Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which causes AIDS, is spread through the exchange of most body fluids. Most commonly, especially in the Northwest Territories, this occurs during sexual contact.

Madam Speaker, several years after the first cases of AIDS were recognized, it became clear that HIV could be spread through blood and blood products.

In the Northwest Territories, unprotected sex is by far the most common way that HIV is transmitted. Nevertheless, persons who received blood between 1978 and November 1985, who have not already been tested, should consult their doctor or nurse regarding a test.

The Department of Health will reinforce this message through another AIDS/HIV awareness program directed at all those considered to be at risk of HIV infection. This will be done through a public education campaign using television, radio and newspapers. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Kakfwi, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Minister of Social Services, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am sure you are aware that 1994 has been declared international year of the family. By making this declaration, the United Nations wishes to encourage a celebration of the family. The Canadian government established the Canada Committee to make the Canadian public aware of issues regarding the family.

Madam Speaker, I have a strong concern for the well-being of families in the Northwest Territories, as do all of the Members of this Assembly. During the next year, all of us should work towards promoting and emphasizing the principle that strong, healthy families create a strong, healthy and productive society.

The Status of Women Council of the Northwest Territories wrote to all Members of the Assembly on November 12, 1993, advising of their programs and plans for the next year. I would like to suggest that in February, during the Fifth Session of this Assembly, we identify one day in 1994 that will be a family day. Communities and organizations will be notified in advance so that planning for the family events such as feasts and sports events can take place.

Madam Speaker, I share what I have heard during this session from the Members and the Special Committee on Health and Social Services, the concern about the abuse of alcohol, drugs and solvents and the terrible consequences it has on our people. It is no secret that alcohol and drugs contribute to family violence and abuse and neglect of our children.

I want to recommend today that every Member here support steps in their communities to have New Year's Eve celebrated this year with family events that do not involve the use of intoxicants of any kind. Some provinces have started a program called First Night and I think it is a good time to kick off the international year of the family in the Northwest Territories by celebrating First Night in all of our communities in the company of children and our families.

Our alcohol and drug programs have worked hard for many years to come up with dry activities during the Christmas season. Staff in the Department of Social Services have notified all the alcohol and drug programs funded by the

department about the idea of First Night. Examples of First Night activities include camping and story telling, feasts, pot luck dinners and community breakfasts on New Year's Day. The Ruth Inch Pool in Yellowknife is advertising a non alcohol family swim on New Year's Eve. Your help, as leaders, is needed to promote participation in such events.

Madam Speaker, I am asking every Member, when they go home to their families and communities for this Christmas and New Year's season, to meet with your alcohol and drug program workers, your shelter workers, your band and hamlet leaders and take a leadership role in ensuring a safe, healthy Christmas season and New Year's Eve in your communities. Qujannamiik.

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I am making this statement on behalf of the Honourable Don Morin, in his capacity as the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.

Madam Speaker, we are pleased to announce today that the NWT Housing Corporation has successfully negotiated refinancing of the $93 million in outstanding loans with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

The NWT Housing Corporation, as Members know, owes CMHC about $93 million, for public housing built across the NWT between 1974 and 1984. Madam Speaker, the Housing Corporation has been paying interest at a rate of 13.3 per cent on the outstanding balance of these loans. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to inform this House that the interest rate on these loans has been renegotiated down to 6.97 per cent, which will save the corporation and this government $2.9 million a year.

---Applause

Madam Speaker, Members will recall that Minister Morin met with the federal Minister responsible for CMHC, the Honourable David Dingwall, on November 23, of this year. At that meeting, Minister Dingwall made a commitment to consider refinancing of our outstanding loans. We appreciate the Minister making good on his commitment so promptly, and with such positive results.

Minister Morin is travelling to Ottawa today, to continue lobbying the new Liberal government to reinstate funding for housing in the Northwest Territories. The willingness of the federal government to renegotiate our outstanding loans is an encouraging first step. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, very much, Madam Speaker. The Ordinary Members' Caucus met this morning, Madam Speaker, and elected a new chairman for OMC. I would like to thank you, Madam Speaker, for your two years of service as the chairperson of the Ordinary Members' Caucus.

