Mr. Koe, you time has expired.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to continue with my statement.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Proceed, Mr. Koe.

The society is a national organization, and the Northwest Territories is registered as one of the societies of this organization. There are approximately 48 professional members, 28 student members and 10 associate members in the Northwest Territories. I am currently the president of this society.

--- Applause

Members' statements. Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, the results of the historic plebiscite on May 4th has brought the Inuit dream of Nunavut closer to reality than ever before. People throughout the Northwest Territories are realizing that within the next decade we will be witnessing unprecedented political and economic changes in all regions of our homeland. Yet, I am concerned, Mr. Speaker, that there seems to be little recognition in the government's planning for the delivery of programs and services. Honourable Members will note, for instance, the almost complete absence of any reference to Nunavut in the Strength at Two Levels document, which purports to provide a blueprint for the role of government in the Northwest Territories, and it is not even mentioned in the Government Leader's statement yesterday, called New Directions. They will also note that the current capital planning does not reflect the needs of independent Nunavut. Long-range planning for the delivery of health services, children's mental health and addiction treatment all continue to focus on the model which views the western part of the Territories as the source of institutional programming and circuit travel by teams of non-Inuit professionals. This must change, Mr. Speaker.

Departmental officials are going to have to recognize the reality of division and begin to plan for the day when public government in Nunavut assumes authority for the delivery of programs and services. Members of this cabinet must ensure that departmental planning from here on in gives due consideration to program transfer, to create division, decentralization and training of eastern personnel for new administrative responsibilities. While this will be essential for departmental services, I believe it is even more vital when it comes to govern ment-created boards and agencies, especially the larger, corporate-styled organizations which have been established at an arm's length from government. I will be raising questions with the Government Leader and her Ministers over the course of this current sitting, Mr. Speaker. I am sure that...

Ms. Mike your allotted time has expired.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to continue.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Proceed please, Ms. Mike.

Mr. Speaker, I will be raising questions with the Government Leader and her Ministers over the course of this current sitting. I am sure that honourable Members will agree with me that the time to begin building a framework for the future implementation of Nunavut programs and services is now. Thank you.

--- Applause

Members' statements. Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the past several weeks, I have thought long and hard about the comments made regarding the performance of the Minister of Social Services shortly before the second session recessed in April. I rise today to indicate my confidence in and support for the honourable Member for Yellowknife South.

I will tell the House, Mr. Speaker, that I did not vote for Mr. Whitford when we were originally selecting our Executive Council. I have always believed, however, that Ministers should be selected on the basis of whether their abilities are best suited to carry out the ministerial duties inherent to their portfolio assignment. I believe that every new Minister must be given an opportunity to prove those abilities. Over the past few months in his new portfolio, I have come to respect the way Mr. Whitford's personal approach and positive attitude has assisted me. I have been impressed with the Minister's willingness to listen to the opinions and aspirations of community leaders during his frequent constituency visits. When he visited Fort Providence on April 21, his open style of communicating resulted in a clear understanding of the issues surrounding Social Service deliveries.

I also believe that the Minister has demonstrated continued support and strong leadership in resolving long-standing issues surrounding the location of the handicapped adult group home in the Keewatin, bringing in critically needed amendments to the Child Day Care Act, fostering an unprecedented level of training in suicide prevention and addiction counselling, and solidifying an effective SARS program for social assistance recipients.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Social Services will never be faced with a lack of client concerns, process complaints, program needs, or new challenges. What has been lacking so far, however, has been any apparent support from the Minister's cabinet colleagues. I have been repeatedly dismayed by the way other Ministers have remained silent in the...

Mr. Gargan, your allotted time has elapsed.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to get unanimous consent to finish my statement.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Proceed, Mr. Gargan,

Mr. Speaker, thank you, colleagues. I have been repeatedly dismayed by the way other Ministers have remained silent in this House when their support should have brought additional balance and understanding to debates on social or health issues. I also find it inexcusable that important initiatives such as the harvesters support program in Renewable Resources and the family law review in the Department of Justice have been allowed to stall and leave the Minister of Social Services in a compromised position. Clearly the lack of interdepartmental co-ordination and the apparent failure of Ministers to support each other signal deep problems within the Executive Council. I would call on the Government Leader to address herself immediately to the issue of cabinet disunity. Thank you Mr. Speaker.

Members' statements. Members' statements. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today on behalf of the ordinary Members' caucus to speak about the decentralization initiatives announced by the Government Leader yesterday. Mr. Speaker, Members on this side of the House fully support the principle of decentralization. We feel that the decentralization to all regions of the Northwest Territories will enhance regional decision-making powers, enhance program deliveries, and assist in developing viable economies in our smaller communities.

With that said, Mr. Speaker, we also believe that decentralization should occur in a fair and equitable manner. Decentralization has to be properly planned and managed, following clear policy guidelines to maximize the benefits to the affected communities and to enhance program delivery. It must not be perceived as a band-aid solution to political and budgetary problems. The initiatives announced yesterday certainly do not address the needs of all the regions in the Northwest Territories. In addition, we have yet to see a global decentralization plan and how it will fit into the overall restructuring of northern government. Thank you.

Members' statements. Point of privilege, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Point Of Privilege

Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on a point of privilege to correct a factual error contained within the article of today's Yellowknifer newspaper. The article, developed by Ronna Bremer, which appears under the headline, "Whitford Gets Temporary Reprieve," states that I indicated on April 3rd that I would be seeking unanimous consent to deal with my motion to revoke the appointment of the Hon. Tony Whitford as a Member of the Executive Council.

Mr. Speaker, the Hansard for Friday, April 3rd clearly shows that I made no such statement and I would be appreciative if reporters would have the courtesy to accurately reflect the proceedings of the business of this House. Thank you.

Mrs. Marie-Jewell is exercising her rights under the rules of this House. Members' statements, Mr. Zoe.

Members' statements. Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi. Mr. Speaker. I must say that I am disappointed because of the announcement yesterday that the aircraft maintenance facility is to go to Fort Smith rather than to Fort Simpson. The reason I say that is because I was hoping to be given an opportunity to try to get this facility located in Fort Simpson. All I was asking for was a fair chance.

The reason for that is that I think the study the decision was based on is shallow and it does not give Fort Simpson fair consideration. I say this because the value of such a facility is $7.3 million and 15 permanent jobs which are not government positions, and it does not exist in the government system at all at this present time. The spinoff and net effect would greatly revive any regional economy. There are numerous economic benefits that would greatly benefit any community.

I think Fort Simpson is a prime location. I have talked to many government officials who travel to Simpson, and they think it is a very good place. I think it was a prime location since six per cent of the marketable forest in the NWT is right in our back yard, and an aircraft maintenance facility services aircraft that fight fires.

The policy to decentralize, I think, is to spread economic benefits to communities known as emerging market communities. I think Fort Smith already has a lot of things like Arctic College, women's corrections, youth facilities and fire operations. The emerging market communities need permanent government programs to ensure a sound economic base. It is like building any facility in the North and trying to find an anchor tenant that would guarantee that you would

meet your mortgage, a long-term guarantee. It is the same thing on a larger scale in the communities. I am saying that on behalf of most of the smaller communities that aspire to develop their economy.