Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Whitford.

Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Todd on September 9, 1992, an increase in contracts going to northern companies.

The government has seen an increase in the percent of its contracts going to northern firms, since the new Business Incentive Policy was implemented. The following information is provided for Public Works, Government Services and the N.W.T. Housing Corporation.

For the Department of Public Works in the 1991-92 fiscal year, 88 percent of all construction contracts were awarded to northern companies. During the first three months of the 1992-93 fiscal year, this increased to 94 percent, an increase of six percent.

For the Department of Government Services, a comparison was done for the months of July and August from 1991 to 1992. In July and August of 1991, 47 percent of all goods purchased were bought from northern firms. During the same two months this year, this increased to 61 percent, that is an increase of 14 percent. Northern purchases account for 52 percent of the dollar value spent in 1991-92. This increased to 62 percent during the first three months of the 1992-93 fiscal year. That is an increase of 10 percent.

For the N.W.T. Housing Corporation, it is not possible to compare this year to last year. This is because the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the major funding partner, did not accept the Business Incentive Policy last year. On June 3, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation agreed to application of B.I.P. Unfortunately, by then, the majority of the Corporation's supply and construction contracts had already been awarded. To the end of August this year, supply tenders amounting to $12.7 million, or 74 percent of the total dollars, have been awarded to northern companies. Southern companies were awarded $4.6 million or 26 percent of the total. The Housing Corporation anticipates a significant increase in northern involvement in the 1993-94 contracting season, with the C.M.H.C. now agreeing to the application of the B.I.P. Thank you.

Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Programs. In June, my honourable colleagues from Deh Cho and Inuvik raised the issue of the report of the traditional knowledge working group. On June 24, the Honourable Titus Allooloo told this House, that he had directed the Department of Culture and Communications to prepare a paper for Cabinet review.

Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister is, will the new Minister advise the House whether that Cabinet has yet developed a strategy for implementing the Report of the Traditional Knowledge Working Group?

Mr. Arvaluk.

Mr. Speaker, because of the consolidation, and the other changes that have taken place, we have to consider all the matters that have been traditionally separate from each other, we are still discussing how we are going to handle that. In that case, not yet, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Todd.

Will the Minister tell me, if any work has been done with respect to the direction given by this group, by the questions asked by my colleagues from Inuvik and Deh Cho, with respect to a report from the traditional knowledge working group? You cannot put everything on hold, because we are amalgamating, we still have to go on.

Mr. Arvaluk.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, there is a prepared document and has the Cabinet dealt with that yet? I said, no. There is a prepared document, and I will be ready to take that.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Justice. In my earlier Member's statement, I referred to the federal government initiative on aboriginal people and justice administration. One of the goals of the initiative, is to promote and support effective consultation with aboriginal organizations, as well as Metis, and to provincial and territorial governments.

Can the Minister of Justice advise us on how many aboriginal justice consultation processes have been engaged by this government and the Government of Canada, since this federal initiative was announced in August of last year?

Mr. Kakfwi.

Item 5, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary, the federal initiative promised to include consultation with aboriginal organizations. Can the Minister indicate whether the department has been asked to assist the federal Minister of Justice, or the federal Minister of Indian Affairs, to coordinate or participate in consultation activities with aboriginal organizations?

Mr. Kakfwi.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My supplementary to the Minister is with regard to recognizing that the aboriginal people and justice administration initiative is of significant importance to the people to the Northwest Territories, and recognizing that federal funds were earmarked for the project over a year ago. Will the Minister of Justice contact his federal counterparts, and have their Director General initiate the process of consulting with Territorial government, native organizations and aboriginal communities without further delay?

Mr. Kakfwi.