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

Mr. Speaker, as you know a board of inquiry has been established under the Medical Profession Act, to examine the primary issues regarding medical services at the Fort Smith Health Centre.

It was my contention that if the inquiry was unable to deal with other matters of concern to Members of this House, then a further inquiry could be considered.

Members, however, want a public inquiry established under the Public Inquiries Act to examine issues relating to the provision of services at the Fort Smith Health Centre.

As a result, the government will establish such an inquiry and Members will be asked to approve an initial supplementary appropriation of $500,000 to pay for its cost. The cost of a public inquiry cannot be covered from without our existing budget.

Mr. Speaker, the inquiry will begin as soon as the necessary arrangements, including financing, can be made. I will be tabling the inquiry's terms of reference later today. Thank you.

Ministers' statements. Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am happy to announce today the publication of a catalogue of environmentally friendly products. It can be used by purchasing officers and departments to locate sources for products that do not harm the environment and those that are made from recycled materials.

The catalogue has been sent to departments, boards, agencies and community governments. It has also been sent to Chambers of Commerce and N.W.T. public libraries for the use of northern businesses. This catalogue will give suppliers an idea of the kind of products the government may be seeking, so that those products can be made available through local businesses.

Federal, provincial, and territorial purchasing organizations have been working together for the last three years to prepare a national catalogue of environmentally friendly products. Production of the national version is many months in the future. Therefore this version, which fits our northern operating environment, has been published as an interim measure. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Ministers' statements. Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to note that Mr. Pollard, the Minister of Finance, and Economic Development and Tourism, will not be in the House today, and perhaps for the rest of the session, because of health reasons. Thank you.

Thank you, that was an emergency statement. I would ask Ministers if they would state that they are about to make an emergency statement.

Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government Leader often tells me, and rightly so, that I should not be so critical of the government. She will no doubt be happy to know, that today I rise to compliment the Minister of Public Works and his department.

---Applause

The community of Rankin Inlet has been trying for some time to obtain funding for the clean up of the tailing from the old north Rankin Inlet Nickel Mine. This mine has been closed since 1962, and the tails were deposited on the titled lot to the north east of the community.

The community has had serious public safety and environmental concerns about this tailing pond for some time. In 1991, this project was included in the waste sites program of the Arctic environmental strategy. Almost $3 million was designated for clean up of this site. The Department of Public Works was designated to manage this project on behalf of the federal government.

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the shear size of this project would have prohibited Keewatin companies from bidding on a single contract. This past spring I approached the Minister to see what mechanisms were available to ensure that Keewatin businesses were fully involved in the project. In the end, it was decided that a contract be negotiated involving a number of companies in the Keewatin region.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to say that this project is going very well. The clean up of the tailings pond is proceeding as planned and the contract arrangement has provided much needed work for both businesses and people in the Keewatin and ensured that the economic benefits accrued from such a project, remain in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, it is this type of arrangement that ensured a large contract remained with northerner contractors. It is a welcome and much needed initiative.

I would like to thank the Minister and his department for the political vision to see the importance of this initiative and the bold action they took to ensure it's success. Given the success of this project, I am sure that similar arrangements for large contracts can be made in other parts of the Northwest Territories in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I trust that the Government Leader will note my good deed for the week. Thank you.

---Applause

Members' statements. Mr. Gargan.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is a very important day for all the interpreters and translators in the territories. I would like to thank all the interpreters and translators. The people that I want to thank are Raymond Sonfrere, Violet Hardisty, and Jeannie Hope.

When we speak in the House, in our language, they translate and interpret for us. I talked to one lady this morning, and I bought some chocolate bars from her. She is selling chocolate bars on behalf of a volleyball team at a local school. I bought chocolate bars for the interpreters. Jim and I, we ordered some flowers for them, so we will be giving them flowers today.

Today is a very important day for all the interpreters, and I would like to thank them. Thank you.

