(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too have a statement concerning Baffin South, my own constituency. This issue will probably be raised a number of times. There are some people who live in outpost camps. Economically, this is one of the most difficult places to live in prosperity. We are all aware that the airlines have to make a profit, but I am talking about children. As soon as they reach the age of two, their airfare becomes almost equivalent to the airfares of adults. In my community, we fly by Twin Air only, between 30 and 45 minutes to Iqaluit. A fare for an adult ranges between $100 to $120. Because of that, Mr. Speaker, I have had a concern. For children two and over, their airfares become quite close to adult rates. We should see if we can get the government to consider looking at this problem, especially in view of the lack of jobs and the economy being so poor in my region. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Lewis.

I was going to keep this until tomorrow, since tomorrow is Friday. But I decided if I did that, it would be taken as being light-hearted and I don't intend that to be the case. Mr. Speaker, a long time ago, when I was a young man, I worked for a regional newspaper. My conditions were very cramped. There were ink-stains all over the place. All the cups were chipped. There was no flat service to put a pencil down and everything seemed to get dirty. Every time you moved, something fell down. Yesterday, Mr. Speaker, in the few hours we had last night before we met in our evening session, I had an opportunity to look at the space we have allocated to the media. That may give some explanation as to the questions that have been asked about accessibility and how we feel about our local media.

I would like to point out, Mr. Speaker, that there was never any plan to put the media in a bad mood. It was something that has happened which has caused some degree of discontent. So I would like to urge all Members to be kind to our local media. There is no hidden agenda. I do confess, when I looked at the quarters they inhabit in the back, it reminded me of many chapters I read a long time ago, where Charles Dickens describes what it is like to be in the workhouse, and the terrible conditions under which people had to work many years ago.

I would like to assure the media that it was not planned and that every one of our Members will do everything they can to treat their staff in a hospitable way. We will be kind and provide them with as much information as we can on every possible occasion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Lewis. You are looking quite comfortable up there. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to bring up a concern that was brought to my attention by my constituents, with regard to overcrowding of schools in my constituency. I am told that the schools have to use hallways in Pond Inlet -- because of the overcrowding -- as well as porches. Later on today, I will be asking the Minister of Education why that is. It is not acceptable to the parents. I am sure it is hampering some of the teachers' ability to teach the students. Mr. Speaker, like my colleague said, our kids are the future of our country and they need good facilities in which to learn, to get them ready for the future ahead of them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Allooloo. Item 3, Members' statements. Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with my colleagues how privileged I have been, not as a politician, but as an interpreter, to have worked with some distinguished politicians of the last decade. Such great leaders as Pierre Elliot Trudeau, John Amagoalik, J. B. Nooguang, Charlie Watt and the late Mark R. Gordon. It was ten years ago, this fall, that the First Ministers' conference was taking place on aboriginal issues. I would like to commend the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, its president at that time, Mr. Amagoalik, and the Makivik Corporation in their success and their struggle to include the first nations and the Metis of our country in the First Ministers' conference, in dealing with aboriginal rights.

As the result of the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada and the Makivik Corporation's successful influence, the first nations and the Metis were finally included in the First Ministers' conference on the Charter of Rights. This is an example that we can achieve if we are all united. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Mike. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Arvaluk.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to make a Member's statement on overcrowded conditions in the Victor Sammurtok school in Chesterfield Inlet. I have been asking the government to review the situation there. As I stated earlier this year and last year, there are classes being held in the industrial arts section and the home economics area. They are treated as regular teaching space because there is no other space available.

In fact, the last time I was there -- about a month ago -- there were students taking Inuktitut classes in the porch where the coats and boots are supposed to be. There were coats and boots in that porch as well. I will be tabling a petition today from Chesterfield Inlet, with community signatures, to correct these deplorable overcrowding conditions.

When Mr. Patterson was Minister of Education, he took a leadership role in making generic designs so that the schools could be expanded to suit the overcrowding conditions. This is a case where the grade extensions are occurring, students are coming back to school and students who usually drop out of school are staying. With all these conditions, overcrowding becomes inevitable. It is to the point where it has become unacceptable to the community.

I will be tabling the petition today and will be asking questions. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Arvaluk. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to say that the government is doing some good things with regard to the business incentive program, as well as negotiated contracts they have with the communities. In the past, whenever major projects come into smaller communities, big companies come into the region to do the projects. What happens there is that the work gets done and the revenues and profits leave with the company when they leave. That leaves very little in the communities and in the region.

With the new programs the government has, this is not occurring any more. They are giving work and contracts to the companies and the corporations in the smaller communities. This way, there is more profit and benefit to people right at the community level, where it counts. I would like to see more of that. It has helped in my constituency and I would just like to encourage the government to continue with these programs. Mahsi.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Pudluk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also wish to rise today to talk about concerns from the high Arctic and others. The federal government has wildlife studies. They study where the animals migrate and what kinds of food they eat in the Arctic. They also study sea mammals such as the walrus, seals and others. Just recently they did a study on the walrus. They were tagging walrus in my area. This is not a major concern in my riding of the high Arctic. They are not against tagging wildlife. However, the biologists have to put animals to sleep in order to weigh them and study them.

