off)

Yes, Ms. Cournoyea, I have asked Mrs. Marie-Jewell if she would ask just one question. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Will the Government Leader be able to give us a time table for the completion of all consolidation for departments within the government? Thank you.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I will provide that information to the honourable Member.

Item 5, Oral Questions. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Government Leader on the "Getting Down to Business" statement of November 17. In the address, there was a reference to progress the government had made in changing the way it does business, through a process of consolidation, decentralization, community transfers and privatization. I would like to know which services or programs have now been decentralized so that they are now located in regional locations instead of Yellowknife. Thank you.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, we have had to go through the process of giving out proper information. The actual change over has not taken place at this time. The first part of it starts on April 1, 1993, and I can provide detailed information as to whether that is still on schedule, or whether there will have to be some delays in some areas.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Government Leader tell the House about the process through which these decentralization plans are being developed? Thank you.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, They are being developed through the Financial Management Board and the Cabinet.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Even though the decentralization initiative is now several months old, the main accomplishment of the government has been to hold meetings about how to develop the decentralization plan. Thank you.

That was a statement Mr. Antoine. Do you have a question?

That is supposed to be a question.

---Laughter

Has the main accomplishment of the government been to hold a meeting about how to develop the decentralization plan? Thank you.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that the honourable Member knows that we have downsized the government. We also have made the decision to decentralize certain areas of the government and we have to implement it. Thank you.

Item 5, Oral Questions. Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My question will be for the Government Leader. I am also interested in her comments on structural change in the government. When she delivered her "Getting Down to Business" statement on November 17, she stated that this government has been getting down to business with community transfers. From the answers this House has received from the Minister of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs, however, there seem to have been lots of discussions, but not much business. My question is, can the Government Leader indicate what she meant by her November 17 comments that "fundamental changes have been made to the structure of government through a process of community transfers."

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, certainly one area that we are trying to do is consultation. Everybody wants to be talked to before we do anything. Everyone wants to be consulted. I suppose that if we had taken a different task and made it more arbitrary, we could probably have a quicker response. However, it appears to me whether it is this Legislative Assembly or a regional council, they want to be consulted, they want to know what the process is going to be and they want to be involved with the development of that process. In order to accommodate that, it took us six months to develop an adequate community transfer paper that met the expectations of the people who wanted to be consulted.

In the meantime, I want to assure the honourable Member that discussions took place at the community level, because there were requests and people knew in some areas what they wanted to do. It took that long to get the overall framework paper. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. On November 12 when we held the first Leadership Committee meeting, the Government Leader responded to a question, "I would like to see each region take on two communities at the outset for community self-government with the M.L.A.s' total involvement, and I would like to do that right away and right up-front. That way people will be involved and there will be some movement and they can see that something is being done at the same time that the discussion is going on." Can the Government Leader advise the House which ten communities we should examine if we want to assess the results of the implementation of community self-government?

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, Sachs Harbour, Tuktoyaktuk, Fort McPherson, Arctic Red River, Aklavik, Rae and Cape Dorset are the names that I can give to you right now. Thank you.

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

That is good for the western Arctic. I do not know what is happening in the east. Recognizing that community self-government has been a goal of northern people for years, what is the Government Leader prepared to do to ensure that a more rapid pace is set for getting down to the business of community transfers?

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, the answer is probably getting out of here, so that we can get to the communities and start discussing it. I would like to say that the regional directors could be more involved. In the eastern Arctic it is not going to be as difficult, because there is one form of government that everyone is accepting. Certainly, one of the areas that takes up time is deciding on what is going to be the lead governmental type agency. That takes a little bit more time to discuss. I certainly would like to work more closely with communities, to encourage them to have complex discussions and get over some of the fears that they have in taking over some of the responsibility. I think that the discussions that have taken place so far have not been unproductive.

People want their questions answered in detail if they take over certain responsibilities, they want to know exactly what they are going to be and how much we are willing to give. Certainly in a couple of the communities with which I have been involved with the expectations of community transfers they have asked, "does this mean that we are going to get all the things that M.L.A.s were not able to deliver? This is our wish list." It really does take more community education, and hands-on work with people because there are a lot of individuals who are used to living with established procedures. Leaders in some communities face a reluctance from other community members to be represented. It is a matter of dealing with fairness at a community level, so that when the transfers do actually take place, people are happy that they are all going to be treated fairly.

I certainly would have preferred things to move much more quickly, but at the same time we have to give the communities the benefit of resolving the way they are going to be set up. This takes a little more time. Thank you.