Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Within the tender documents, when contractors are requested to fill out the tender documents, there is a form which the contractor must fill out in order for him to get preference. If that form is blank, there will be no preference given to that contractor. That form has to be filled out, prior to the closing time of the tender date. I would be happy to assist Mr. Allooloo's local contractor, through Housing Corporation staff, to go into Pond Inlet and give him instructions on how to properly fill out the tender documents. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What I am trying to say is that Mr. Merkosak filled out the forms. Because the forms were not returned to Mr. Merkosak, he now cannot prove that he filled them out. When the government employee returned the documents to Mr. Kheraj and Mr. Merkosak, they put Mr. Kheraj's papers in Mr. Merkosak envelope and they put Mr. Merkosak's documents into Mr. Kheraj's. Therefore, Mr. Merkosak received Mr. Kheraj's successful bid and he did not get those forms that he filled out earlier because they were sent to Mr. Kheraj. Mr. Speaker, I will find a letter that was sent to Iqaluit on the date that he was bidding, and table it during the tabling of documents.

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that a lower bidder, in actual dollars, was not successful. I guess I am making a statement rather than a question. Thank you.

Mr. Allooloo, I was going to warn you about having a long preamble. Since you didn't have a question, I cannot even call it a preamble. If Members can remember, question period is for questions. Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Programs, subsequent to my Member's statement that I made earlier in this particular sitting. There are many young people across the north, especially in remote communities, who have big dreams. They would like to get a good education, jobs and raise a family. Because they are living in remote communities, they are not able to fulfil their dreams, to a degree. Our system is partly to blame for that. As I indicated, Mr. Speaker, the current apprenticeship program does not allow the potential students the opportunity to get a good instructor who is a qualified journeyman. What is the Minister's position on providing more accessible apprenticeship programs for potential students who are residing in remote areas of the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We take the concerns of the honourable Member very seriously. It's an issue that we believe, as a government, and I believe, shows as a Minister, that it is necessary for us to provide more and appropriate training programs to people who live in smaller communities.

I want to indicate to you that part of the initiatives that we are undertaking, along with the Minister of Public Works and Services, is a training and learning program, where we are taking advantage of capital projects to provide training opportunities so that we can encourage young people in the communities to take seriously, the opportunities to become apprentices in the trades areas.

Supplementary, Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary. It's a current program policy that does not accommodate the needs of the individuals who are, in fact, living in remote parts of the territories in the west or the east. Would the honourable Minister try and modify this policy, in order to accommodate potential students who are not able to get it because of the remoteness of the community? Thank you.

Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly will. I believe it is important enough for us to consider. We are also considering a number of initiatives, including the whole matter of distance education, which could be helpful to those people living in smaller communities, to take advantage of learning or take advantage of potential trades, apprenticeships for their own good.

Item 5, oral questions. If I can take this moment to welcome to the Assembly, Mr. Bob MacQuarrie, a former colleague and a former speaker of this Legislative Assembly.

---Applause

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I have stated earlier under Members' statements, I'd like to ask the Minister of DPW a question. In Sanikiluaq, we don't have a maintenance worker in DPW. I stated that the government liaison officer has a lot of work to do in that region. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of DPW is aware that we have to be more careful of spending money. When we have visitors coming

over to do maintenance work, it probably costs a lot of money to transport workers from community to community. Maybe the Minister for the Department of Public Works can consider getting a maintenance worker for Sanikiluaq, or is there a person available in Sanikiluaq, under the Department of Public Works, who could get employment for there?

Minister Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not aware of this issue. Whether or not there is a PY designated for Sanikiluaq. I understand the Member's concern about having a person in the community to do maintenance and I will follow it up and get back to the Member by tomorrow. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to follow up on that question asked by my friend Mr. Pudlat. To the Minister of Social Services, she indicated in her response, that the position for a social worker in Sanikiluaq had been advertised twice now. I find it surprising that a position has been advertised twice, in a time when there's such high unemployment. I'd like to ask her when and where the advertisements took place. Thank you.

Minister Mike.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll have to take the question as notice. Thank you.

The question has been taken as notice. Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Whitford.

Minister Mike.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not familiar with the policy on language requirements for advertisement. I'll have to take his question as notice.

The question has been taken as notice. Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Allooloo.