Good afternoon. Before I proceed with the orders of the day, I have received the following message from the Honourable Daniel Norris, Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. It reads, "Dear Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories the passage of Bill 25, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 1, 1993-94; Bill 27, Payroll Tax Act, 1993; and Bill 26, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, No. 2, during the Third Session of the 12th Legislative Assembly."

Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Honourable Members may recall that on Friday, February 25, I informed the House that the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce had decided to close the doors of its Fort Smith branch effective June 4. Mr. Speaker, this was seen by many of my constituents as a serious step backwards. The chamber of commerce held a public meeting on Monday, March 1, 1993, which the Honourable John Pollard, Minister of Finance, attended. At that time some people were of the opinion that there was nothing they could do, and some people felt that Fort Smith was too small to attract another banking institution. Others believed that the town should consider settling for a scaled down service and requested the town to consider negotiating with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce for a lesser service for the community.

Mr. Speaker, at the time, it was my opinion, and it still is now, that Fort Smith should continue to have the same range of financial facilities and services which it has had for the past several years. On March 10, I was part of a delegation of community leaders who met in Toronto with a senior corporate official from the Bank of Montreal, Mr. Ron Jamieson. Late Friday afternoon I received a phone call from Mr. Jamieson, who is the national vice-president of the Bank of Montreal, and I am pleased to advise this House, and particularly my constituents, that the Bank of Montreal has agreed to open a branch in Fort Smith.

---Applause

Preliminary discussions are that this will be a full service operation with a complete range of local banking options including an automatic service for cash retrieval and deposit transactions, which we do not now have in the community. I would like to acknowledge the other members of the community delegation who assisted in approaching the Bank of Montreal and in particular, Don Webb, who is the president of the Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce, who spent a great deal of time coordinating this effort.

Mrs. Marie-Jewell, your allotted time has elapsed.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to seek unanimous consent to continue.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous to continue. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you. The delegation also included mayor Dennis Bevington, Earl Jacobsen, who is the president of the Metis local, and Raymond Beaver, who represented the Fort Smith native band. I am very happy with the bank's announcement and I believe this demonstrates something to all of us about how to act in the face of adversity.

Mr. Speaker, if you look at the community of Fort Smith's flag which hangs on my left, you will see that it bears the word "perseverance." To those members of my constituency who were ready to give up, to those who said we should try to arrange for some lower level of service, I would like to point out what can be accomplished when one perseveres.

In closing, I know my constituents will be more than happy to hear that the Bank of Montreal will be the next financial institution in Fort Smith. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Marie-Jewell. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Caribou Carnival which took place over the past weekend allowed my family and I to really enjoy what Yellowknife has to offer. We saw creative arts, sampled some fine foods, outdoor style and met people. Mr. Speaker, the highlight for me was seeing children enthusiastically walking, running, smiling and the laughter which echoed like the sound of spring. After we came home from the Caribou Carnival site, my grandson fell on the

couch and dozed off still smiling. I am sure he speaks for all of the other children, the smile which makes the difference. To the people of Yellowknife, the city of Yellowknife and the organizers, I say thank you very much for a job well done.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ningark. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have raised, in this Legislative Assembly, the concerns of trappers and the extreme poor fur harvest this year on many occasions. On February 17, 1993, I gave examples of trappers in my region who had already pulled their traps around Christmas time because of the poor trapping season. Mr. Speaker, I am worried about these families, how they will make it through the year, and whether they will have the financial resources to trap again next year. The trappers must be able to continue to support themselves in their traditional life-style.

The people in my constituency share my concern and have been discussing ways in which the trappers can continue to be self-sufficient. We must ensure that one bad year does not mean the end of a way of life. The trappers in my region and the Fort Simpson Dene council have come up with a strategy which will help to ensure that this will not be the end.

The Department of Renewable Resources administers a trapper subsidy program which provides funds for equipment and provisions for trappers at the beginning of each fur year. However, the amount of funding has been based on the past single year's harvest. To calculate the subsidy based on the 1992-93 harvest would simply not be fair and would deny trappers the right to continue their life-style. As the Fort Simpson Dene council and the trappers have requested, the subsidy should be calculated based on the best three of the past five years of trapping. Mr. Speaker, I am sure the Minister will also appreciate that the poor harvest will have a serious impact on the ability of trappers to pay back the loans that they have received from the band through the harvesters' assistance program.

