Mr. Nerysoo.

Mr. Speaker, I will re-assess the situation and appropriately deal with those individuals who are not involved in participating in the review process. I can only try to encourage the individuals. What the Member has to understand is that the Science Institute board has even made a decision that they want to incorporate themselves as an independent body of government. They have undertaken a process, of which I was not involved nor consulted, particularly since this government spends a great deal of money on setting up the board, to incorporate themselves as an independent body with no relationship whatsoever to this Assembly and basically to this government.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Government Leader. Mr. Speaker, we know that the present Cabinet has been fortified and rejuvenated with new blood in recent months and new Members, who appear to have been assigned to fill the vacancies which arose, perhaps not so much according to their particular skills and experience, in looking at the total group. It has been a tradition in recent years for Cabinet shuffles to be considered immediately after a budget session. So, my question to the Government Leader is, Mr. Speaker, now that the budget session is almost over, is she considering shuffling her Cabinet? Thank you.

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I will take that as notice. Thank you.

The question has been taken as notice.

Supplementary.

The question has been taken as notice, Mr. Patterson. Mr. Lewis.

My question, Mr. Speaker, is to the Minister of Finance regarding the insidious payroll tax. Since this tax was designed, at least the main spirit of it, to tax between and 4,000 and 5,000 non-unionized workers that fly in and out, what services do these people get from the Government of the Northwest Territories?

Good question.

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, the tax system is not necessarily based on what you receive, it is collective of people who recognize that governments have to operate, programs have to be delivered and the taxation system does not normally respect any particular group or individual for any particular purpose, Mr. Speaker. The mere fact that people are working in the Northwest Territories displacing someone else from the Northwest Territories from earning that pay cheque, in my opinion, would be good enough reason. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Lewis.

What evidence does the Minister have that these 4,000 people are replacing willing workers to take their jobs in the Northwest Territories?

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, you do not have to be a rocket scientist to go around the communities and see the high rate of unemployment. There is a willingness among the young people to work. Mr. Speaker, for example, when Colomac Mines was operating, people from the Dogrib communities went in there and did the job just fine, Mr. Speaker.

Hear, hear.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, I have made the offer to companies across the Northwest Territories, on a number of occasions, if they cannot hire people in the Northwest Territories because there is a lack of training, that is our problem. They should bring that problem to us and we will address it through Education or some other training program to make sure our workers are capable of doing that job. I think that many times there are opportunities for companies to hire in the Northwest Territories and it is just easier to go somewhere else, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Lewis.

The Minister will confirm then that the fly-in and fly-out workers get no service whatsoever from this government. In other words, simply by being here for the months they are, they do not qualify for any service we have.

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary. When people are here from different provinces, they are treated at the hospital if they are injured or ill, people have to pay into workers' compensation, therefore if they are injured in the Northwest Territories on the job and are covered by workers' compensation in the NWT, there is another cost to us. Mr. Speaker, there are all kinds of unseen items that people receive. Just maintaining the airport that the plane lands on belongs to the Department of Transportation. There is maintenance of airport buildings when they go into an airport building. There are a number of services, and I do not know all of them, Mr. Speaker, but when you are up here and you are participating in the economy and working in a mine, there is a cost to us of inspecting that particular mine. When you are here, you cannot help but somehow get some benefit from living and working in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Pudluk.