Good morning. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Arvaluk.

Mr. Speaker, September 30 is International Translation Day, a day set aside to recognize the valuable contributions interpreter/communicators make to our society. This day is also recognized at the national level, and is observed in the Northwest Territories by the Interpreter/Translator Society of the N.W.T.

The work of interpreter/communicators has special significance for us here in the Northwest Territories. Our northern society is made up of a number of very distinct cultural groups. Clear communication is essential if we are to understand each other's views of the world, as well as our goals and aspirations.

We are fortunate to have a strong group of well-trained, professional interpreter/communicators who help us communicate effectively. At this point, I would like to express my appreciation for the important role all of the N.W.T.'s interpreters/communicators play in helping us understand each other better. I would particularly like to thank the staff of the Language Bureau for their dedication. Whether these people work in headquarters or the regions, they put in long hours all year round, especially while this Legislative Assembly is in session. Without their assistance, our government would have a very difficult time in working to meet the goals of northerners.

To give us all a better idea of the skills needed to be an interpreter/communicator, and the role translation plays in the north, the Language Bureau is celebrating National Translation Day with an open house. It will be held tomorrow, September 30, from 10:00 a.m. to noon, on the third floor of the Laing Building.

There will be simultaneous interpreting demonstrations and aboriginal languages displays. I would like to invite you all to join us celebrating National Translation Day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to raise a number of concerns. I will probably be going over my allotted time. I want to indicate, Mr. Speaker, that there were comments that had been attributed to the Government Leader, in the September 7, 1992, edition of News/North, that could be interpreted as indicative of inconsistency in the application of policies.

The news article states that Ms. Cournoyea indicated publicly that the people of Tuktoyaktuk, Nunakput, should have been told a man who was carrying the A.I.D.S. virus was returning to their community. This conflicts with the position taken in November 1988, when Ms. Cournoyea was Minister of Health, regarding disclosure to the communities, or even regions, when two individuals with A.I.D.S. had been reported.

The position attributed to Ms. Cournoyea in the News/North article also conflicts with the existing establishment policy in the Department of Health. Section 2(a)(ii) of the Government of the Northwest Territories policy manual states, "only the executive council has the authority to approve major change to a department establishment policy."

As senior Minister of the Executive Council, the Government Leader signs each establishment policy. On January 10, 1989, the former Government Leader, the honourable Dennis Patterson signed a Health establishment policy which stated, "in the absence of N.W.T. regulations or guidelines, recognized Canadian standards shall be maintained" with respect to the delivery of health services.

A similar policy was also in effect in 1988. When Ms. Cournoyea was the Minister of Health, she was asked by Mr. Arlooktoo, at that time the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Baffin South, on November 7, 1988, to confirm radio reports that two H.I.V...

Mr. Nerysoo, your allotted time has expired.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to seek unanimous consent to proceed with my statement.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to continue. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Proceed please, Mr. Nerysoo.

Mr. Speaker, I will begin with that paragraph again. Thank you, my honourable colleagues. When Ms. Cournoyea was the Minister of Health, she was asked by Mr. Arlooktoo, who was the Member for the Legislative Assembly for Baffin south, on November 7, 1988, to confirm radio reports that two cases of A.I.D.S. had been reported in the Baffin region.

Mr. Speaker, she refused to do so and stated, "I cannot report that information. We have general policies, and guidelines, which were carried over from Health and Welfare Canada, including their established practice of only reporting A.I.D.S. statistics on a territorial-wide level." Mr. Speaker, the Health and Welfare standards in this area have not changed.

In response to further questioning on the subject, she indicated that it was important to ensure complete confidentiality in order to encourage infected individuals to come forward and seek treatment. She elaborated on the reason for the policy by stating, "I believe that, given the fact that the N.W.T. is a small community, and people generally find out things, confidentiality is mainly for the protection of the individuals who are seeking treatment. We feel that we must have the ability to have an open and honest approach, to make people feel that their particular problem will be treated confidentially when they are seeking medical treatment".

On September 7, 1992, News/North ran a third page article titled Cournoyea backs A.I.D.S. disclosure. The story under Ronna Bremer's by-line, concerned an incident that had reportedly occurred during the spring of 1992, in which an H.I.V. positive male from Vancouver, was alleged to have travelled to Tuktoyaktuk, and engaged in unprotected sexual activity with females in the community.

