Mr. Kakfwi.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Pudluk.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question will be directed to the Minister of Health. Mr. Speaker, the medical patients, in the church project which was started by church people from the N.W.T., who were sent south for medical treatments, particularly for the treatment of T.B., some never returned. Often the families of those people never knew where, when, or even if they died.

Mr. Speaker, although this project was terminated in March, 1991, the department stated that they would continue to investigate requests for information from lost families' members.

Could the Minister tell me if the department has received any further requests since the project was terminated, and whether those requests are being investigated? Thank you.

Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, the answer is yes to both questions. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Those people buried down south, have been listed, there is about 68 Inuit buried there. How long have those lists been available to people, are there limited years that information is available?

Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, a great deal of work has been done by the Department of Health. This was an initiative of the previous Minister, Madam Cournoyea.

Quite a lot of information has been discovered, although, unfortunately, some of the requests did result in a lack of information about some of those patients. Mr. Speaker, to answer the Member's questions, I believe that where information has been gathered, it should continue to be made available, readily by the department, to those persons who are anxious to get information about patients who got lost in the south.

As far as I am concerned, there should be no time limit on responses to requests for information, especially if that is information already in hand. There should be no time limit. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That means that those people who died, in the early 1950s, 1960s, and even 1970s, if the family requests that the body, or coffin, be moved to their communities, are they still available? Thank you.

Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, as I understand this program, it was designed to get information to families about what might have happened to a patient that left the north, in a situation where a family lost touch with that patient.

As I understood the program, it was to provide information about what became of that patient. Mr. Speaker, it was never a part of the program to bury deceased persons in the north, or to move the deceased from the south to the north. The program was only to let families know what became of those patients, where contact was lost. That was never part of the program, therefore, it has never been available. Unless the program changes, that particular service would not be available in the future under this program. It is an information program. Thank you.

This is your last supplementary, Mr. Pudluk.

My final supplementary, this program was started because those families were still hunting for their relatives, even if they had died. Now, a lot of families have found out where they are buried. Today, they are asking if the body is still there. In 1950s, they could not afford to request the body be brought back at that time. Today, they may wish to, and can afford to bring the body back. Is the body still there, so that they can bring that body back to their communities? Does the Minister know if those bodies are still available? Thank you.

Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, I would be glad to assist the Member in getting an answer to that question, if he could give me specific information about which family is concerned, and which patient. I would be glad to try to answer those questions, and I understand what the question is. I would be glad to assist. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister responsible for Energy, Mines, and Petroleum Resources to confirm that when we closed on Friday, she proceeded to a mines conference in the Yukon?

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, September 20, at 10 o'clock, I left for the meeting in Whitehorse, and spent the day and evening at the meeting. After the evening meeting, which concluded at 9:30 a.m., we got back on the plane at 10:30 p.m. to return to Yellowknife. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister whether she took the opportunity, while she was at this meeting, to explain to Mr. Epp, the Minister responsible for Mining, if she had the opportunity to discuss with him the concerns that we have here in this city about the whole mining business, and to use his good offices to explain the seriousness of it to his Cabinet colleagues.