There is simply no money coming in this year. The band wants to support the trappers and forgive these loans so the trappers can continue to trap, but needs the help of the government to do so. Mr. Speaker, the Minister has said in this House that he is prepared to be flexible to enable the communities to assist trappers. The community of Fort Simpson has identified a concrete workable plan that will allow trappers to survive this lean year. The only thing missing, right now, to put this plan into action is the commitment of the government. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Arvaluk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to speak about the opening of the arena in Chesterfield Inlet. We are very glad we were able to get an arena and recreational facility for the community. I was also happy that the Minister, the Honourable Titus Allooloo, and his staff, especially the Keewatin regional staff, were able to attend the festivities in the community. People from Rankin Inlet, Whale Cove and Chesterfield Inlet were able to get together and enjoy these festivities.

As we know, Mr. Speaker, the children are not able to be taught recreational activities. Their parents provide them with the opportunity for hunting to learn their life-style.

It will help the community a great deal with the recreational facility which was just officially opened. They have shown their appreciation already and stated they will use the facility to its full ability. I would like to say thank you to Municipal and Community Affairs Minister and the staff for the opening of the facility. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Arvaluk. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There was a time, Mr. Speaker, when I made a suggestion to the Minister of Education of the day to remove the cultural inclusion program from the schools. I would like to elaborate on that today, Mr. Speaker.

At the present time, the students spend approximately 80 hours of their annual school time in the cultural inclusion programs. This works out to 14 days per year, that is 11.6 per cent of their annual schools days, which is exactly 3.8 per cent of the time my parents and their parents spent trying to learn the ways of my people. The students spent about the same amount of time in the native language classes, which doubles the amount of time that our children are learning about their own culture. However, this still only works out to less than one quarter of their school time learning their own culture.

Mr. Speaker, I went through a similar system, but at the time they were only developing the programs. We, as aboriginal people, are learning a culture which was completely foreign to our people only 30 to 50 years ago. It is no wonder we have such high failure rates in our schools as far as aboriginal people are concerned. This is further impacted by the fact that they are trying to learn their culture within four walls. As you know, Mr. Speaker, and all who are in this room, my people were a nomadic people. We survived and passed on our culture in the great outdoors. My suggestion was merely to transfer the programs with the resources to the hunters' and trappers' associations or to an elders' group in the community. This group could work with the community education councils and set up a completely traditional camp out on the land.

At the time I suggested this, Mr. Speaker, the Minister said this would be up to the community. However, I think the department should be taking a more pro-active role by encouraging communities to do this. The students, in small numbers, could take the 14 consecutive days per year and live and learn in that camp. The different grades could spend different times of the year at the camp. I believe...

Mr. Arngna'naaq, your allotted time as elapsed. Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to continue my statement.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The different grades could spend different times of the year at the camp. I believe in this way, our young people will learn both ways of life and understand truly the virtues of their ancestors. I know many families spend time on the land when school is over in the spring. However, not all students get to go and it is at only one time of the year. This way all students will be able to spend time on the land and learn about their culture at different times of the year. They would learn more about their own culture in a way their ancestors learned the culture. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Friday, I was able to go to Snare Lakes with some Members. While we were there, the people of Snare Lakes were very opened and we received their hospitality. We went to this small community to sign the hydro project with the NWT Power Corporation. We had an enjoyable feast and dance in the community, and the people of Snare Lakes were extremely friendly. I was thinking of trying to get some dry meat while I was there and I had no problem getting the meat thanks to the Member for North Slave. I had no idea that I would be participating in the dance. At first I declined to accept the offer of dancing, however, when Nellie approached me to dance with her, I truly enjoyed it. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Kakfwi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Arngna'naaq on March 18, 1993, with respect to Saskatchewan hearings into uranium mines.

The Government of the Northwest Territories will not be directly intervening in the environmental assessment of the proposed uranium mines in northern Saskatchewan. The Department of Renewable Resources will continue to monitor the environmental assessment process including the progress of public hearings.

I have written to the chairmen of the two panels reviewing the projects and requested that they consider the potential effects of uranium mines in northern Saskatchewan on the Northwest Territories.

