Ms. Mike, your time has expired.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

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

Mr. Speaker, the residents of the Baffin need this industry. The re-evaluation of policy and past decisions made in this area is long overdue. This government must move now to help local people harvest this resource. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Her Honour Helen Maksagak, Deputy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories.

--- Applause

Members' statements. Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Returns to oral questions. Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Gargan on June 17, with respect to the amount paid to truckers for hauling gravel at Fort Providence. Truck haul rates are not set by the Department of Transportation. The department's long-standing practice for highway reconstruction contracts is to publicly tender the work. The market then determines the prices bid for construction, including gravel haul. The prime contractor will often subcontract hauling to local trucking firms. The rates agreed to between the prime contractor and trucking subcontractors are a private contractual arrangement.

In general, the rates currently being paid to subcontractors are less than the rates on the tender bid since the prime contractor allows for incidental costs, overhead and profit. The construction market has been very competitive lately, complaints from some trucking subcontractors stating that they cannot make a fair return at the rates being offered by prime contractors. Question O608-12(2): Term Position, Child Sexual Abuse The department is examining this issue, and I will be making a recommendation to cabinet in the near future. Our objectives are to ensure fairness and good value for public funds while ensuring the long-term viability and stability of northern businesses. Thank you.

Returns to oral questions. Ms. Cournoyea.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Todd on June 17, regarding a privatization study of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. On March 26, 1992, I indicated to this Assembly that it was the intention of this government to privatize the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. This direction is consistent with the position of the previous government and standing committee on finance, and it has been the objective since the purchase of the Northern Canada Power Commission At that time, I suggested a phased-in process may be considered but that a privatization strategy would be developed and that the strategy would be provided to the standing committee on finance.

On April 2, 1992, I indicated to this Assembly that the government would consider recruitment of an independent consultant to prepare a report on the feasibility of privatization. In addition, I agreed to provide the results of that study, if complete, at the fall session. To date, discussion between officials of the Department of the Executive, Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, and the Northwest Territories Power Corporation has taken place. Mr. Fred Abbott, retired partner with Coopers and Lybrand, has been retained to prepare are port on the feasibility of privatization, and I anticipate the report will be complete by the fall session. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have another return to an oral question asked by Mrs. Jeannie-Marie Jewell on June 16 with respect to the recent layoff notices given to eight Northwest Territories Power Corporation employees in Fort Smith. I would provide the following information: 1) These positions were declared redundant based on a review of operational requirements and technological change; 2) the corporation's operational requirements including those in Fort Smith, are unrelated to the Government of the Northwest Territories' decentralization initiative and, as such, are not covered by the work force adjustment program; and 3) employees of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation are covered under a collective agreement separate from that of government employees and layoff entitlements that are contained in that agreement.

In a continuing effort to upgrade the electrical supply system in the Northwest Territories, the corporation is involved in a program targeted at improvements to safety, efficiency and reliability. These improvements will not be accomplished without operational impacts. While it is not my intention to advise Members of each staff relocation or layoff notice, I can advise the Assembly that opportunities for limited work force adjustments are being considered and that any affected employee will be treated in a fair and forthright manner. Thank you.

Returns to oral questions. Item 5, oral resulting in bid prices which are quite low. This has led to questions. Oral questions. Mr. Antoine.

Coordinator

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Social Services in regard to the statement I made at the beginning of the session. The Status of Women Council states that 4000 sexual assaults took place in the NWT last year. There is a term position of a child sexual abuse co-ordinator which finishes in July. I would like to ask the Minister what the government plans to do with this position. Thank you.

Mr. Whitford.

Oral questions. Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question I would like to direct to the Minister of Justice. As we know, the smaller communities do not have enough RCMP, or the RCMP are going to be taken out in some of the communities. The community I am representing is a small community, so I would like to ask the Minister a question. Before I was born, there used to be RCMP in the community that I am representing. I believe there was an RCMP even before Cape Dorset had one, so my question is to the Minister of Justice. In the community I represent, they are concerned about whether the RCMP is going to be taken out of the community because of funding being cut. Since they have had an RCMP for many years, are they going to keep an RCMP in the community I am representing? Can he answer my question?

Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, I assume the Member is referring to Lake Harbour. There is no intention to deprive Lake Harbour of any RCMP presence. However, because of financial constraints, I am currently discussing with the RCMP and with the Solicitor General for Canada and the commissioner of the RCMP for Canada how the available resources could best be deployed in the Northwest Territories. The debate and discussion is not at this point resolved, so I cannot at this point assure the Member that the Lake Harbour detachment will not be deprived of one member. There is no possibility that the police presence in Lake Harbour would be eliminated. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister responsible for Arctic College. In the Nunatsiaq News of June 12, there was an ad placed, an invitation to tender for catering services for the Arctic College in the Baffin Divisional Board of Education. In the tender call it said, and I quote, "Contractors may obtain tender documents from the above address as of June 5. Out-of-town bidders, please contact CINI Little International at (416) 967-," et cetera, a Toronto address.

In discussions with this company, I find that they have handed out four or five of the requests for proposals to Toronto firms. Is it the policy of Arctic College to encourage outside firms to bid on northern work when there are competent competitive northern contractors in place?

Minister of Education, Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would have to take the question as notice since I have no background in this particular area. I will check into this for the Member and the Legislative Assembly as to what is happening in this particular matter. Thank you.

The question has been taken as notice. Oral questions. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Social Services, and it has to do with the day-care situation in the North, where there is a real need for child care services in the North. Twenty-three hundred children require child care, while there are only 700 licensed spaces. Can the Minister tell the House what this government is planning to do about this situation? Thank you.