Mr. Speaker, I know the Minister indicated they do not know what the plan to build is, but I was under the impression this facility was to accommodate water bombers which normally fly south in the fall. Can the Minister state, for the record, what is preventing the department from proceeding, knowing that this facility is to accommodate water bombers that fly south? Thank you.,

Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At the current time we have four CL-215s, water bombers and we also use smaller aircraft or bird dogs as well as helicopters. We do not know, at the present time, whether we are going to have to maintain helicopters, the bird dogs and the other smaller aircraft that the fire operation uses. We also do not know what sort of training is going to be required by northerners to get into aircraft maintenance. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Lewis.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Normally a community requests to negotiate a contract which I take to Cabinet to get approval to negotiate. Once we have finished negotiations I take it back to Cabinet and they either approve or disapprove it. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister, is there any guideline on how you proceed with a negotiated contract? Since we are involved with the expenditure of public funds, what kind of base do you use to determine how you negotiate a contract with whoever has asked to have this particular contract?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Normally we negotiate the contracts with a development corporation and it is to help native development corporations get off the ground as a business. In any proposal they negotiate they have to ensure it employs all local and regional people, all the subcontractors are northern or local in their design, to keep all the dollars in the north. It normally has a training component. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Lewis.

I would like to ask the Minister, is there any kind of premium or any kind of level that he would accept as a premium in order to get all these advantages from any kind of base you would establish as the value of a particular contract? Is it five per cent above what you would expect, or ten per cent? Can you give me some idea of how far above a reasonable price you are prepared to go in negotiating a contract to achieve the objectives you have mentioned in terms of training, local employment and so on?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. All the contracts I have been involved in with the Housing Corporation and DPW have been no percentage per se above a premium cost. Most of the proposal calls this summer with the Housing Corporation, came in under budget. The projects came in before the time frame they set out for themselves. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Lewis.

Would the Minister, Mr. Speaker, be prepared to table in this House a list of all the contracts, just the names of them if you like, which have been negotiated?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, yes.

Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask a question to the Minister of Education. The former Minister of Education indicated there would be a bussing policy created with funds provided for that policy. I would like to know how this policy is proceeding?

Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are still in the process of developing a policy. The policy will include two aspects, one is the need to ensure bussing wherever there is a requirement in all the regions and secondly, the requirement for the financial resources to accommodate that particular policy. Thirdly, I should say, Mr. Speaker, it is my view that when we are developing the policy it is our intention to move the funding from the Ministry to the boards so they can decide themselves where they should determine the priorities for bussing are. I do not believe it is my responsibility, nor should it be in my hands, to determine what priorities of bussing should occur in the particular regions, but that will be part of the policy.

Item 6, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Arngna'naaq.