---Applause

I want to add also my congratulations to you for your election to Speaker. Since our consensus system depends so much on the balance between western and eastern interests, Madam Speaker, we've chosen Mr. Ningark as our new chairperson.

---Applause

The deputy chairperson will be Mr. Charles Dent.

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Madam Speaker, OMC is an important part of our system to make government accountable, and ordinary Members look forward to working with Mr. Ningark and Mr. Dent to improve our system of consensus government. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Lewis. Item 3, Member's statements. The honourable Member for Natilikmiot, Mr.

Ningark.

Sorry, Mr. Ningark, your time has elapsed.

Madam Speaker, I wish to conclude my statement.

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

Agreed.

---Agreed

Thank you, Madam Speaker, thank you, colleagues. There are three major areas of concern with this Minister. One, the Minister is not open when questioned by Members. The purpose of question period is to raise areas of concern with the Minister, not to personally attack her. However, the Minister takes all questions as attacks, dealing with them in a hostile and defensive manner. The Minister has also failed to take full responsibility for her department, instead, constantly referring to the problems left by previous Ministers.

Two, Members were appalled when Ms. Mike admitted she has disregarded the interim reports of the Special Committee on Health and Social Services. Those reports were issued to allow the government to begin working on this important area. It is inexcusable that the Minister has, essentially, ignored these reports. Members expected her to work more actively with the special committee in a cooperative way, rather than sitting back and waiting for the final recommendations.

Three, as the Minister responsible for Social Services, it is incumbent upon her to push social issues in Cabinet. Ms. Mike has assumed no leadership in this area and, as a result, social issues do not appear to be a Cabinet priority.

In reviewing the Government Leader -- the Premier -- the Members have higher expectations than those for Ministers. Members were looking for the Government Leader to provide broad leadership within Cabinet. They also expected the Government Leader to assist and support less-experienced Ministers. They were looking for evidence that she has created a team, which works together towards a common goal, rather than a group of mavericks pursuing their own, individual interests.

The Premier, Ms. Cournoyea, received a grading of C. Although her answers were satisfactory, they were not as convincing and as inspiring as Members had expected to hear from the Government Leader. In reviewing Ms. Cournoyea's comments, Members were concerned about the following issues with regard to what they heard from her. One, there seems to be a lack of policy-making capacity at the Cabinet level. Too many decisions seem to be reactions to specific situations, rather than part of an overall plan. As well, programs are implemented without a sound policy base, so it is difficult to ensure that programs are properly focused and moving in a consistent direction. Two, the Government Leader seems to lack a process to receive political advice on the issues from both Cabinet Ministers and MLAs. Three, the political agenda seems to be driven by the bureaucracy. Four, the Cabinet does not seem to work together as a team. There is little evidence of Cabinet unity for a clearer framework which guides the decision-making process of the Cabinet.

Strong leadership, which would inspire all Cabinet Members to work together toward a common goal, is missing. The Cabinet priorities seem to be set by whoever is the loudest and most forceful in presenting their case. Although social issues are a priority of the Assembly, they have not received priority within Cabinet. The Government Leader has not ensured a balance on the Cabinet agenda.

Madam Speaker, the Ministers Cournoyea and Nerysoo, Members will be looking for improvement in the areas of concern.

The Ordinary Members' Caucus is placing Ms. Mike on probation. The decision was made that she would be advised of Members' concerns and given an opportunity to improve her performance. Members are expecting a dramatic improvement in her performance by the time the House reconvenes for the budget session, a few months from now. If improvement is not evident, Members will consider removing Ms. Mike from the Cabinet, at that time.

It is expected that all Ministers will take heed of the concern, and work cooperatively together to achieve the team that is required for Cabinet to be successful. This includes working with each other in a supportive way.