They have killed so many animals by putting them to sleep. This happened recently, in the summer. They were trying to tag a walrus and, without meaning to, they ended up killing the animal by tranquillizing it. Putting tranquillizers into animals to study them and ending up killing them is very unacceptable to the people I represent. This is a major concern and it will be an ongoing concern to the people of the north, particularly for those people who have to depend on these animals for food.

The biologists didn't even bring the walrus back into the community because it was full of tranquillizers. This has become a major concern to the people of the high Arctic. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Pudluk. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two returns to oral questions. One asked by Mr. Dent on November 22, regarding the NWT Association of Municipalities' concerns with respect to the dissolution of municipal councils. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has procedures, well-established in legislation, for monitoring the financial and overall viability of municipal corporations and, in extreme cases, for the appointment of municipal administrators.

The Cities, Towns and Villages Act, the Hamlets Act and the Chartered Communities Act require municipal inspectors, appointed by the Minister of MACA, to perform annual municipal inspections. Each municipal inspection includes financial management, administrative and operational reviews. Each municipal inspection results in a written report which is forwarded to the Minister.

The written report, consistent with the requirements of the act, contains recommendations on the corrective actions to be taken by the municipal corporation or the Minister. A copy of the municipal evaluation report is also always forwarded to the mayor. A covering letter, summarizing the most significant concerns of the department, is sent by the deputy minister in the case of cities, towns and villages, and by the superintendent in the case of hamlets and chartered communities. It is the responsibility of council to ensure that the recommendations are implemented or responded to.

In most instances, the department and the municipal corporations are able to implement the recommendations in a cooperative manner. Failure to implement municipal evaluation recommendations, in addition to be the failure of council to exercise their duty, often may result in serious financial, legal or administerial problems by the municipal corporation.

In addition to conducting annual municipal inspections, the department monitors the financial position of all municipal corporations. Yearly audited financial statements are analyzed by the department. In addition, those municipal corporations which are not cities, towns or villages must furnish to the department monthly financial information. In almost all cases, the department is able to assist municipal corporations in resolving their financial difficulties.

Under section 192 of the Cities, Towns and Villages Act, section 192 of the Hamlets Act, and section 196 of the Charter Communities Act, a municipal administrator may be appointed when a municipal corporation is incapable of meeting its financial obligations. When the council of a municipal corporation fails to perform a duty required of it by legislation, or if the Minister is of the opinion that for other reasons it is in the best interest of the municipal corporation that it be under the control of a municipal administrator.

It is on this legal basis that a municipal administrator was appointed for the town of Iqaluit.

The present procedures provide extensive periods of time for the department and a municipal corporation to resolve problems and to agree on corrective action arising from municipal evaluations. The process ensures frequent and extensive dialogue. The mandate assigned by Cabinet for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and the departmental establishment policy is for the development and maintenance of local governments, responsive and responsible to the residents. The emphasis of the department has been on positive collaboration with municipal governments, with a view to increasing their authority and responsibility.

The procedure for the appointment of a municipal administrator and the dissolution of a municipal council, although provided for in the municipal legislation is, and always has been regarded as an extreme and unfortunate remedy of last resort. Even then, the mission of the municipal administrator is always to get the administrative matters back in order as quickly as possible so that the elected municipal government can be restored.

The policy focus of the department should continue to concentrate on regular municipal inspections, cooperative dialogue and other preventive measures to avert situations requiring the appointment of municipal administrators, rather than on making procedural modifications which might actually have the effect of making conditions easier for the appointment of municipal administrators.

I have a second return to oral question, Mr. Speaker, asked by Mr. Lewis on November 24, regarding options open to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, re the Iqaluit situation, which I was unable to answer yesterday.

The options available under the present legislation to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs to deal with the type of situation found in the town of Iqaluit are limited.

Sections 192 to 205 of the Cities, Towns and Villages Act make specific provision for the conditions under which a municipal administrator may be appointed by the Minister, the authority and responsibility of the municipal administrator and other matters. One feature of the Cities, Towns and Villages Act which restricts the legal options available to the Minister in extreme cases of breakdown of municipal incorporations is that the appointment of the municipal administrator, under section 193 of the Act, automatically means the retirement of the municipal council with full vacancies on the council until the ministerial order appointing the municipal administrator is revoked and new elections are held.

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is prepared to develop options for possible amendments of the Cities, Towns and Villages Act and other municipal legislation to allow for the provision of additional administrative and advisory support of municipal councils in extreme difficulty, without the need to go directly to the last resort of appointing a municipal administrator and retiring the council. Thank you.

Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My heart pounded with excitement when I received the copy of Mr. Morin's minister's statement which read "reinstatement of federal funding for social housing." I'd like to ask the Minister, why is his statement entitled, "reinstatement of federal funding for social housing" when there is no indication in the rest of the text that it is being reinstated?

Minister Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just for the Member's information, that's what I've been working on, reinstatement of the federal funding for social housing, so that's why it reads that. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Lewis.

Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. In the text of this ministerial statement, we learn that the Honourable David Dingwall was sympathetic to our social housing problems. How exactly was that sympathy reflected in the communication that the Minister had with this Minister of Housing?

Minister Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister was, to me, very committed to take up our cause and take it to Cabinet on behalf of us, to try to reinstate federal funding to the NWT. It's not his decision alone but he seemed, to me, very sympathetic and very committed and understanding of our issues. Thank you.