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