Good afternoon. Orders of the day for Thursday, June 18, 1992.

Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to apologize to one of my colleagues on this side of the House. Yesterday, Mr. Speaker, I denied the Member for Nahendeh to continue on his Member's statement. In reviewing the Hansard, I recognized what I thought I had heard was not correct, and with that I would like to apologize for not allowing him equal opportunity to continue with his Member's statement as I have allowed other Members in this House. Thank you.

--- Applause

Members' statements. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is with great pleasure that I rise today to speak about the establishment of Nunavut, a dream that we in the Eastern Arctic, can finally see on the horizon. Just six short weeks after the plebiscite, the date when Nunavut will finally be established, once such a faraway dream, now seems so close to fruition. It is for that reason I believe it is incumbent upon us to begin planning now for that day. Virtually every decision we make in this Legislature will have some impact on the future of the eastern territory.

On Wednesday, Mr. Speaker, the honourable Member for Baffin Central spoke quite eloquently about the need for the government to rethink the way its departments, boards and agencies deliver programs in planning for the creation of Nunavut. In that vein, I believe it is also time to promote the evolution of non-government organizations that will play a large and vital role in the development of Nunavut.

At present, umbrella organizations such as the NWT Chamber of Commerce, the NWT Construction Association and the NWT Association of Municipalities represent some of the people of the Northwest Territories. Since Nunavut will be establish far more quickly than any of us can imagine, I believe it is time to establish and, more importantly, fund parallel organizations for the Eastern Arctic to ensure an orderly transition once division occurs.

Similarly, special conferences or events such as the recent Prospects North conference that received grants from this government can only be funded in a similar manner, Once

these new organizations are established, it will be necessary to fund similar conferences and trade shows in the Nunavut area.

Mr. Speaker, people in Nunavut are excited by the challenge of creating a new territory. We are ready for that challenge. It is now time for this government to recognize that Nunavut will soon be a reality and recognize its role in providing support for that eventuality.

Members' statements. Mr. Lewis.

I rise today out of grave concern, not only that Yellowknife, these days, seems to be in the news right across the country, but even locally there are concerns that many of the facilities of which we are proud are in danger of being decimated.

The Aven Seniors' Centre had a deficit last year of $30,422. With the current commitments of this government, as I understand them, that deficit will increase to $54,467. That facility was built on the basis of a tremendous amount of volunteer labour and help, and there has been a tremendous voluntary contribution from people throughout this community, and it is exhausted.

There are people there who are not wealthy; probably the average would be about $10,000 a year that people have to live on. Currently, they are paid $376 a month, and even if that were to be increased, Social Services always finds some convenient way to say, "Well, we do not really have to provide you with the resources you need because if you increase your costs, then, of course, we can reduce ours.'

I would like the government to recognize that this place is a very, very important place, not just for Yellowknife, but for all people in the NWT, because it provides a home which is rather unique. It provides 24-hour care for elderly people with medical needs. It keeps people active and able to lead a meaningful life. It recognizes, appreciates and values the cultural background of its people, and it provides affordable medical care and housing in a very home-like kind of environment.

Mr. Lewis, your allotted time has expired.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will not abuse this privilege of being allowed to continue.

Mr, Lewis, you I have not been allowed yet. Are you asking?

I would like to continue and ask for unanimous consent to do so.

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

I will not abuse this privilege. This centre allows for out-of-town elders to move here to be with their families. I know that the Government Leader, herself in her 50s, has made requests so that people she knows from her area can come here to live, to be close to friends and family. Even the mother of one of our ordinary Members, is there enjoying the kind of care that is provided in that facility.

I would like, therefore, to urge all Members of this House to take particular note of this item when we have to deal with it at budget time because I shall be fighting this one and will give it a priority among all the social issues that we have to deal with. Thank you.

Mr. Gargan.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In a return to an oral question the day before yesterday, the Minister of Culture and Communications stated that his department is prepared to contribute $25,000 to assist in the restoration of Our Lady of Fort Providence Church. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Minister of Culture and Communications for the $25,000 he has pledged to help pay for repairs. This is a good start. With this $25,000, we can hopefully have the church stabilized by this fall. Then we will finally be able to use the church once again for special events such as weddings, baptisms, and Christmas and Easter services.

On behalf of the citizens of Fort Providence, especially our elders and the Catholic Church, I would like to thank the Minister for this funding. However, I would like to point out that this funding is long overdue and represents only a fraction of the funding we need. It is going to take a lot more than $25,000 to bring the church up to standard. An estimate in 1990 suggested restoration could cost as much as $150,000. Once the church is stabilized, a great deal of work will be required to ensure that the church conforms to current fire code standards. We must also upgrade the church's electrical wiring and repair the roofing. We must also restore the paintings which have suffered since we were forced to close our Lady of Fort Providence Church nearly two years ago.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to once again tell the Minister that it is a good start, and we are hoping he is sincere in his commitment to finishing this important task. Thank you.