The Department of Renewable Resources continues to monitor radionuclides on the Slave River as part of the interim monitoring program. The levels detected, to date, are similar to the levels naturally found in the environment.

I have a further return, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to an oral question asked by Mrs. Marie-Jewell on March 16, 1993, regarding Renewable Resources policy on donated charters.

In early November, 1992, two respected trappers from Lutsel K'e drowned in Nonacho Lake. The Lutsel K'e wildlife committee requested assistance in paying for the charter to allow people to attend the funeral.

The total cost of the air charter was $4,699.53. The Department of Renewable Resources agreed to provide $1,500.

Whenever possible, the Department of Renewable Resources tries to accommodate requests from hunters' and trappers' associations. For example, we often assist in searching for lost hunters and trappers. The department will continue to provide such assistance in the future.

I have a further return asked by Mr. Whitford on March 19, 1993, with regard to inspection of importation of Christmas trees in the Northwest Territories.

Christmas trees grown on tree farms cannot cross provincial or international boundaries unless the farm has been certified by Agriculture Canada. Since Agriculture Canada does not inspect every tree, problems can sometimes occur.

In the Northwest Territories, anyone importing Christmas trees or other forest products with the bark attached must obtain a timber import permit from the Department of Renewable Resources. This regulation is only two years old and the department has advised Christmas tree retailers of the need for a timber import permit.

The purpose of the permit is to monitor where products come from. If the product comes from an area with a forest insect or disease problem, the permit will not be issued. For example, two years ago, European gypsy moth eggs were found on Christmas trees in Calgary and Edmonton which had come from the eastern United States. Departmental staff checked that no Christmas trees brought to the territories came from there.

The gypsy moth that caused concern in British Columbia last year was the Asian gypsy moth. It came in on Russian cargo ships, not trees. All moths or eggs found were destroyed.

Lastly, I would like to clarify that a number of tree insects and diseases occur naturally in the Northwest Territories. The spruce budworm is one of these.

I have a further return, Mr. Speaker, asked by Mr. Lewis on March 19, 1993, concerning bugs in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Renewable Resources sent samples of the firewood sold at a local service station to Forestry Canada in Edmonton to identify. Forestry Canada was unaware of any restrictions on selling this firewood.

No live or dead insects were found in the samples. However, the type of damage seen in the wood was attributed to two types of insects -- ambrosia beetles and bark beetles.

The only beetle that could emerge alive from the wood is the ambrosia beetle. Several species of this beetle occur naturally in the territories.

Forestry Canada has kept the samples to see if these or any other insects emerge from the wood. If any live insects emerge, they will let us know what they are.

The department, with assistance from Forestry Canada, monitors forest insect and disease problems in the territories and we regularly receive concerns from the public.

We encourage any member of the public, who has concerns relating to forest insects and pests, to notify or bring samples to the nearest departmental office.

If staff cannot identify the problem, we will request assistance from Forestry Canada. Last summer, a number of samples were analyzed by the head of Forestry Canada's insect and disease section. He was in the territories as part of our joint spruce budworm survey program. The other option for analysis is to send samples to Forestry Canada by courier to ensure freshness and prevent contamination. 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 Government Leader. This government has in place a policy development directive which details, among other things, the review of government policies. One would think, therefore, that all government policies especially this one, are examined periodically to make sure that the policies are up-to-date. Mr. Speaker, I noticed this document was revised last in 1983-84, almost ten years ago. Can the Government Leader explain why she has not revised the policy development directive since becoming Government Leader?

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, frankly I do not know. In that area of responsibility, looking at how we are structured, it is one of the areas which we have some concern about and how much we pay attention to bring it up-to-date. Mr. Speaker, I will take the question as notice. To my recollection we have not looked at it in the last year. Thank you.

The question has been taken as notice. Item 5, oral questions. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism with respect to the number of definitions given to business in the government's policy manual. The directive for the energy efficiency incentive policy provides a definition of a small business, the directive to the business development fund policy defines a Northwest Territories, and the government's new revised business incentive policy deals with northern and local businesses. Mr. Speaker, in drafting the new business incentive policy were other policies such as those which I have mentioned reviewed to ensure that the two policies are consistent as far as the definition of business is concerned? Thank you.

Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The business incentive policy falls under the Department of Public Works. I know there has been quite a dialogue going on between DPW, other deputy ministers and my deputy minister of Economic Development and Tourism to try and get the definitions straight. That work is not complete. The Department of Economic Development and Tourism is undergoing a study of how it works and what it does within its jurisdiction, how it describes businesses and how it describes the work which it does. That is one of the things which we will consider. Once we have straightened out our shop, Mr. Speaker, we will pass that on to the other departments. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you. That is good to hear, Mr. Speaker. I would like to further ask a question with regard to the directive for government's new business incentive policy defining a northern business, somewhat slightly different than the definition of a northern business provided in the directive to the commercial renewable resource use policy. I recognize, Mr. Speaker, that these are two different definitions for different directives, but somehow in general terms it could become a bit confused for people reviewing the policies and directives. Recognizing the Minister has indicated they are going to be looking at these and straighten out his shop with regard to them, and recognizing the date the commercial renewable resource use policy was developed in December, 1986, I would like to ask the Minister whether the two definitions, which are purposely different in policy formation, refers to different issues or is it just that the commercial Renewable Resource policy requires revision to make it consistent with the other policy? Thank you.

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, I am not that quick so I will take that question as notice. Thank you.

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

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, to my knowledge in the one year and three months which I have been Premier, all the policies have been referred through Priorities and Planning. Thank you.

Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As far as I know there have not been any revisions since the policy was put in place. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Ms. Mike. Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, the overall policy for non smoking in government offices is in place. There are no plans to revise it and directives are available for government personnel to know exactly what is required in government work places. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Lewis.

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. When Mr. Braden became Government Leader in 1979, I believe, the first four years -- it was a fully elected Executive Council -- were spent in trying to establish that the job of an Executive Council is the development of policy. I would like to ask the Government Leader, what is the process to put new policies in place or to make changes to the substance of existing policies?

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, policy can originate from a Cabinet Minister, a requirement through the particular departmental responsibilities, and that may be fed into the system and would eventually come on the Cabinet's decision-making table. Policy could be developed from Cabinet, Cabinet could see a need for a policy change and that would be directed to the departments responsible to develop such policy. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Lewis.

Since we have consensus government, I would like to ask the Leader, is she also including ordinary Members? Are Members in any way involved in the policy-making business of this consensus government?

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I think much of the policy that this government has comes from MLAs or the general public. Certain policy guidelines are important for the good running of government. In my history as an ordinary MLA or on Cabinet, policies and how the government operates come from any area, but it generally gets funnelled through the process. If there is a policy which people feel is not working, outdated and has to be revised, as Cabinet we would work with ordinary MLAs to make the necessary changes. It could be a policy on housing. We will work in this area if we have to change the policy on rental changes. Any area and scope of a requirement comes from many places and often those suggestions are vetted and put into the process. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every department of government, I think, has someone who has responsibility for policy or policy development which will presumably arrive at the Cabinet level and be approved of as government policy. Since there has been virtually no policy development which we are aware of since about 1984, at least it has not been kept up-to-date, is there any explanation why we have all these people developing all these policies when we never really see them?

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I did not say there were no changes to policy. This government is very fluent in changing its policies and policy directives. What I said is, there may not have been a total approach on changing that section of policy development, which I understood as being the original question. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Whitford.

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I do not know if there is one question there, three questions or four questions. The main overall reply to the question would be that we are consolidating the energy efficiency task within the Department of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask a question to the Government Leader. There was once a priorities and planning committee in the Cabinet, which was composed of elected Cabinet Ministers. Does that committee still exist?

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, because there was much more interest at the political level, all Cabinet was in the priorities and planning political committee. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, as I understand it, the priorities and planning committee of Cabinet, when it existed, served to screen policy proposals and recommend on them to Cabinet. This was an opportunity for elected Ministers to screen those policy proposals before they were recommended to Cabinet. Which body now screens and reviews policy proposals before they are recommended to Cabinet? Thank you.

Madam Premier.

The initial screening is done by the secretariat, but in terms of priorities and planning, often times, those initiatives go to Cabinet one, two or sometimes even three times. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, I understand from the honourable Minister's answer that the screening of policy proposals for Cabinet is now done by a secretariat. Does this mean, what was formerly a process to review and screen policy proposals before they went to Cabinet by elected officials has been replaced by a screening and reviewing process undertaken by non-elected officials or bureaucrats? Thank you.

