Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to Item 13, notices of motions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you Members. I give notice that on Friday, June 19th, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that this Legislative Assembly request the federal Minister of Labour to immediately take the necessary steps to introduce and secure passage of binding arbitration legislation concerning the Royal Oak mine strike in Yellowknife; and further, that the Speaker transmit this resolution to the federal Minister of Labour, the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be seeking unanimous consent to return to motions to proceed with this motion today.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to Item 15, motions and to proceed with Motion 19-12(2) today.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you Members.

WHEREAS the situation at the Royal Oak mine in Yellowknife has worsened considerably since the strike commenced on May 22nd;

AND WHEREAS the 50-member RCMP tactical unit and the eight member emergency response team were used on June 14th;

AND WHEREAS several injuries, damage to property and additional criminal charges resulted;

AND WHEREAS there is no reason to believe that the tension, threats of violence and actual violence will lessen over the coming days and weeks in light of the continuing impasse and the use of replacement workers;

AND WHEREAS the federal government has legal jurisdiction and obligation over labour in the NWT;

AND WHEREAS our government has strongly urged the federal Minister of Labour to introduce legislation mandating arbitration in the event of the failure of the efforts of the mediator;

AND WHEREAS the Parliament of Canada is due to recess for the summer on Friday, June 19th;

AND WHEREAS with an all-party agreement, the Government of Canada could draft and secure passage of binding arbitration and legislation;

NOW THEREFORE, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that this Legislative Assembly request the federal Minister of Labour to immediately take the necessary steps to introduce and secure passage of binding arbitration legislation concerning the Royal Oak mine strike in Yellowknife;

AND FURTHER, that the Speaker transmit this resolution to the federal Minister of Labour, the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada and the Parliament of Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I know that all Members appreciate how volatile the situation has become in the labour dispute between Royal Oak and CASAW. We are all aware of the danger of violence, and it is not diminishing as frustrations continue to build, and it will only get worse as this dispute drags on. Unfortunately, it appears that the parties in dispute are deadlocked, with no plans to resume bargaining.

This dispute is tearing up the community, and if the federal government continues to refuse to accept their financial responsibility for the RCMP tactical unit, it could eat a huge hole in the NWT budget.

I am aware the responsibility for dealing with this dispute is entirely a responsibility of the federal government. But perhaps, because of our distance from Ottawa, the federal government is not recognizing how important this situation is to us in the North. They are obviously dragging their feet when it comes to dealing with this strike. They are dragging their feet and running out of time, with Parliament set to prorogue this Friday. This must be pressed to act quickly.

Mr. Speaker, with this motion we can send a strong message to Ottawa that they must accept their responsibility to deal with this strike immediately. We cannot afford to have it drag on any longer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--- Applause

Question.

Motion 19-12(2), Carried