Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to take this opportunity to say some positive things about the budget address and particularly the capital projects in my constituency and perhaps end on a note of constructive criticism.

Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts that were undertaken to replace the Apex School after the loss by fire last year and thank Mr. Nerysoo and Mr. Morin, in particular, for the prompt work that was done to bring joy to the hearts of those students in Apex, who now see their new school closed in and undoubtedly ready for this coming fall. I also want to say, Mr. Speaker, that I am very pleased that money has been put in place and a commitment made to continue planning a new regional hospital in the Baffin region.

Just this morning, we heard concerns about the problems of mental patients wandering the streets of Iqaluit, a danger to themselves and sometimes other people. That is one of the many issues, along with chronic care, that I hope will be dealt with as we plan this new regional health facility. I note that a recent meeting of the health board outlined a total of 10,828 outpatient visits to that very busy hospital in the past year and 4,138 patient days. The hospital is very pressed to meet these needs, and there is also a need to plan it so we can repatriate services to the north as is planned in the Keewatin, and has been successfully completed with the Stanton Yellowknife Hospital.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to note the modest museum addition in the capital plan for the coming year and thank the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment for putting the necessary heritage policies in place to ensure that these capital monies will be spent equitably and in a logical manner throughout the Northwest Territories. It is a major issue for the dedicated museum society in Iqaluit that artifacts from the region and the community be repatriated as are envisaged by the Inuit land claim. I know this new policy will also allow for contributions to other communities that wish to preserve their heritage in future as well.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to note that there is money for a community hall in Iqaluit in the budget for the coming year. I know there are some people who think that Iqaluit has everything, but I want to remind the Members of this House that it is one of the few communities in the Northwest Territories, and the only community in the Baffin region, that does not have a community hall. The citizens use a very crowded and worn out Anglican Church parish hall, which is simply not safe nor adequate any longer for Christmas activities. So, I am very pleased that there has been a modest $700,000 set aside in the coming year's budget to build what will be a very modest community hall. I know I will be able to work with the advisory committee and the municipal administrator in Iqaluit, which Mr. Todd will soon be appointing, so we can find a good site and a good, efficient design/build approach so we can maximize that $700,000 available and get on with this long sought dream of my constituents of actually having a community hall. They can have feasts, square dances and enjoy Christmas and other festive events as other communities do.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to say how pleased I am -- and this is more praise for Mr. Todd -- with the commitments that are in this budget and in future years' budget to improve the Iqaluit harbour in the coming year. I have probably spent more time talking about the issue of the tide, the rocks and the beach improvements in my dozen or so years in this House than any other issue. It is a matter of pressing concern to my hunting constituents. I want to note that we have made great progress in providing safer shelter for small boat owners. I am very happy that this issue has been recognized as an important priority, not just in my constituency, but in other communities in the sea coast regions.

Mr. Speaker, I said I had a note of constructive criticism in commenting on this capital budget address. I want to talk about Mr. Pollard's statement that our cost-shared programs for new housing are effectively reduced with the federal decreases in social housing funding from $43 million a year in 1991-92 to only $3 million a year and that this will mean, in effect, that our cost-shared program for new housing is effectively reduced from 372 housing units per year to just 14. Mr. Speaker, I believe that this is a major crisis. I believe this is the first priority for this Legislature and this government to deal with. I know that major efforts are being made to deal with this problem and that we will count on the good offices of some of our Members, in particular, to influence the new federal government to do the right thing and fix up this injustice to the people of the Northwest Territories. We must not lose sight of the basic fundamental issues. Housing is a major issue for the people of the Northwest Territories. Education is a major issue. Social issues, like the wages of alcohol and drug workers, like fetal alcohol effects and syndrome, are major issues. I can't help but note that, although the Minister's address seems to emphasize the crisis that we have in housing, this same government is presenting a supplementary estimate to this House to fund a northern Work Place Commission to a tune of $1.8 million over two years. Who wants this commission? Who asked for it? Who supports it? Was this dreamed up by the bureaucracy? Was it designed around the very able public servant whose former job, as head of the policy & planning secretariat, has dried up?

Mr. Speaker, I know we are to get a detailed briefing later this session. But I, for one -- from everything I've seen -- think that this Work Place Commission, in these hard financial times with the pressing social and education issues we have to deal with now, is an expensive mistake if it is allowed to go ahead. I think it bears no relation whatsoever to the political priorities of the people of the Northwest Territories and of this Assembly. Furthermore, the timing is terrible. It will be tabled in the dying days of this Assembly, in 1995. It will be a dead issue in this Assembly and I question the credibility it might enjoy with a new government.

I think that spending almost $2 million on a commission led by capable, but central agency bureaucrats with very little experience outside Yellowknife, demonstrates a failure to understand the political priorities and realities of today. At a time when we face major crises in housing and in social issues, it is completely incomprehensible to me why our government would, in effect, borrow money to study the northern work place and to cover many issues like pay equity which have already been the subject of considerable study and expense.

The same can be said of affirmative action.

I find it especially ironic that one of the subjects of study by this $2 million commission is wage parity and wage equity. Yet, a special committee of this Assembly, formed to demonstrate the Assembly's commitment to social issues, recommended early on that this government make it a priority to deal with the inadequate wages of alcohol and drug workers. One estimate presented to this House earlier on, interestingly enough, was that the whole issue of alcohol and drug workers' wages could be dealt with through the expenditure of approximately $1.7 million, just about the cost of the two years for the northern work place commission.

I have to ask myself how, as the elected representative of a community that is grappling with alcohol problems, I explain to the director of the Upassuraakut Centre in Iqaluit -- who can't hire or keep staff at the wage scale now in place and who is trying to struggle with these alcohol problems with the support of a local board -- that the Government of the Northwest Territories has been able to identify funds to send a Yellowknife bureaucrat around the territories asking about the northern work place, but can't identify monies to bring up the wages of alcohol and drug workers so the job is more attractive than a water truck driver's helper in Iqaluit.

Mr. Speaker, this is my comment on the budget address. In these times of very scarce resources, I think a very close look should be taken at the priority of studying an area of federal jurisdiction and producing a report that won't even see the end of the life of this Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly have some very positive things to say about the capital budget, about the improved planning process, about the efforts to ensure that the monies spent give maximum northern employment and maximum northern economic benefits, but I do feel that I must end with a note of caution. In these tough times, with these very pressing issues, I think the priority of this particular initiative must be carefully reviewed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause