Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government Leader has somewhat answered my first question with regard to giving us an idea of what this work place commission is. I'd like to ask her -- even though she anticipates it to be done in two years -- what does she anticipate the cost to be for this particular commission? Thank you.

Madam Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I thought I had it here but I'll have to take that as notice. Thank you.

The question as been taken as notice. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I also question the replacement of a bureaucrat -- even as capable a bureaucrat as Mr. Sellers -- with the established tradition of elected persons consulting the people of the Northwest Territories on current issues. My question to the Government Leader, Mr. Speaker, is about why we are using our precious financial resources for a process I expect we will find to be very expensive. In these difficult financial times, how can the government justify using our precious territorial dollars to explore a matter which is presently the responsibility of the federal government labour relations?

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, the issue of the federal government responsibility also has been one issue in certain concerns that have happened in the recent past. At this point in time, I believe the honourable Member would conclude that this is a very difficult area of responsibility. There have been certain suggestions that we should, as a government, proceed to take over those responsibilities. Mr. Speaker, I think these precious dollars are there to try to answer the questions that have been put to us so we don't get ourselves in a situation that has plagued us with some of the other issues that we've dealt with the federal government on. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that the advice of the Standing Committee on Finance has been that in light of the health billings problem, in light of the housing problem, in light of the cost of forestry, that this government should proceed with great caution in taking on more federal responsibilities. Secondly, I don't believe there's been an outpouring of public concern that labour relations is an area we want to take over. I'd like to ask the Premier, if it is a burning issue, since it is a federal responsibility now, what efforts did the Government of the Northwest Territories make to get the federal government to undertake this review, or at least to pay for the substantial costs of this review? Thank you.

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I believe before we do that we will have to decide exactly what it is we want to do. In having the work place commission in place -- and we struggled a little bit about that word because a commission generally denotes a certain type of action -- however, given that we thought that the terms of reference and the components of the explanation would look to putting the review in place with what the public has been asking and where we're going with a lot of the initiatives that come out from the communities. Even though the word seems odd, an all-encompassing commission -- using the word commission, I think, has been a source of concern, but in the end in order to give it the stature that it requires -- we did use that word.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that before we go to the government, we have to have some answers on what our public and our constituents want us to do. We've been very fortunate in the last few years that we have been able to support the claims that have taken place and we have an awful lot of obligations maybe that we are willing to entertain, far beyond what some other jurisdictions are willing to do. I believe we have to try to develop a model that suits the Northwest Territories and division of the Northwest Territories. I would like to say that I think it will be different. I think people will take a more proactive and progressive approach on how we deal with the issue. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, I thought I asked a simple question. The Government Leader has said, I think, that we should get the work done and figure out what we want to do before we approach the federal government. What I would like to ask the Minister again, because I don't feel my question was answered, Mr. Speaker, is, given that the federal government has the legal responsibility for labour relations in the Northwest Territories, -- even though I agree it has not done much, it has hardly done anything to meet its responsibilities in the Giant Mine strike, et cetera, but nonetheless it has that legal responsibility -- and not our government -- yet I understand it is proposed to use territorial funds to explore this area -- what efforts were made to either ask the federal government to do this work for us or to at least ask the federal government to pay for the cost of exploring an area that is the statutory and legal responsibility today of the federal government? What efforts were made, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, because there are two separate issues, we are trying to ascertain just how the Northwest Territories is going to deal with the issue. At this point in time it was to deal with the Northwest Territories issue and I did not approach the federal government to help support this. Thank you.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Chief Jonas Sangris, the Chief of the Yellowknife Dene Band.

---Applause

Item 6, oral questions. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

The Comptroller General is Mr. Lew Voytilla. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Supplementary, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister of Finance, is it not the responsibility of the Comptroller General to sign all cheques dispersed by the GNWT? Thank you.

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, that has been the practice in the past. It doesn't have to be that way, but it has been the practice in the past. That is correct.

Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.