Thank you, Mr. Gargan. Good afternoon. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently a decision was made by the regional prairie office of Parks Canada in Winnipeg to appoint Mrs. Josephine Weninger as superintendent of Wood Buffalo National Park. She will assume this position for a three year term on April 1, 1993. Mr. Speaker, many residents of the community, and some honourable Members, will know that Josephine Weninger is a long-term resident of Fort Smith and a woman of Metis descent.

Park Canada's choice for superintendent is a very appropriate one. Mrs. Weninger's training and skills have been well known within the parks community for many years. Most importantly, she is familiar with the people and the environment of Fort Smith which will give her a definite advantage in this difficult administrative post.

In a way, Josephine is keeping family tradition alive in caring for this park that means so much to many of the people of the community. Her father, Mr. Leonard Heron, worked for parks services for many years. Her parents, elders and long-term residents in the community are very proud of her accomplishments and are looking forward to her arrival.

As an aboriginal woman, and as a resident of Fort Smith, I am very proud to see Josephine Weninger move into her career and I am confident that she will be very successful. I only hope, as time passes, other young women will be inspired to follow her example by working hard to acquire the dedication, education and experience which opens doors to these senior positions. May I seek unanimous consent to continue?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to commend Parks Canada and the career assignment program for recognizing that such talented professionals do exist within our resident population of the Northwest Territories. I am pleased they chose a superintendent from Fort Smith, who is an aboriginal northerner and a woman. I am sure all Members will join me in wishing Josephine Weninger, formally Josephine Heron, very much success in her new endeavours. Thank you.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to inform Members of the House that two students from Rankin Inlet are serving as pages in the Legislative Assembly today and for the remainder of this week. Arlene Ford and Alissa Kusugak were selected to represent the Maani Ulujuk Secondary School in Rankin Inlet.

---Applause

Their parents, Jose and Nellie Kusugak and Simon and Beth Ford, are extremely excited and proud that they have been selected to serve as pages in the Legislative Assembly.

The experience that these two young women gain during the time they serve as pages in this House will give them some insight into the way their government operates. Mr. Speaker, I know that all Members will join with me in congratulating Alissa and Arlene and in welcoming them to the Legislative Assembly. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Todd. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since the announcement by the Prime Minister that he intends to resign, three prominent women in this country will take centre stage. I refer to Kim Campbell from British Columbia, Sheila Copps, the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and, of course, the Leader of the NDP, Audrey McLaughlin.

I would like to tell the House that on Saturday at 12:00 noon, Sheila Copps will be in Yellowknife addressing the public at a lunch. There will be, however, a fee for this lunch. Our Member of Parliament will be in attendance and, if Members are interested in going, I believe there are still tickets left. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you. We may introduce privatization and have paid commercials here in the House.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Zoe.

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

Thank you, Mr. Zoe. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to comment on the legal aid programs in the Northwest Territories. I sat in committee of the whole yesterday while the budget was being passed and I was left with a very uneasy feeling. Mr. Speaker, recognizing that the goals of an aboriginal justice system still appears to be many years away, it is important that the Northwest Territories have services in place which help aboriginal people gain an equal footing within the Euro-Canadian system of justice. The legal aid program was supposed to contribute to that purpose, and it has not.

The Auditor General of Canada expressed some very real and important concerns over insufficiencies within the system. These concerns were echoed by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts which recommended that the computerized information system, which does not meet any current management needs should be upgraded. A manager of systems was hired last month.

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts committee also recommended that the eligibility criteria and means test be reworked. This has not been completed. They recommended that a simple worded code of rights and that responsibilities be developed to help clients understand the confusing policies and procedures these lawyers have set up. These recommendations have not been completed as of yet.

Several lawyers across the Northwest Territories have raised concerns about the potential to plan in-service quality with the move to in-house staffing. They are still waiting for an answer and the bottom line is that the people in our constituencies, people such as the woman which I spoke about yesterday, are not receiving the help they need. For many months, the legal aid system has had no executive leadership. The department did not succeed in recruiting an executive director until this week. Mr. Speaker, I believe it is fair to give newly hired officials a chance to clean up the mess they have inherited.

I am sure honourable Members will agree that there must be some improvement to this program area over the course of the next fiscal year. I would urge the Minister of Justice...

Excuse me, Mr. Gargan. Your allotted time has expired. Mr. Gargan.

I request unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and honourable Members. I would urge the Minister of Justice to place a high priority on reworking the legal aid system over the summer and to come to this House with a comprehensive report of systems improvement at our next session. Thank you. Mr. Speaker.

Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was asked to inform Members of the House, on behalf of Mr. Ningark, that he will be away today and probably most of tomorrow due to his attendance at the Kitikmeot regional council in Cambridge Bay. Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, this is a very late reply to an oral question. The question was asked by Mr. Nerysoo on December 3, 1992.

There will be approximately 250 direct jobs at the Izok Lake mine. As a first step, a skills review of Coppermine was conducted last summer. A similar review is planned for Cambridge Bay and the rest of the Kitikmeot next summer. The statistics for other NWT communities are available through the Department of Education's "ENTER system." A study on some aspects of the socio-economic impacts to the Coppermine, Cambridge Bay, Hay River and Yellowknife communities has just gone out for tender. The results of this work will be available next summer.

The Government of the Northwest Territories, the federal government and the industry are studying the feasibility of using an ocean shipping route in the Coronation Gulf area. The Department of Transportation's preliminary work suggests the GNWT will realize savings in re-supply of Coppermine and Cambridge Bay of approximately $4 million a year. A report on the results of this work will be available later this year.

The NWT Power Corporation has done some preliminary work on hydro sites in the region. Further work will be required to study environmental and economic implications. The Department of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources and the NWT Power Corporation will complete this work in early April.

We have suggested a permanent road structure between Yellowknife and the Arctic Coast. Discussions with the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs concerning funding for this project are ongoing. A study on the economic implications of the proposed roads was done by the Conference Board of Canada.

A review is being conducted of the goods and materials that Izok Lake and other NWT mining projects would require. This information will allow us to target business opportunities for northern entrepreneurs. A contract has been tendered and results will be available in July, 1993.

An economic development officer, recently hired by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, will be working on business opportunities including fuel storage, transportation road maintenance, camp maintenance and construction.

The GNWT will also be supporting the Kitikmeot Inuit Association and their efforts to negotiate a benefits agreement with the company. The agreement will ensure business and job opportunities to the local communities.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to ensure Members of the Legislative Assembly that the government will take actions to assure the NWT benefits from the development, while our environment is protected. Thank you.

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