Mr. Gilday.

Mr. Chairman, indeed we do provide O & M contributions for the ongoing support of community museums. We have the Norman Wells Historical Society, the Northern Anthropological Cultural Society that is in Fort Smith, and then Sunaqutangit in Iqaluit, and then we have capital contributions to ten community museum groups, or historical society groups.

Mr. Koe. Thank you, Mr. Minister.

Can I get that information, that list, please?

Mr. Minister, would you provide that information to the Member?

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, we are on page 5-15, museum heritage, total O & M, $2.206 million. Agreed? Mr. Koe.

On the larger scale, and most things of a larger scale seem to be located in Yellowknife, and operated out of Yellowknife, and I am talking about the museum. I am aware, through some dealings with them, that they are always short, and this goes anywhere we have documents and artifacts or anything related to heritage and museums. They are always having a problem with storage and maintaining the goods, or the artifacts that we have.

Because of the heritage centre being here, a lot of the artifacts from across the north seem to congregate or descend here. My point is that we have some smaller community projects, you mentioned three of the larger ones, Norman Wells, Fort Smith and Iqaluit, but I am sure you have been getting requests from other communities and other groups. I know that working with a specific land claim, there are provisions in that claim for development of some very specific issues or points, that deal with this issue.

Every activity here has been reduced, and this one too, but there is more demand, and more need, but obviously, the priority is not here, because we keep getting cut. There is a need to preserve these things but I am just making a point, how long do we go on? I know the basement is full, warehouses are full, and there are problems with the weather and those types of things. You need air conditioning or controlled temperature rooms for a lot of our prints, and a lot of the skin type things, and all of that costs money.

Through development of smaller community, or regional museums, some of these problems of concentrating everything in one centre will be removed. We have got to put some effort and some resources and maybe some new thinking into how we do this. I just wanted to make that point.

Mr. Minister, we are growing, yet the provisions are getting smaller. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First of all, the department has developed a draft plan which identifies the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre as a support agency for community museum programs, which Mr. Koe has just talked about.

A strategy is being completed this year, which will identify specific sources of support for development and operation of community museums, and the condition under which they can be provided. One of the things that we do, also, are school travelling packages. We are also developing a policy to collect what we need, not everything that is being thrown to us from different regions.

I am also very encouraged by, and this might sound quite coincidental, the consolidation of the Departments of Education and Culture, this will also help in utilizing schools, educators, and teachers with the travelling museum and programs as such, so that the museum pieces or heritage items are not sitting idly in the Prince of Wales Heritage Centre. So, a lot of things like that can be improved. Yes, Mr. Chairman, we are talking to different regions now who are requiring that museum-type cultural, or heritage centres preserve some of these materials and, also, not only in terms of objects, but also in the written materials that could be used in a cultural, or heritage centre.

So, things have been developing, and it is good to know that with the Culture and Education consolidation, that I am very hopeful that we will be able to work faster under an umbrella organization.

Qujannamiik. Next, I have Mr. Gargan. Mr. Koe. Yes, Mr. Gargan is next on the list. Mr. Koe are you planning on making a comment? If you are, proceed now. If you do not, I am going to go to Sam.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. One more point, I guess. I mentioned this very briefly in my reply to the budget address. In doing the overall government budget, a heavy emphasis was placed on restraint measures, and reductions of budgets, from all departments, and all activities took place. In the Public Accounts, the last report that we looked at, the Auditor mentioned that this government has some $3 billion worth of assets, and a good portion of that are in the artifacts, the paintings, prints, carvings, and written materials that we have in storage.

I would venture to say that I doubt if anybody in this government can provide an accurate list of what is there, what is in active circulation, what is in active use, and what is in our storage facilities, wherever those storage facilities are. Sometimes you have to wonder how useful it is in just storing this material. I had mentioned in my reply to the budget address, that maybe we should look at increasing our revenue pot by selling some of this stuff, if there are buyers out there, but that it just a thought, and take it from where it comes.

Mahsi. Mr. Minister.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. The latter part we could worry about later, but at the moment the department has recommended, to the Comptroller General, the establishment of an interdepartmental committee to review, and make recommendations, concerning inventory procedures for other cultural assets. The museum heritage division would be available for membership on this committee, and would be able to provide professional advice on artifact inventory and control procedures. This is being recommended now. If the Member wants to sell them off to pay for our deficit, then this is another matter. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just one, I do not know if this is an illusion, but in here with regard to salaries and wages, I am very encouraged by the reduction in the salaries by seven percent. I looked at the person years, the O & M, and grants and contributions, but I cannot seem to find where that reduction would be compensated. I would like to ask the Minister if, in fact, these salaries and wages are being reduced by seven percent.

Thank you. Mr. Gargan, are you speaking to the page 15-15? Okay. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I think that I also said that in my opening remarks, Mr. Chairman. I do not know exactly what page, I think one of the last pages, in the interpretation and community museum we have eliminated the heritage training coordinator. That is one PY. Previously this position coordinated and administered a program aimed at training community based heritage workers. As the position was vacant, no lay-off was required.

Also, in historic resource management, there is the elimination of a senior archaeologist in that one. So, what we understood was that we could still handle the workload that is being done by these PYs, without having too much effect on the workload. Although there is an effect on the workload, we feel that we can handle it.

Thank you. Mr. Gargan.

So, in fact, you have eliminated two PYs to compensate the reduction in the salaries. So, in fact, there really was not a reduction then.

Mr. Minister, I recognize you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That is right, there is no reduction in terms of salary, but a reduction of two PYs. However, there was a real reduction in that one of $3,000, under small O & M, the smoking room apparently was eliminated. Thank you.

Mr. Minister, 3,000 what, PYs or $3,000?

---Laughter

Mr. Gargan, are you still speaking? Okay.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to request the Minister provide us a copy of his opening statement, because he keeps referring to it, and we do not have it in front of us.