Mr. Lewis.

I appreciate, Mr. Speaker, that hope is better than despair, but I would like to ask the appropriate Minister, then, what precautions are being taken to protect the tremendous base of information that this government has, including our very famous financial information system, so that everything does not get lost and that everybody who expects to get paid at the end of next month will still be on the computer after today.

Mr. Pollard or Mr. Ningark. Mr. Ningark, Minister of Government Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We were concerned about this when we were informed. We wanted to unhook the cables into the wall until the time passes, and we also wanted to try and get a doctor in to fix them. All departments are advised in this regard, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since my honourable colleague here says it is Friday, usually things are pretty light here today, so I am going to ask the Minister responsible for Renewable Resources, since he is responsible for the forests. I took him over to Liard in January to see the trees, and he comes from a land where there are no trees. So I want to ask him if he could tell the House the type of trees that are in the Liard Valley. Thank you.

---Laughter

It is not normally within the Minister's knowledge but since it is Friday I will allow the Minister to attempt to answer it.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe we have poplar, white spruce, black spruce, and jack pine. Jack pine, Mr. Speaker, was selected in 1989 as the official tree of the Territories.

---Applause

I think you passed the test, Mr. Ningark. Oral questions. Oral questions.

Item 6, written questions. Written questions. Item 7, returns to written questions. Returns to written questions. Mr. Clerk.

Mr. Speaker, return to Question W7-12(2), asked by Mr. Todd to the Minister of Education, concerning the Northwest Territories post-secondary student statistics; return to Question W9-12(2), asked by Mr. Bernhardt to the Minister of Justice, concerning absolute discharges and training for judges re sexual assault cases.

Hon. Titus Allooloo's return to Question W7-12(2), asked by Mr. Todd on February 20, 1992: The Department of Education has provided me with a number of tables on students enrolled in, and graduating from, post-secondary programs. These tables have been sent, as requested, to the Member for Keewatin Central.

The tables include numbers of post-secondary students enrolled over the past eight years. Information on total enrolment for 1983, and for 1984, is available, as well as enrolment in technical and degree programs. However, enrolment figures for southern and northern institutions are not. That information was not collected then.

Information on numbers of graduates from post-secondary programs is only available now for 1988-89. The department first attempted to collect graduate information for 1986 to 1988 through a survey conducted by mail. The return rate was so low no meaningful numbers were provided. In 1988-89 graduates were surveyed by telephone. As this has proven to be a successful method of collecting student graduation numbers, a telephone survey to determine graduation rates for 1990, 1991 and 1992 will be conducted this summer.

The information provided in the tables on student enrolment and graduation was collected through the student financial assistance program. While some NWT residents may be pursuing post-secondary studies full time at their own expense, the Department of Education has no ongoing method of gathering the numbers of those students. However, the department expects that the number of individuals enrolled in post-secondary programs who are not receiving student financial assistance is very low. The information provided through the student financial assistance program identifies almost all of the students enrolled in, and graduating from, full-time post-secondary studies.

Returns to written questions.

Item 8, replies to Opening Address. Replies to Opening Address. Item 9, petitions. Petitions. Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table Petition 4-12(2) from the residents of Pond Inlet, requesting the proposed library project in Pond Inlet to be constructed as planned in 1992. The petition contains 193 signatures.

Petitions. Item 10, reports of standing and special committees. Mr. Todd.

Mr. Speaker, the standing committee on finance is pleased to provide the Legislative Assembly with a short report on creative planning sessions which were recently conducted. The standing committee on finance first met during the first session in December, 1991. The committee was faced with a very heavy workload at that time and was unable to discuss, in detail, the role and responsibilities of the committee over the next four years.

It was agreed it would be beneficial for the committee to meet for a couple of days prior to a review of the 1992-93 capital estimates to fully discuss the role and responsibilities of the committee. As a result, the committee held a creative planning session in Yellowknife on February 1st and 2nd. Sessions were facilitated by Mr. Mike Bell of Inukshuk Management Consultants. The committee made several decisions that we would like to inform the Members about, and a full detailed account of the sessions are in the report in Appendix 1.

The purpose of the planning session was to decide on the primary purpose of the committee. The questions we were faced with were: What is our mandate and how are we going to fulfill this mandate? After much discussion, the committee adopted the following mission statement and principles which will guide our work for the next four years.

The mission of the standing committee on finance is to advise the Legislative Assembly, on behalf of the public, in all areas related to financial management and the proposed expenditure of funds, and to hold the government accountable for its spending. To carry out this mission, the standing committee will be guided by the following principles:

1) Government spending and financial management must respond first to fundamental human needs;

2) It must be guided by a strategic framework and be based upon sound fiscal policies;

3) It must ensure equity, fairness and universality of benefit to all Northerners in the Northwest Territories; and

4) It must be effective, efficient and economical.

The committee discussed many other issues of importance, including its relationship with other groups; how the committee should operate; and the priorities of the committee. The committee recognized that much more discussion must take place between committee Members and with other Members of the Legislative Assembly before we fully deal with these issues. The committee has set an ambitious work plan to help resolve some of these issues. The plan is relatively short term and is designed around three individual projects:

1) the development of interim procedures to guide its relationship with government and ordinary Members;

2) the development of a clear set of goals and objectives; and

3) a full review of the procedures used by the committee.

The committee has set clear deadlines for the completion of these projects. We welcome the comments and suggestions of all Members to assist us in achieving these goals. The committee appreciates the support provided by the facilitator and the staff at that time.

Motion That Committee Report 6-12(2) Be Received And Adopted, Carried

With that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to move, seconded by my honourable colleague for Kitikmeot, that the report of the standing committee on finance on our creative planning session, be received and adopted. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Todd. Mr. Todd, your motion is in order. Ms. Cournoyea.

Point Of Order

Point of order. The chairman of the standing committee on finance, on item 1, substantially read the first principle with differing words, and I would suggest that if the idea is to leave it as the report says, that it be read into the record again. Thank you.

I am not quite sure if I understand, 100 per cent, the point of order. I think the honourable Member is saying that what is in the report might not be exactly the same as what the Member has said. What I would suggest is that we will review Hansard and, if necessary, a correction can be entered into the record.

Agreed.

There is a motion on the floor. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Reports of standing and special committees.

Item 11, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 12, tabling of documents. Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to table Tabled Document 19-12(2), Annual Report of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, 1990-91. Thank you.

Tabling of documents. Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to table Tabled Document 20-12(2), a letter which was sent to me regarding the Pond Inlet library. Thank you.