The comments attributed to Ms. Cournoyea without quotations. The newspaper included the following statement: that people of Tuktoyaktuk should have been told that a man, who was carrying the A.I.D.S. virus, was returning to their community, says Nunakput M.L.A. Nellie Cournoyea.

Also, Cournoyea understands the issue of patient confidentiality, and protocol, but said if the community had been informed, it could have alleviated much of the distress. Also, Ms. Cournoyea said Health Minister, Dennis Patterson, is aware of the situation, and is reviewing the issue of protocol. Now quotations included in the newspaper article also included a number of direct quotes of statements reportedly made by Ms. Cournoyea, including "they did not need to know the name, but if they had told, we have an individual returning to your community, they could have been asked what is the best way to deal with it?" said Cournoyea. Ms. Cournoyea was also quoted as saying, "the problems in town with the A.I.D.S. infected man would probably never have existed if the community had been informed."

Mr. Speaker, I want to know, whether or not the position stated publicly by Ms. Cournoyea, directly contradicts the established policy of the Department of Health for which she is responsible as the senior ministry in the Executive Council. This raises questions as to whether she is planning to alter the policy in the way that makes exposure criteria inconsistent with the Canadian standards used in the rest of the country.

Her comments on September 7, also represent a reversal from the stand she took in November, 1988, when the 11th Assembly M.L.A.s from Baffin South, Aivilik and Mackenzie Delta asked her to confirm the incidents of reported A.I.D.S. cases by community or even by region. This raises concerns whether the Government Leader has established a "double standard" in which decisions made about the disclosure of A.I.D.S. incidents in Nunakput are going to be made differently in other territorial constituencies.

Ms. Cournoyea indicated in the newspaper article that the current Minister of Health, the Honourable Dennis Patterson, will be reviewing the issue of protocol. Recognizing that Ms. Cournoyea's 1988 statement, that public disclosure may discourage A.I.D.S. victims, is still valid today, one might question, why is it suddenly become imperative for the Minister to review the protocol now?

Further if the Minister has determined that such a review is necessary, it should proceed objectively and in the absence of any prior opinions expressed by the Government Leader to whom he reports. Now the comments reportedly made by the Government Leader on this subject, following the incident in her home community could be seen as a senior political interfere in policy development within the Department of Health.

Mr. Speaker, I will be pursuing this particular matter with questions.

Thank you, Mr. Nerysoo. Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, my point of order, is that with respect to the honourable Member, his whole statement is premised, I believe, on a newspaper report, which is not before the House, and whose accuracy is unknown to the House.

I wonder, Mr. Speaker, if the use of an unsubstantiated newspaper report as the basis for debate in this House is within the rules? Thank you.

Order please. Mr. Patterson, under our rules there are no specific provisions dealing with Members' statements, and historically in this House Members have been given very broad latitude in making their views and comments known during Members' statements.

You do not have a point of order, Mr. Patterson, however I would ask Members in fairness, and in respect to the privilege of all Members that if Members are building a case in Members' statements that they try not to over-use the attributed quotes in newspaper articles and attempt to use as the basis of arguments, documentation, questions, and answers, that are actually before the House.

If I could ask Members, if they would attempt to do that. Under our rules, Mr. Patterson, you have no point of order. Thank you.

Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Zoe.

I would like to take this opportunity, to recognize in the gallery, Mr. Nick Sibbeston, former colleague, and former Government Leader.

---Applause

His image was still there in my mind.

Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Dent.

Members' statement, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the summer, I did quite a bit of travelling on the highway between Hay River and Yellowknife. During these trips there was a lot of disruption due to the construction crews working on various parts of the highway, particularly in the Fort Providence area.

Mr. Speaker, I was quite happy to put up with these disruptions to my travels. I have long believed that the development of a good highway system would have substantial long-term economic benefits for all of the Northwest Territories, and I am still convinced of this.

However, Mr. Speaker, there are other short-term benefits to be received as well. As the honourable Member for Keewatin Central has stated in this House many times, it is important that local residents receive some economic benefits, both in terms of training and employment, from construction projects in their region.

During my trip, I noticed quite a few of my constituents working in these construction crews, employed as heavy equipment operators, flag persons, and surveyors.

This shows that the contractors have made some efforts to employ local people, and I would like to thank them for this. However, I believe it important that we, as a government, continue to promote, and monitor, local employment in construction projects.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Minister of Transportation during the last Assembly, Mr. Gordon Wray, for his vision in developing and implementing the N.W.T. Transportation Strategy.