--- Applause

Members' statements. Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to conclude the statement that I started yesterday. I also accept the apology by the Member for Thebacha for naying me.

--- Applause

I still have concerns about the feasibility study on the decision that it was based upon. I think it is an inadequate piece of work. I think it is wrong to assume that just because there is a central office in one community, the maintenance area must be located there as well. With the modern convenience of computer link-ups, faxes, electronic mail, there is no need for a maintenance facility to be next door to the operations.

The Government Leader's New Directions indicates that the facility would be developed in co-ordination with new training programs for aircraft maintenance engineer trades at Thebacha Campus. I think the presence of the Thebacha Campus should have no bearing on the decision as to where the location of a heavy maintenance facility should be.

All I wanted to say is that I was hoping the final decision for the location of the aircraft maintenance facility would not be made until the study was reviewed by the communities concerned so that a fair chance would be given to emerging market communities. How else can these communities develop if they are not given a fair chance? Mahsi.

Members' statements. Mr. Koe.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Inuvik has close to an equal number of Gwich'in, Inuvialuit and non-aboriginal residents. Each group looks for a different organization to represent their interests: the Gwich'in, the Gwich'in Community Council; the Inuvialuit, the Inuvialuit or Inuvik Community Corporation; and others, the town council. Before land claims were settled, all of these groups worked independently of each other; however, I believe all respected each other's authority.

I would like to describe some examples of renewed cooperation among these three groups. During the Commission for Constitutional Development, all three groups submitted a joint proposal which outlined principles to establish a new governing relationship, such as the areas of jurisdiction that are fundamental to the revitalization, promotion and protection of aboriginal heritage, and the maintenance of democratic principles to ensure that no group or individual shall be excluded from governing the community. More discussions will be carried out in the future to define a new governing structure and authorities for Inuvik.

The two aboriginal organizations are concerned about the perceived lack of commitment by education authorities, their development and instruction of aboriginal languages. For example, there are no aboriginal language instructors in the high school. In fact, there is no aboriginal teacher. The situation continues to undermine the self-esteem of our native youth. Both organizations, in working with educational institutions, agreed to an interim arrangement to hire two halftime language instructors. In the long term, the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit have asked the Official Languages Commissioner to investigate the implementation of the Official Languages Act and the federal-territorial funding agreement. It is hoped that this investigation can produce recommendations that the Legislative Assembly may consider in the near future.

The region requested, as well, a teacher education program to be placed in Inuvik to increase the aboriginal teaching staff...

Mr. Koe, your allotted time has expired.

May I seek unanimous consent to proceed with my statement?

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

... where 70 percent of the students are aboriginal. Without this program, Gwich'in and Inuvialuit will continue to see drop-outs. Government, before getting approval for funding priorities, has stopped any further TEP initiatives without consultation from this Assembly.

The Town of Inuvik, the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit organizations have also decided to participate in fund-raising efforts to build a recreation centre. This long overdue project is in Inuvik's capital plan. However, the current allocation is totally inadequate to build a skating rink, let alone a recreation centre. When the Legislative Assembly considers the capital budget, I hope Members will take into consideration that the existing facilities are condemned and may be closed in the next year or two. The community is willing to provide their fair share of funds to build a recreation facility which should serve Inuvik for many years.

On another initiative, the Town of Inuvik and other tourism organizations, including the two aboriginal groups, formed a steering committee to assist the Department of Economic Development and Tourism in the development of a tourism visitors' centre. The centre will provide regional focus to a tourism industry that is rapidly creating a new economic base. The Inuvialuit and Gwich'in have entered into a joint ownership arrangement for the project. Ownership will ensure that aboriginal heritage is presented in a truly northern fashion.

Mr. Speaker, these initiatives are paving the way for a new partnership among all the ethnic groups in Inuvik, and I look forward to working with the Inuvik partners, which are creating a healthy working environment for the political, social and economic development of the community. Mahsi.

--- Applause

I notice the trend in the last couple of days that Members' statements are going quite often beyond two and a half minutes. I would like to ask Members to try to keep their statements within two and a half minutes because if we are constantly breaking our own rules, I do not think that gives a very good impression, So if I could just ask Members to respect the rules of the House. Thank you, Members' statements. Mr. Bernhardt. A point of privilege. Mrs. Marie Jewell.