Thank you. The report is for my consideration of the necessity and value of the program. All the recommendations in that particular report may not be acceptable to me as Minister and may not reflect some of the directions that we are going to undertake. The problem with releasing the report is some of the decisions that I may be recommending may be questioned. I may not agree with the recommendations that have been proposed, but I am prepared to report back to the honourable Member on the decisions that we are going to undertake with that particular report.

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

Mr. Speaker, is the Minister stating -- in his way of expressing himself -- that he is not willing to share the report with me? Thank you.

Mr. Nerysoo.

No, Mr. Speaker. The report was a report to give me some indication of the value of the western Arctic leadership program. The important element was whether there was a need for us to continue with the program, to improve it or to go in a different direction. The problem is that there may be many options. While I agree with my honourable colleague that she has a position on this particular matter, my colleagues on this side also have a differing view with what I consider to be the value of utilizing our funds for education. In light of that, I may not agree with all the findings that are in the report. After consideration by myself as Minister, the department and also with my colleagues, we may come to the conclusion that the recommendations that have been proposed may not be the ones we would like to follow, as has been the case in previous reports. There have been some reports that have been done by my colleagues, and they have not always been followed in terms of the recommendations. I wanted the honourable Member to be aware of that. As soon as I get the approval of my colleagues, I am prepared to share any of the findings with my honourable colleague.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Whitford.

The Minister of MACA or the Minister of Justice. Minister of MACA.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In search and rescue, the primary responsibility -- and I stress primary -- is the R.C.M.P. The GNWT is working with communities at the present time to organize search and rescue committees under local emergency response committees. I don't think there is any doubt -- whether it was that large tragedy just out of Resolute Bay or the current situation we have in Mr. Arngna'naaq's riding -- that there's a need to reassess what we're doing with respect to emergency measures and rescue.

It's my contention in the short time I've had this department that we should perhaps be doing a great deal more. One of the things that I'm asking the department to pursue is the possibility of coordinating some of the work with the R.C.M.P., the local emergency measures group and the hunters and trappers, at least in the east. I think it's similar in the west.

The other area that perhaps isn't as coordinated as well as it could be is in the military rangers. It's my hope that we can come forward with a more coordinated approach to this. We should propose, at the territorial, regional and community level, some key groups of people and put plans in place. At the present time, it's my understanding -- for example, in the Arviat situation we currently have -- that it is being coordinated through the community and being coordinated by the R.C.M.P., the hunters and trappers, the municipal council and volunteers. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Whitford.

Minister Todd.

I am advised that there is a program that's called the New Initiatives Program which is administered by the National Search and Rescue Secretariat and that there is a proposal right now to fund a comprehensive land and marine search and rescue training program. This project would allow the R.C.M.P. and the GNWT to develop a trained complement of searchers in communities and regions across the territories. I suspect it's come about because of some of the major catastrophes, as Mr. Whitford addressed earlier today. There is an effort in place by those involved -- whether it's the military, the RCMP or the GNWT -- to try to fund an overall sort of approach to search and rescue, particularly in the areas of major catastrophes. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's much along the same line as Mr. Whitford's questions to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, but more specific to the case in the Arviat. I'd like to know what the government's role has been in the search for Sam Napayok in Arviat. Thank you.

Minister Todd.

Let me first say, Mr. Speaker, this is a difficult and somewhat emotional issue because I know Sam Napayok personally. I think I would like to start by saying that I'd like to commend the community, particularly the people in the community, for their efforts so far. The role of the department, through the regional director, is to try to coordinate the search efforts that are currently going on with the RCMP, the hunters and trappers and volunteers throughout the region.

It's my understanding that this has probably been one of the most extensive searches that we've had in the region for a long, long time. The RCMP have been in there, aircraft have been used and sniffing dogs have been in the community. The hunters and trappers and volunteers from Rankin, Baker and Coral Harbour are in Arviat at the present time, still searching. I'm told, by the intervention of our MP and colleague from Nunavut, Mr. Anawak, that the military was in there yesterday and today and are doing some air searches at this time. That's the status at this time.

As far as the department is concerned, the policy is that there is $1,000 or $2,000 immediate financial assistance to assist the local groups in doing a ground search. There is no policy, as such, to determine what we do beyond that at the present time.

Supplementary, Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand that this has been a very extensive search for Mr. Napayok. At one point they were using metal detectors. In the first few days the hamlet council had assumed a debt of at least $15,000 to support the search in the community. That's on top of the funds that were raised by the family in the community. I'd like to know if the department or if the government of the Northwest Territories will be able to assist the hamlet with the costs that they have incurred. Thank you.

Minister Todd.

As I said earlier, along with my colleague, I'd like to commend the community for their efforts. There's no question that they've been very supportive of the need to find both the financial and the personal resources to try to find Mr. Napayok. I've instructed the department to see where we can possibly assist beyond the current policy and that is being negotiated, or discussed -- I would prefer to say -- by the municipal government and the department at this time. We are tracking this on a daily basis. I believe, as I said earlier, that the military aircraft was in Arviat yesterday and they did some searching today. Where it is all going to lead to, I don't know at this time. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Health. A few months ago there was an advertisement for policy officer trainees. I believe one was for the east and one was for the west. I just wanted to find out from the Minister, what the status was on those two positions.

Minister Pollard.