I believe Mr. Wray recognized the importance of developing a viable transportation link to the rest of Canada. I am happy to see that this strategy has been followed by the former Minister, Mr. Allooloo, and the current Minister, Mr. Whitford.

Like Mr. Wray, I believe that the development of a transportation system should be one of the highest priorities of this government, not only for the link it provides with the rest of Canada, but for the substantial long-term and short-term economic benefits and opportunities it provides to the lesser developed regions of the N.W.T.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 3, Members' statements, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak about the four communities in my constituency of Jean Marie River, Nahanni Butte, Trout Lake, and Wrigley.

Mr. Speaker, these communities are unincorporated, run by band councils, and they are classified by this government as unorganized communities. In debate on the budget of M.A.C.A. last Thursday, the Minister told me that departments have no policy to provide funding for these communities because they are considered unorganized.

Mr. Speaker, as I have stated before, I sometimes get frustrated in this House, but I have rarely been as frustrated as I was that day. I am tired of the constant running around. The Minister told me that these communities are under federal jurisdiction. The federal government states that they are a territorial responsibility, and I was wondering when does it stop.

I have outlined some of the conditions in these communities, particularly water and sewer in the Nahanni Butte. The Standing Committee on Finance had the opportunity to visit the community, and see some of these conditions.

The four communities are predominately traditional Dene communities. I guess the real question is, why can the people of the communities not enjoy the same programs and services that other residents of the Northwest Territories take for granted? Service such as a good, clean source of water, and a decent sewer system.

I was pleased that the Minister stated that the policy is being developed to fund communities that are, for want of a better term, unorganized. The policy is long overdue, and I expect that it will be completed soon.

I will have some questions on these issues, perhaps later today. Thank you.

Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Transportation.

Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement today, I spoke about the importance of the N.W.T. Transportation Strategy, and the development of transportation infrastructure in the Northwest Territories, particularly the development of a good highway system.

My question to the Minister is, could the Minister tell me whether the N.W.T. transportation strategy is still in the blueprint for the department, in the development of a transportation infrastructure in the Northwest Territories?

Mr. Whitford.

Oral questions, supplementary, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you. My supplementary, Mr. Speaker, is the former Minister, Mr. Wray, spent a great deal of effort trying to secure funding from the federal department to implement the transportation strategy. Could the Minister tell me what steps the department has taken to negotiate with the federal government, to fund the projects that are set out in the transportation strategy?

Mr. Whitford.

Oral questions, Mr. Bernhardt.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Personnel. On September 15, I listened carefully to the statement which the Minister made in this House about northern hiring. I took particular note of his comment that, "our highest priority continues to be increasing the representation of aboriginal northerners in the public service". I also noticed that while he talked about the responsibility of the private sector, non-government organizations, and contractors, he made no reference to the role that organized labour should be playing to support aboriginal hiring principles.

My question is, Mr. Speaker, would the Minister of Personnel consider initiating consultations with the Union of Northern Workers, and the N.W.T. Teachers' Association, to develop strategies for increasing the profile of native people within the public service unions?

Mr. Kakfwi.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question will be directed to the Minister of Housing in regards to H.A.P. housing needs, the shortage of housing. My question is in regards to the clients that have applied for H.A.P. houses. People have come up to me and asked me if this will be an ongoing thing. I would like a response from the Minister of Housing, will this be an ongoing thing? Will people be able to apply for H.A.P. houses in the future?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes.

Item 5, oral questions. Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question will be for the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. Honourable Members may recall that on June 19, 1992, I made a Member's statement on the frustration that Inuit fishery workers in my constituency have felt about the waste of Greenland sharks, which were from the incidental catch in our turbot fishery.

Mr. Speaker, it offends our cultural values to see hundreds of pounds of shark left on the ice to spoil because it has not been possible to secure markets for the hides and meat. I understand that the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism has been considering this problem. My question is, could he inform the House on the progress he has made in finding markets for the export of shark products since I raised this issue last June?

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, there has been some work done in that regard. I am informed that some of the sharks, or all of the sharks, may have some contamination in their flesh, and we are continuing to examine that situation. I will have a report back to the House at the next session, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Supplementary, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary to the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. Since the Minister knows that there has been some concern in the past over the potentially high concentration of contaminants in the sharks caught in the Cumberland Sound, will he make arrangements with his Cabinet colleague in Renewable Resources to initiate a testing program so that he can provide a detailed assessment of whether these products currently exceed national and international standards?

Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will certainly sit down with Mr. Allooloo and discuss it and see what we can do in that area, yes.

Item 5, oral questions. Supplementary, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My final supplementary, recognizing that in past years the department promised that Pangnirtung fisherman would be trained in salting and drying techniques that would reduce the cost for shipping the shark skins, but did not follow up, can the Minister indicate today whether or not he is prepared to provide such training at fisheries sites this winter?

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure that is in our work plan for Pangnirtung this winter, but I will certainly look into it and get back to the Member. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of Health. Yesterday the Minister of Health indicated that he would be making a Minister's statement on the public inquiry in Fort Smith. I believe, because of the time frame that we are meeting today, and the new deadline in place to ensure that translations of statements are placed, the Minister was unable to make a statement.

I would like to ask the Minister if it is possible, in regard to the process of the public inquiry, to submit to me a copy of the terms of reference? Thank you.

Mr. Patterson.

Yes, the Member is correct that, due to the early translation deadlines this morning, I am unable to make the promised statement this morning, but will do so tomorrow. I had also intended, with the statement, to circulate a copy of the terms of reference for the public inquiry which have been approved by Cabinet. I can furnish an untranslated copy to the honourable Member later today. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Dent.

Mr. Kakfwi.

I am not clear, are you raising a point of order, Mr. Kakfwi?

Would you clearly state your point of order, please, Mr. Kakfwi?

Would you clearly state your point of order, Mr. Kakfwi?

If I could comment, I do not see that you have a point of order. I think it would be very difficult to rule on whether or not a sneeze, especially in the fall, when half of the Members have colds, is appropriate, or not appropriate. It has been normal parliamentary practice on parliaments across the country, to allow some latitude in Members reactions.

I have not detected, anything whatsoever, out of the ordinary, Mr. Kakfwi, and I disallow your point of order. Mr. Lewis, point of privilege.

Point Of Privilege

Mr. Speaker, at this time of the year, I very often find that with the onset of winter, I do get a cold, and over the last minute and a half, I sneezed twice, and it was as a result of an involuntary eruption, which I had no control over. Thank you.

---Laughter

Thank you. If there is any more discussion needed, I may have to bring an expert medical opinion into the House.

---Laughter

Mr. Kakfwi, I think you were responding to an oral question.

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

Mr. Kakfwi.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question will be for the Minister of Health. Mr. Speaker, the Minister delivered an address to the membership of the N.W.T. Health Care

Association at their annual general meeting in Yellowknife, on September 21.

One of the things that he said, which I think is worthy of close attention, is when talking about relations between board managers and their departmental counterparts, the Minister commented that I will attempt to provide career development opportunities through term assignments and rotation. He also commented that it might become a matter of principle, that no one would reach a senior position in the department, without appropriate board experience, and vice versa.

Mr. Speaker, that sounds to me like it could be coded for an intentions to parachute departmental officials into management positions within current health and hospital boards in order to run them, according to headquarters priorities.

Will the Minister indicate, to the House, whether he is currently planning to arrange secondments that would transfer departmental officials from headquarters into management positions within hospital or health boards in the Northwest Territories?

Could I ask Members in oral questions, if they would be cautious about quoting from statements made by Ministers, or Members, outside the House? Mr. Patterson. Order please, Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed that the Member would attribute such sinister motives to my address to the Health Care Association. I tried to reach out and invite improved relations between health boards, and the Department of Health.

I suggested a number of means, by which I thought improved relations could occur. That there should be direct relationship between the Minister and Chairs, there should be communications protocol, and yes, that it would be advantageous to health boards, and to the Department of Health, if people with field experience and headquarters experience, if you like, could exchange, and have the kind of executive interchanges that are common place in the public service.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to clarify, to the honourable Member, that this would not happen without the full concurrence of health boards. It is interesting that I have just had a chance to meet with the Inuvik Regional Health Board, I made the same suggestion, and I am pleased to tell the House, that is was welcomed by the health board in Inuvik. It would be advantageous to some of their people who have experience working in the Department of Health, and vice versa, but it would not be done unilaterally. It would be done only with the agreement, and cooperation, of health boards, and the department.

Item 5, oral questions, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to ask a question to the Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, but he is not in the House, so I will ask another question for the Minister responsible for Social Services.

The Minister should be aware that the Fort Liard Band Council is interested in assuming administrative and managerial control of social assistance programs. This proposal was supported by the band council, the hamlet, and more recently, at the Deh Cho Tribal Council Meeting September 9 to 11.

Recognizing that the strong support exists for local management of social assistance, will the Minister indicate whether he is prepared to transfer responsibility for the administration of this program to the Fort Liard Dene Band?

Mr. Patterson.

Yes, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister outline the process he will use to review this request for the transfer of administrative responsibility?

Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, I have some information about that request. I cannot just put my hands on it at the moment, but I can tell the honourable Member that the Department of Social Services is taking community transfers very seriously. We have a person assigned within the department specifically to deal with those requests, and there are a number of them in the Northwest Territories. The procedure, Mr. Speaker, is that the coordination of these transfers will be undertaken by the Ministry of Aboriginal and Intergovernmental Affairs, but once the overall approval is given, then negotiations will be undertaken at the community level through the department concerned, and the appropriate regional staff. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How soon will the Minister be able to initiate negotiations with the Fort Liard Band Council on this subject?

Mr. Patterson.

As I say, Mr. Speaker, the detailed information on that request is not at hand, so I will have to take the question as notice. I will try to get back to the Member before the end of this week. Thank you.

Question has been taken as notice. Item 5, oral questions, Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask a question to the Minister of Transportation.

As we know, we have been on this land for hundreds of years, we know that roads and highways are constructed, and have been used for many years. My question is about a runway in Lake Harbour, and we have run into problems with it. I would like to urge, with the support of my colleagues, to improve this. I know it is in the plans for 1997, Mr. Speaker, but I would like to ask the Minister of Transportation, would the Minister make a feasibility study for the Lake Harbour runway to be elsewhere, other than its place at the present time? As we know, we have been on the land for hundreds of years, these things are constructed, and could be in use for many, many years to come.

My question is, could there be a feasibility study on moving the runway that is presently there? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Whitford.

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

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary to my question to the same Minister. Yes, we know that there are no current dangers of that runway, and we know that this has been a concern for many years, and my predecessor Joe Arlooktoo had worked on it a lot. If there was to be an emergency, or an accident, that is only when they will act on it. Will the Minister, in the coming years, have a plan made to make a feasibility study at the runway in Lake Harbour? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Whitford.

Supplementary, Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Yes, you answered my question very well, but I know because it is my own community that Air Baffin had some mishaps on that runway, and Air Baffin is one of the new airlines that is coming into our community. They have some good prices on their fares, but they have had a couple of mishaps, especially with the slightly bigger airplanes. With the mishaps that have happened, would that not be a fairly good reason to do a feasibility study to improve the runways? That is why I brought up this concern about the feasibility plan that they have, because it is quite a danger to our people. I would like to be informed, if there would be any plans for a feasibility study for a new runway? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Whitford.

Item 5, oral questions. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Housing. Can the Minister of Housing advise this House, as to whether the Rural and Remote Program is still in effect? Thank you.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not know whether it is still in effect in the south, but I know that we do not deliver it any more. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Mr. Speaker, to the same Minister, that program is not available in the north any longer. There have been a number of clients, in my constituency, who took advantage of that particular program. Would the Minister be able to review, to determine whether it is beneficial for these individuals to possibly tie into another type of a program other than the Rural and Remote Program, that is no longer available? Thank you.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Housing Corporation, along with the communities right now, are revising the Homeownership Program, and that should make it so that more people are eligible to apply for the Homeownership Program. That should alleviate that problem of not having that Rural and Remote Program.

Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Mr. Speaker, I do not believe that the Minister caught my question. I asked if his department, or the Housing Corporation, would review the existing clients who have a Rural and Remote Program, which is no longer available in the south, and see if it would be possible, and be more beneficial to these individuals, whether or not they can take advantage of another program, if the Rural and Remote Program is indeed redundant? Thank you.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Maybe I could get some clarification, if I am allowed, from the Member. My understanding is that the Rural and Remote Program is a mortgage program, and those clients that were involved do have a mortgage. Are you asking to have another program set up where people could go and borrow the money to pay off that rural and remote mortgage? Is that the question?

I will allow the Member to give clarification, it will not count as one of your supplementaries.

Mr. Speaker, rural and remote, as I understood it, is not only a mortgage program, through C.M.H.C., but I believe it was available through N.W.T. Housing Corporation, and that program is no longer available under the criteria that my constituents applied for. If that program is no longer available, what other options are available to my constituents to take care of the redundant program that they are in?

Mr. Morin. Did the clarification, make it clear?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are no other options, but I will discuss the issue with the Member later on.

Item 5, oral questions. Ms. Mike.