Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to apologize for coming in late. I just arrived on a plane. Mr. Speaker, a search is still going on for one of my constituents, Mr. Johnny Tonka, approximately 120 miles up the Mackenzie River from Fort Simpson. The search is under the band council there. He was reported missing Saturday at 8:30 a.m. The RCMP and the chief chartered a 185 on floats to look for him Saturday, and a Renewable Resources boat also went up the river to look for him. Arnold Hope and I also searched for him Saturday and Sunday, but with no luck. There is a camp up there with Mary and Gabe Cazon and Mary Tsetso, and as well Peter Cazon has a camp up there. They are searching every day. I think there is still hope that he may be ashore some place.

Mr. Tonka is 71 years old and is a respected hunter and an elder. I personally have gone hunting with him many times He has taught me a lot about hunting, about our land, about our country and about the Dene history. If he is ashore some place, he would survive because of his skills.

I am concerned that not enough effort on the part of the government is being spent on him, Mr. Speaker. I say this because last winter, when an American explorer was lost looking for the North Pole, hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent looking for this person, yet someone of our own is missing, and no effort at all seems to be spent in looking for someone like this. Mahsi.

---Applause

Thank you. Members' statements. We will return, then, to Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you. I do not know which Minister is responsible for this sort of action, so I will ask the Government Leader if she could tell the House which department would be responsible for heading up a search and rescue type of operation in a situation like this.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Oral questions. Is it to the same Minister, Mr. Antoine? If not, I will go down my list to Mr. Todd. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation. On Thursday, in the Government Leader's response to my question about the extension of the Manitoba land lines into the Keewatin, I noted that the chairman of the Power Corporation had initiated discussions with Manitoba Hydro about this promising concept. Is the Minister able to indicate whether or not she has, as yet, taken a direct role in discussions surrounding this prospect either with the Power Corporation or with officials in the Province of Manitoba?

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, to just make a correction, it was the president of the Power Corporation; but I did say the chairman, so I was going to make that correction. The whole discussion was at the Western Premiers' Conference, and it was to see whether we would support their ongoing power grid expansion. At that time, we said we were very much interested in it and that we would want to begin discussions as soon as possible. That conference took place not too long ago, and I intend to follow it up. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Arvaluk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question to the Minister of Transportation. You mentioned last year that wharves would be studied in the communities, namely, the ones near the seacoast. Will they also be doing some transportation through land because there will be developments arising from those projects?

Mr. Allooloo.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We feel Economic Development will be dealing with this project and the road that will be established to the fishing sites and other areas, so I will look into this matter again with the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Government Leader. I am asking this question about the Great Whale project. I would like to know if she will be able to reply to me on this question. Thank you.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I believe the question was with regard to the ongoing work that has to be done in terms of the project development for hydro in Northern Quebec as it flows into the area of Sanikiluaq and that general area. Certainly the hydro project took a great setback when the aboriginal groups were able to convince the people from New York State and that area that development of that hydro site was harmful and detrimental to the environment. I have not been able to go over the proposal that was put together by the Canadian Arctic Resources Committee, in conjunction with the people from around Eskimo Point, Sanikiluaq and that general Hudson Bay area. My understanding is that they have enough money to do some of those studies. However, I have not had the opportunity to deal with it, and there has been a request for a meeting that I have committed myself to meet with the group of people who have put the very significant proposal together.

At this time I believe that there has been somewhat of a delay in the project, and, at the earliest opportunity, I intend to deal with the project group that has been put together with the Canadian Arctic Resources Committee. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Government Leader. Since you will be meeting with them, would you be able to get back to me after you have met with them with respect to the Great Whale project? After your meeting, will you be able to submit what kind of meeting you had? Thank you.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I would expect the honourable Member will be invited, and I would expect that he would attend the meeting along with myself. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs. As you know, there is a member of the community of Fort Simpson missing, and I want to know what action the Minister has taken to assist the community in its search for Mr. Johnny Tonka. Mahsi.

Mr. Patterson.