Yes, Mr. Speaker.

Oral questions. Ms. Mike.

Mr. Speaker, my question will be for the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. Earlier I asked him a question regarding the awarding of contracts for studies of the Baffin inshore fishery. I also have many concerns about the contractor's performance. I have reviewed the contract awarded to Co-Pro for the study of vessel sourcing options, and I have reviewed the report submitted by that consultant in March 1992. According to the contract, Co-Pro was supposed to assess four options for assessing a boat and assigning a ranking quantitative or numerical score according to weighting criteria. The report does not contain any comparative weighting of options, only a summary of costs per fishing hours and training. Can the Minister indicate whether or not the department has with held payment to Co-Pro for failing to comply with the method laid out in the terms and conditions of the contract?

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism is not the department that is lofting these contracts in this regard. It is the EDA committee comprising Fisheries, Indian Affairs, Renewable Resources and Economic Development and Tourism. It is this group that is letting the contract. Although we do everything we can to facilitate them, there is a group of people who are outside one particular department who are making these decisions. Have I said to the department, "Do not pay this person any money because of non-compliance with a contract? " No, not to my knowledge, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, a supplementary for the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. The contract required that Co-Pro submit a draft report to the regional sub-

committee on fisheries and that, at that point, it should have been clear that the contractor had decided to change the methodology. The department could have either directed Co-Pro to follow the terms of the contract or else amended it to reflect the new methodology. Will the Minister investigate the review process followed by his departmental officials at the time the draft report was submitted?

Mr. Pollard.

Yes, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, a further supplementary to the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. In assessing options for the acquisition of a vessel, Co-Pro was forced to consider safety factors and the economic impact to the region, but the consultant did not address this adequately. Can the Minister advise whether or not this will now mean that additional dollars must be spent to complete this aspect of the study?

Mr. Pollard.

I will check into the matter, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, the question takes me by surprise. I had not heard of these plans of NorthwesTel, but I can tell the Member that if the plans will impact on municipal infrastructure, I will certainly undertake to make sure that my department is involved and is represented at the meetings or consultations which she describes are taking place next month. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It took me a while to got used to asking questions. I would like to direct my first question to the honourable Minister responsible for Justice. The honourable Minister knows that during Christmas we had a bad experience, a B and E. Given that, people at Pelly Bay are getting very anxious to know the status of the request to base an RCMP officer in Pelly Bay. Thank you.

Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, as I have told Mr. Pudluk and Mr. Pudlat, who have also expressed concerns about RCMP staffing in communities in their constituencies, at the moment I am in the midst of intense discussions with the RCMP, both in headquarters in the Northwest Territories and at the national level, over the deployment of staff in the Northwest Territories. These discussions are aggravated by financial restraint, Mr. Speaker, but financial resources are not the only problem I am facing with the RCMP. There is some disagreement, in my view and the view of the RCMP, about how the existing person years should be distributed between large and small communities in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, all this background is to say that these discussions are still under way. I regret that they are not resolved. I know there is a lot of anxiety in communities like Pelly Bay about what is going to be in place this coming year. There is a need to resolve the question quickly because of the need to got transfers taking place in the summer when they ordinarily occur, but at the moment we are still at odds, and I regret I cannot give the Member a definitive answer. I have taken the matter up with the commissioner of the RCMP for Canada, who will be visiting the Northwest Territories later this summer, and I am hoping it can be resolved soon because it is urgent that it be resolved. But at the moment, I have no clear answer that I can give to the honourable Member on that situation in Pelly Bay. I am sorry. Thank you.

I would ask if Ministers could try to keep their answers as short and concise as possible. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given the similar concerns from different communities across the Territories, that there is a need for RCMP officers, and given the situation we have here in Yellowknife, some Members have brought the concern that this government has brought some of the RCMP officers to help out with the situation we have here, I would like to ask the Minister if he could assure the House that this government will not pay for the RCMP that were brought from the Edmonton area. Thank you.

Mr. Patterson.