Madam Premier.

No, Mr. Speaker. A proposal would be developed. As a Member recognizes it, the Priorities and Planning Secretariat would look at it to see where there would be deficiencies or a deviation from policies which are already in place. This comes to Cabinet. Previously, we had separate meetings on priorities and planning. Right now, the full Cabinet participates. What is produced, depending on how well the documents have been prepared, how much consideration has been taken in terms of looking at what the policies and programs were acceptable under certain guidelines for the year, where there is remiss and various departments have not taken that into consideration, are identified on a pink slip, which tells you all those areas, that goes to Cabinet. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government Leader has indicated that a proposal would be reviewed by bureaucrats for deficiencies. I presume, if there were numerous deficiencies, the proposal would not be allowed to go forward to Cabinet. Under the present system, does the bureaucracy have the power, based on a technical analysis, to reject policy submissions from elected Ministers on technical grounds? Thank you.

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, to bring to the attention of the honourable Member, not much has changed since he was there except, rather than going through a separate priorities and planning committee like we did before, which was basically the same people who were on Cabinet, we do not have that in between. I have tried to establish certain principles and guidelines on new initiatives that will come forward. If you are outside that initiative, you will have a longer pink than if you were inside that initiative, but it would get to the Cabinet.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is with regard to the Department of Transportation, however the Minister responsible is not here so I would like to direct my question to the Government Leader. In 1989, there was a restructuring of departments so the Department of Public Works and Highways was split up into two separate departments, the Departments of Transportation and Public Works. The Government of the Northwest Territories' transfer policy dated February 24, 1988, refers to the services provided by the Department of Public Works and Highways. Can the Government Leader advise when this policy will be revised in order to reflect the changes which have occurred as a result of the departmental restructuring? Mahsi.

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I would have to take that as notice. Thank you.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Programs. During the dates of March 17 to 19, the annual meeting of the Gwich'in renewable resources councils was held in Inuvik. I subsequently tabled a copy of their motions in this House. One of the motions asked this government to initiate a renewable resources program in the Gwich'in settlement area.

How many renewable resource programs are there in the Northwest Territories and where are they located?

Those are two questions, Mr. Koe. Perhaps you would like to decide which one you want to ask. Mr. Koe.

How many renewable resource programs are there in the Northwest Territories?

Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is only one renewable resource technology program which Arctic College delivers, but there is also an environmental technology program that we deliver in the Nunavut area, in particular in Iqaluit. Those two programs are under review. We have had some difficulty with the environmental technology program. As such, we are re-assessing the need for that particular program.

Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. In terms of the renewable resource councils' motion, does the Minister support the motion and will he act on the request of the renewable resource councils?

Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It would be difficult for me to say, I did not support the idea of establishing regional programs, because that is the direction this government has supported in trying to promote programs in the regions. However, that request has only been received in the last two or three weeks. It is under review at this particular time. We are now working in conjunction with the Gwich'in tribal council to consider delivering two additional programs, one is life skills in conjunction with the Grant McEwan College, and the other is a management program in conjunction with the University of Lethbridge. However, those two programs will also have to take into consideration the requirements and requests that will be made by other residents in the Beaufort/Delta region to allow them to participate in those two programs.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Renewable Resources. Earlier today, I again raised my concerns about the situation of trappers. The trappers face a serious risk to their independence if a plan is not worked out to ensure their life-style can continue. Given that the harvest for 1992-93 could cause serious disruption to the ability of trappers to remain self-sufficient, will the Minister agree to implement the recommendation of the Fort Simpson Dene council and the local trappers to calculate the trappers' incentive subsidy on the best three of the past five trapping years? Mahsi.

Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member knows, I met with the some of the members of the Fort Simpson band council and they expressed their concern to me. As well, the Member has been talking to me on this issue privately. I agree that this year is especially a bad year for trappers because of the climate and also the availability of the animals which are normally caught for furs. Mr. Speaker, I agree we will have to modify the program for next year. I will take the advice from the Member very seriously and also the hunters and trappers of that particular area. What I would like to do is look at the program for next year to suit the trappers' requirement. I would like to say we will give the funding according to what they have historically been given. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Fort Simpson Dene council has also expressed their concern that because of this unsuccessful harvest, the trappers cannot pay back their harvesters' assistance loans from the band and managers in Fort Simpson. This is the case in other communities as well where they have hunters' and trappers' associations doing this. The band wants to support the trappers and they are requesting to forgive their loans for this extremely poor year so they will be able to continue trapping and to support themselves in the future. Will the Minister make a commitment to provide some changes in the financial assistance to the band in Simpson and hunters and trappers in other cases, so the loans of the trappers may be forgiven? Mahsi.

Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some time ago, after I met with the Fort Simpson Dene band and also the Member for Nahendeh, I asked my department to see if they could find ways to accommodate the trappers. That is one of the things my department is reviewing, to see how we can address the whole problem. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you. The trappers have also identified a number of problems with the new quick kill traps. They feel it would be beneficial if the deadline for the switch to the new traps was extended by one year so the trappers would have more time to become skilled in their use. As you know, there was a shortage of traps in different parts of the country, especially in the far north this year, and to try to learn these new traps in one year is very difficult. In consideration of the extremely poor harvest this season, is the Minister willing to extend the deadline for the switch to the new traps by one year? Thank you.

Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Extension of the requirement to use the new quick kill trap is not entirely up to me. It was put on to save the trapping industry, to make the people who were concerned about trapping aware. Those people were animal rights activists. There is pressure in European communities to stop imports of furs from Canada which were caught in the leg hold trap. That was a big issue. As a result, the fur market went down drastically. One of the ways we got the Europeans to agree was to improve our methods of trapping. As a result, this standard for trapping was adopted by Canada to save the industry.

Mr. Speaker, there are different views with respect to the quick kill traps. Last month we had a couple of trappers in the foyer of the Legislative Assembly, they were elderly people from the Fort Smith area. I was talking to one of them and he said this new trap is very efficient, very clean and, as a result, scientists are able to determine what type of animals the animals they are catching are feeding on. He said he was willing to go anywhere in the Northwest Territories to educate trappers. He said he could go out in half a season and catch as many animals with the new trap than with the old trap. He also said that could apply to anyone.

I guess, Mr. Speaker, depending on who you talk to there are different views. These trappers who have adopted the new way of trapping are very willing to go out to regions. My department has plans to hire these people to educate other trappers who are being very successful in trapping. Mr. Speaker, I agree, there are people who are out there saying these traps are not efficient, they are bulky and they do not know how to accept them. Mr. Speaker, I will try to use these people who have found these traps to be much more efficient, cleaner, et cetera, to go into the regions, hopefully next season. Thank you.

Final supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Traps have been changed to satisfy the animal rights groups rather than to satisfy the people out on the land who make a living from trapping, especially this year. There is no justice in what is going on out there on their behalf. I do not like to hear what the Minister has to say about trying to satisfy some people in Europe. It totally goes against how I believe in people trying to make a living off the land. It is going against people who have done that all their lives. Will the Minister report to this House on the plans with respect to the recommendations made by the Fort Simpson Dene council and the trappers, before the end of this session? Thank you.

Mr. Allooloo.

Mr. Speaker, if I have to make a response to recommendations which are made by a Dene council it might be done in haste. We might be doing something which is not well thought out. If the Member wants me to respond, I will try. The recommendations which are put to us from Fort Simpson require much thinking and there are possible implications if we make the wrong decisions. We could do a disservice to the trappers. The whole idea of this trapping method was to try to save the trapping way of life. I was trying to save the way of native people in the Northwest Territories. We knew, at that point, after all the options we looked at over the years since 1982, that was the only way we could save the trapping. I know my people as well as the people from Nahendeh are affected very badly by the ill informed animal rights people and their governments. We are still trying to educate other people, especially the parliamentarians from Europe, and they will be coming this month to Canada. I will see if we can talk to them again to ensure our way of life is not affected by the policies and regulations made from other countries. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Justice. Mr. Speaker, in perusing Friday's Hansard, on page 3401, I note that reference was made in the debate on young offenders' facilities. Reference was made to a Canada Corrections Act, not by the Minister, but there was reference made in the debate. Could the Minister tell this House -- and this is another skill-testing question designed to probe his knowledge of legislation under which he operates -- is there a Canada Corrections Act? Thank you.