Mr. Clerk, it does not appear we have a quorum. Can you do a roll call please?

Mr. Pudluk, Mr. Arvaluk, Mr. Pudlat, Mr. Koe, Mr. Lewis, Ms. Mike, Mr. Pollard, Ms. Cournoyea, Mr. Nerysoo, Mrs. Marie-Jewell, Mr. Dent, Mr. Morin, Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. It appears we have a quorum. The chair recognizes a quorum. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Stephen Kakfwi will be absent from the House today. He is attending a community justice conference in Inuvik. Thank you.

Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Lewis on March 18, 1993, regarding the GNWT involvement in phase I of the national AIDS strategy.

Mr. Speaker, on March 18, 1993, the Member from Yellowknife Centre asked me whether the Government of the Northwest Territories was involved in phase I of the national AIDS strategy. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health staff participated actively in phase I of the strategy with respect to the development of the Canada blue print on HIV/AIDS and the joint national committee on aboriginal AIDS education and prevention.

The Department of Health was consulted quite extensively during the development of the national strategy, phase I, through a contractor hired by the federal government for the purpose, through the federal/provincial/territorial advisory committee on AIDS, and through the other federal bodies dealing with AIDS, such as the health promotion directorate, the laboratory centre for disease control, and the federal centre for AIDS. During phase I of the national AIDS strategy, four NWT community groups accessed funds from the federal community development and support fund.

The department has also been involved in discussion leading to phase II of the strategy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have two other returns, if I may, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

I have a return to oral question, asked by Mr. Lewis on March 18, 1993, regarding the press release announcing the national AIDS strategy.

Mr. Speaker, on March 18, 1993, the Member for Yellowknife Centre asked me whether any research on AIDS is done in the Northwest Territories. As a result of the Northwest Territories' size and limited facilities, most of the research conducted on AIDS is applied research. Research, monitoring and surveillance can sometimes be very similar, some of the things we are learning about AIDS in the Northwest Territories that might be called "research" are:

1. The way HIV affects Inuit or Dene people. Each known case of infection is monitored very carefully to see if there are any differences in the way aboriginal people of the NWT get sick compared to southern Canadians infected with HIV;

2. The way the epidemic is spreading. The Department of Health has been looking at how the virus is spreading here compared to southern Canada and the rest of the world;

3. Why people are putting themselves at risk. What precautions do NWT residents take (or do not take) that places them at risk of getting infected; and

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have a return to oral question asked by Mrs. Marie-Jewell on March 19, 1993, regarding the status of recommendations on the abortion review.

Mr. Speaker, on March 19,1993, the Member for Thebacha asked me what the department's progress was on the abortion review committee's recommendations.

Mr. Speaker, the Stanton Yellowknife Hospital is proceeding with implementation of the recommendations and will be providing an update to the department following its board meeting in April, 1993.

With respect to the other NWT hospitals, abortions have been provided to women from the Inuvik region at the Inuvik Regional Hospital since mid-January, 1993. Abortion services are expected to be available at the Baffin Regional Hospital by mid-May, 1993. Health professionals in the Baffin region will be provided with instruction on abortion counselling at a nursing conference to be held in Iqaluit in May, 1993. Community health representatives in the Baffin region will have a workshop on abortion counselling next week.

Mr. Speaker, the H H Williams Memorial Hospital and the Department of Health have agreed that while abortions will not be performed at the hospital, clients will be referred to the public health unit in Hay River for counselling and information on the availability of services in Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Zoe on March 18, 1993 regarding the North American aboriginal summer games.

Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that the department will consider financial support to groups or teams that submit their proposals to participate in this summer's North American indigenous games.

As I indicated in my earlier reply on this matter, the department does not have a program for these games, nor have there been any specific plans made.

Mr. Speaker, the department will, however, review requests on a case by case basis and will assist with travel costs to the games, similar to our approach in 1990.

Since there is no specific program in place to allow for participation in the indigenous games, I will need to review and approve requests. To allow communities time to submit requests, I am prepared to receive requests up to May 18, 1993. I will make the decision on funding to be provided at that time and groups will have two months to prepare teams for the competition. Consideration will be given based on the official size of teams allowed by the North American indigenous games technical criteria. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board. Mr. Speaker, in mid-January a review was completed by Mr. Garnet Garvin on the Workers' Compensation Board, and the report was tabled in this House. I would like to ask the Minister the status of the final report of the chief commissioner. What is the

Workers' Compensation Board doing with the recommendations made by the chief commissioner?

Mr. Todd.

In the report made by the chief commissioner, there are recommendations that require legislative changes. On Tuesday, I will be tabling a legislative action paper. There are also a number of recommendations in the report that do not require legislative change, that can be done now based upon board direction. It is my understanding that that is happening with the new board. They are going to be taking the recommendations that can be done, outside of legislation, and enact some of them. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, as long as I do not have any problems with translation, I hope to table a Workers' Compensation Board legislative action paper. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Education. I think everyone is aware that the divisional board's budget will now be put out quarterly instead of monthly. I am asking the Minister of Education with regard to funding for divisional board, will this be more appropriate and will they receive more interest? Can the Minister indicate what the outcome of this process will be? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Nerysoo.

Mr. Speaker, the present method of payments with regard to financing the school boards is on a monthly basis. I have spoken to the representatives of the school boards and have indicated to them that I will deal with the question of the needs of financing, but it is certainly not our intention to move away from the monthly payment schedule. We will increase the amount based on the need to accommodate their ability to delivery programs.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To continue with the questioning of my colleague from Lake Harbour, I would like to direct my question to the Minister for Education. Initially the school boards or community education councils were funded on a quarterly basis. They were paid every three months. This allows the community education council, or the divisional board, to get into the financial management. By that I mean, they were able to make a term deposit and earn interest and use that money to fund other programs not financed by the system. I wonder if the Minister has received requests from each of the divisional boards or community education councils requesting the initial funding be reinstated on a quarterly basis? Thank you.

Mr. Nerysoo.