Members' statements. Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today, it is very important to me, to know how useful the interpreters are. I am aware now that today is translator's day. We are all aware that we use interpreters and translators all over the world, not just in the N.W.T.

It is not just for English or Inuktitut. I am very proud to recognize that today is translator's day, and I also want to commend the formal interpreters, because since I was growing up, I have been aware that there are always interpreters and translators. It is about time that they are finally recognized formally. We have to use the interpreters/translators, and a lot of time, I forget that I am using interpreters/translators when I am talking. I deeply want to show my gratitude to the interpreters in the Northwest Territories, and for all the interpreters internationally. Thank you for giving me a chance to speak. Thank you.

Members' statements, Mr. Bernhardt.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Honourable Members will recall that I have spoken previously about the important role that the Aboriginal Development Corporation continues to play in the emerging economy of the Northwest Territories.

Today, I am pleased to announce an exciting new development in Coppermine. An interim board has been established to form the first Aboriginal Development Corporation in that community.

Mr. Speaker, the potential for an economic expansion within the particular region is great. The promise of new resource development projects, and proposals, for capital growth in the transportation sector, fits right in with the community's plans.

I believe that it will not be long at all until the Inuvialuit of Coppermine are demonstrating once again, that successful business ventures can be planned and managed by northern aboriginal peoples.

Mr. Speaker, we will be looking to the Department of Economic Development for planning assistance and funds, and I trust that the Minister and his officials will continue to provide my constituency with full cooperation.

In closing, too, I would like to thank my honourable colleague from Keewatin Central, and the people of Rankin Inlet, for the advice and encouragement they provided during the initial planning stages for our developing corporation.

I know that the interim board hopes to continue this working relationship, and as for Mr. Todd, as a token of my appreciation, should he require assistance in having his shirts ironed, I will guarantee that he will receive perfect service "as and when" required. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Laughter

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bernhardt. Members' statements, Mr. Pudluk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today because I want to show that I am proud of our interpreters and translators since I became a Member in 1975, and that was when the interpreters started in the Legislative Assembly, and up to now, they are still interpreting and translating, and I am very proud of them.

At the time, back in 1975, they were recognized, because of the fact that even if you were a unilingual aboriginal person, you were still able to become an M.L.A. That is when the government started strongly to support the need for interpreters and translators, and the first interpreters/translators, I know that some of them have passed away, and some of them have moved on to different jobs, but up to now, I am still very proud of them, and I am proud of the present day interpreters/translators. I know it is very tiring and stressful. Even if they work for long hours, they still manage to show us that it is not that stressful.

Since today is translator's day, I am very proud to say that they have been here, and I am very grateful. Since I became a Member in 1975 up until now, in order for the Members to communicate with each other, they managed to help us. It is not just in the Assembly. It is in the health centres, the hospital, in our communities that the interpreters/translators are very useful, so the northerners can understand and communicate with each other.

Your time is up, Mr. Pudluk.

I would like to seek unanimous consent to complete my statement, Mr. Speaker.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Pudluk.

(Translation) I rise to show my gratitude, as I am aware, and have seen, that the interpreters/translators have a very stressful job to do. Not just in the Assembly, but I am also aware that the Dene Members are very proud of their interpreters, and I have observed, especially when I am a chairman, that they work very hard so the Members can communicate.

Since 1975, the Assembly has been using interpreters, and I am very proud to have risen to show how proud I am to the interpreters/translators. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Members' statements, Ms. Mike.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also want to rise today to show my appreciation and pride of our interpreters on International Translator's Day. Most has been said by my honourable colleague from High Arctic. I also would like to thank former Commissioner Stuart Hodgson who initiated having interpreter services within the G.N.W.T.

I would like to thank, as well, the Dene and Inuit interpreters. They work long hours. I know their work is very stressful. As I was once an interpreter, I know the pressures and stress the interpreters go through. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Members' statements, Mr. Nerysoo.