(Translation) I apologize. I did not make myself clear, Mr. Speaker. My question was concenring your interpreters. What laws do we have with regard to interpreters? I have found an interpreter who was charging someone and was the interpreter in the case of the person she was charging. I wonder, are interpreters allowed to be interpreters in cases like that? this has been very damaging. My question is, what does the law state concerning the function of an interpreter during court hearings? I assume I have made myself understandable. Thank you.

Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do understand the Member's question, but I am not aware of the situation he described. I will look into the matter and get back to the honourable Member, so I will have to take the question as notice. Thank you.

The question is being taken as notice. Oral questions. Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Public Works. As the Minister indicated that he would like to ensure that contracts are awarded to contractors who maximize northern employment, I would like to ask the Minister if he knows whether the policy is being met in the Keewatin Region. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Public Works, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As far as I know the policy is being met.

Supplementary, Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Mr. Speaker, there are some contracts which were awarded in my riding of Kivallivik, and I believe this policy is not being met. I would ask the Minister if he would look into this matter in my area. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Member for bringing this to my attention. As everyone knows, the business incentive policy depends on the responses from the communities. If communities are aware that contractors are not following the policies and not hiring locally, the only way we find out is if someone brings it to our attention. I would like to thank the Member and we will check into this. Thank you.

Oral question. Oral questions. Mr. Arngna'naaq.

This is a new question, Mr. Speaker. This question is directed, I think, to the Minister of Justice. There are a number of people in the Northwest Territories who do not have birth certificates, and they are past the age of 16. I would like to know if there is anything being done for these people.

Minister of Justice, Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, the problem that the Member is referring to comes from custom adoptions, I believe, where delays in the process for formally approving a custom adoption have often meant years where a person is without even the most basic documentation, such as a birth certificate, social insurance number, and the like. I would like to assure the honourable Member that this problem has been brought to my attention, and I have asked my department to look at ways of solving this problem through legislative amendments to the Vital Statistics Act. It seems to me the solution, Mr. Speaker, is to grant birth certificates, even pending the formal and final approval of a custom adoption, so that these children are at least given birth certificates. We are proceeding with that, and I know that when the bill comes to the standing committee on legislation, after it has been approved by cabinet, the chairman will give it speedy consideration. Thank you.

Oral questions.

Item 6, written questions.

Item 7, returns to written questions. Mr. Clerk.

Mr. Speaker, return to Question W5-12(2), asked by Mrs. Marie-Jewell on February 18, 1992, to the Minister of Renewable Resources regarding a meeting to establish formal negotiations of an NWT/Alberta

interim water quality agreement.

Hon. John Ningark's return to Question W5-12(2), asked by Mrs. Marie-Jewell on February 18, 1992: The other government officials from Alberta and the Northwest Territories that attended the meeting on February 12, 1991 to establish the arrangements for negotiating the interim water quality accord were: Stu Lewis, director, policy and planning, Renewable Resources, GNWT; John Donihee, Legal Counsel, Justice, GNWT; Peter Melynchuk, assistant deputy minister, Alberta Environment; and Ron Thumlurt, assistant deputy minister, federal Intergovernmental Affairs, Alberta.

Returns to written questions.

Item 8, replies to Opening Address.

Item 9, petitions.

Item 10, reports of standing and special committees.

Item 11, reports of committees on the review of bills.

Item 12, tabling of documents. Item 13, notices of motions. Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, February 24, 1992, I will move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that Tabled Document 12-12(2), Plebiscite Direction, be moved into committee of the whole for consideration. Thank you.

Notices of motions. Mr. Lewis.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, February 24, 1992, I will move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kivallivik, that Mr. Dent, Mr. Koe, Mrs. Marie-Jewell, Mr. Nerysoo and Mr. Pudluk be appointed as Members of the special committee on health and social services. Thank you.

Notices of motions.

Item 14, notices of motions for first reading of bills.

Item 15, motions.

Item 16, first reading of bills.

Item 17, second reading of bills. Item 18, consideration in committee of the whole of bills and other matters: Ministers' Statement 10-12(2), Education Dispute; Tabled Document 9-12(2), Strength at Two Levels; Tabled Document 10-12(2), Reshaping Northern Government, with Mr. Nerysoo in the chair.

I would like to call the committee to order. If Members recall, we were dealing with the matter Ministers' Statement 10-12(2), Education Dispute. There was a point of order raised by Mr. Allooloo. I would like to proceed with a ruling on that particular point of order before we commence the business of the committee.

Chairman's Ruling

Prior to proceeding with committee of the whole, I would like to provide my ruling on the point of order raised by Mr. Allooloo yesterday during the discussion on Ministers' Statement 10-12(2). The point of order was raised by Mr. Allooloo after a statement was made by Mr. Koe during his remarks on the Minister's statement where he indicated that the Minister of Education, Mr. Allooloo, was receiving bad advice from his advisors. Mr. Koe alleged that the Minister was told by his advisors not to meet with the president of the Northwest Territories Teachers' Association. Mr. Allooloo's point of order was that the Member for Inuvik was making some allegations that were not true concerning that statement.

I have reviewed the unedited Hansard on this matter and find myself in a difficult position, as the chairman cannot be expected to know whether a Member or Minister is providing information that is correct. I would assume that no Member would provide information to the House that was not factual, as it would be a point of order if a Member did make an unsubstantiated allegation against another Member, an official or a witness, or impute false unavowed motives to another Member. I would hope that this is not the case in this matter.

To put the matter to rest, I quote citation 494 of Beauchesne's sixth edition:

"It has been formally ruled by Speakers that statements by Members respecting themselves and particularly within their own knowledge must be accepted. It is not unparliamentary temperately to criticize statements made by Members as being contrary to the facts, but no imputation of intentional falsehood is permissible. On rare occasions this may result in the House having to accept two contradictory accounts of the same incident."

The Chair feels that this is the case in this matter and trusts Members will be guided to ensure that any statements made are factually correct and do not offend the rules of debate in this House. If any statements made yesterday by either Mr. Koe or Mr. Allooloo were not correct, I would expect that the Member concerned would correct the facts and appropriately apologize to the House. Thank you.

If I might call the committee back to order, we were dealing with the matter of Ministers' Statement 10-12(2). What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Marie-Jewell.