Members would like to thank Ministers for their efforts to provide us with well-thought out answers to our questions during the review. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ningark. Item 3, Members' statements. Honourable Member for Kitikmeot, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Many of us in this legislature have had the opportunity to be involved in local municipal politics, prior to our election as Members of this Assembly. This grassroots level of representation is critical in the proper delivery of programs and services to our residents. Our local councils address and identify the immediate needs which are, more often than not, passed on to us for our attention.

I, personally, have enjoyed the three terms I served as councillor and one term as mayor on the Cambridge Bay hamlet council. I know it gave me considerable experience and awareness of the issues and how to address them.

Yesterday was election day in non-tax-based municipalities in the Northwest Territories. On behalf of all my constituents, I wish to congratulate all the mayors and councillors elected or re-elected in the NWT to represent their people. In particular, I wish to congratulate the councillors-elect in Coppermine: Mr. Jimmy Ross Meyok; Mr. Frank Ipakohak; Mr. Ron Tologanak; Mr. Sam Kikpak; Mr. Alec Taptuna; and, Mr. Red Pedersen.

I also wish to congratulate the councillors-elect in Cambridge Bay: Mr. Bob Aknavigak, Ms. Leona Aglukkaq, Mr. Carson Gillis; and, Mrs. Annie Kasoni. Finally, I wish to congratulate the mayor-elect of Cambridge Bay, Mr. Larry Aknavigak, who won the closest mayoralty race in the history of Cambridge Bay, by a vote of 109 to 106.

I wish them all the success possible during their terms of office, and look forward to working with them for the remainder of my term in this Assembly.

Finally, on behalf of my constituents and I, I would like to wish a Merry Christmas and a safe holiday season to all residents of the Northwest Territories.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Amittuq, Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Today I wish to speak about the issue that is near and dear to my heart. That is, the unity of my people, the Inuit. The Inuit have always known, Madam Speaker, that there's strength in unity. From the time families had to depend on one another to survive, today that unity is still there and that unity has demonstrated big gains for the Inuit. It has helped to us to achieve the many political gains that we are proud of, including the inevitable formation of a Nunavut government.

I want to specifically mention today, my strong support and encouragement to the grassroots movement to unify the Inuit of Yellowknife, the formation of the Yellowknife Inuit Association. It is in the works, Madam Speaker, and it is exciting to imagine what this organization will be able to offer to the Inuit, their families and their diverse origins.

In the coming weeks and months, the Inuit of Yellowknife will be canvassing to see what kind of organizations they see, what they want the Yellowknife association to be. I have thought about this need for quite a long time, and now, finally, they have time to help foster the worthwhile effort.

This new organization, in my view, can be either a social group, a political group or a combination of both. I will suggest that there is a real need for all of us Inuit to develop a network which provides moral support, a gathering place for our families to talk, to be together, share country foods and to help to preserve Inuktitut amongst ourselves. We have to ensure that the needs of Yellowknife Inuit are considered by our mother organizations, the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.

Many of us are beneficiaries of the Nunavut land claim, with the hope to return to Nunavut to help out the new territory. I encourage all Inuit, Inuvialuit and Inuinnait to respond positively in their approach. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to make a few comments about the government's financial policy and approach to deficit management.

At the appropriate time, later today, I will table a report on this topic on behalf of the Standing Committee on Finance. The Standing Committee on Finance has urged the government to take a leadership role in dealing with urgent financial management issues.

Madam Speaker, the committee is very concerned about the possibility of the Government of the Northwest Territories entering into an accumulated deficit position. As Members are well aware, it would be very difficult to recover from such a position. There is limited ability in the territories to raise substantial revenues. The government must take immediate action to ensure that all avenues for limiting spending and for maintaining a strong financial position have been explored. A comprehensive strategy and long-term financial plan are urgently required.

Madam Speaker, the Standing Committee on Finance is ready and willing to serve as a sounding board and to assist in screening and organizing the information that would be required to ensure that meaningful discussion can occur in this House. While recognizing we must all work toward solutions to the pressing financial difficulties that face us, I strongly urge the Minister of Finance and Cabinet to provide the leadership required to reach consensus on the development of appropriate strategies. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

---Applause