Good afternoon. Prior to going to Ministers' statements, I would like to recognize the Honourable Allan Rock, Member of Parliament for Etobicoke Centre, Minister of Justice and Attorney General for Canada, seated in the gallery. Welcome to the Northwest Territories.

---Applause

Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am pleased to advise the Members that Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation will be providing approximately $9 million in capital funding for new social housing units in the Northwest Territories this year.

---Applause

This funding is being provided under the remote housing program for fiscal year 1994-95. I wish to acknowledge and thank the Honourable David Dingwall, Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, for his personal support in finding money within his budget to provide some immediate assistance to us. I am pleased that my efforts, as well as those of other Cabinet Ministers and our Members of Parliament, have resulted in Mr. Dingwall recognizing the urgent housing needs we face.

As Members know, this federal funding will not come close to solving the housing problems here in the Northwest Territories, but it is a start.

I will provide additional information to this House once I have received the program details from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Keewatin Central, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. October 17th to 22nd has been set aside to celebrate National Co-op Week with October 20th being Credit Union Day.

---Applause

This is a hard one to say. On behalf of many co-op members, staff and board of directors of the NWT cooperatives, I would like to declare October 17th to October 22 as NWT Cooperative Week.

I am pleased to extend my warmest greetings to the members of the Northwest Territories cooperative credit union movement as you celebrate co-op week and International Credit Union Day.

This year's theme, the Co-op Family: Building a Better Future...Saluting the 1994 International Year of the Family, reflects the importance that the cooperative and credit union movement places on the family, which it recognizes as the cornerstone of a strong and vibrant society.

My best wishes to the cooperative movement for a productive and enjoyable week, as well as for every success in meeting your objectives in the years to come. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Natilikmiot, Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise today on behalf of the Ordinary Members' Caucus to speak on an issue that touches us all in the territories. That issue is the proposed legislation relating to gun control. Madam Speaker, the federal government may pass legislation that would require all firearms, including long arms, to be registered. Presently, legislation requires that only restricted weapons must be registered. This proposed initiative, Madam Speaker, could result in significant increases in the administration and enforcement costs.

In the NWT, firearms are used as a tool to support traditional lifestyles of our people. In the Northwest Territories, people use firearms to provide income as well as protection from animals. This legislation, Madam Speaker, would place unnecessary control on the people of the north, as well as present enforcement problems.

Each community could require an enforcement officer to execute this legislation. But this is not all, Madam Speaker. The federal government is also proposing a restriction on ammunition purchases. The intention is to control the sales of ammunition by requiring a firearm acquisition permit to purchase it. The lifestyle of the north provides for fathers, sons, uncles and brothers to hunt together. It is a way of life, Madam Speaker. To limit access to ammunition in this way would pose unnecessary restrictions on our way of life.

Our federal Minister, Mr. Rock, may believe that a mandatory universal registration of firearms in Canada will make it a safer place. Members of the Ordinary Members' Caucus fully support safe use of firearms. We appreciate the Minister travelling to the north to better understand how we use firearms as a part of our traditional lifestyle.

We hope, in preparing legislation, the Minister will acknowledge our unique situation and provide exemptions or other mechanisms which will provide legislation that is practical, safe and realistic in the northern environment. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, it is with pride that I rise today to inform this House and the public that on August 22nd of this year I was granted a Queen's pardon for all of my past transgressions.

---Applause

What this means, Madam Speaker, is that outside of the run-ins with buffalo and highway patrol, I have been on good behaviour for over 10 years. Madam Speaker, I can put my good behaviour over the last 10 years down to the fact that I am no longer young and foolish. No longer young anyway.

---Applause

And perhaps a bit more mature. Madam Speaker, as you and everyone in this House knows, persons in the public eye are subject to more scrutiny than the average Joe Public. You have to watch what you say and do all the time. I have definitely learned my lesson in that capacity.

The reason, Madam Speaker, that I chose to get up and make this announcement was to encourage other people to take charge of their lives. The process of getting a pardon is not too difficult. What is required is that a person be of good behaviour with no criminal convictions for a period of five years.

However, Madam Speaker, I must warn the public that the process itself can take one to two years from initial application to the granting of a pardon. About 25 years ago, I did some pretty stupid things and I would like to state for the record, Madam Speaker, that even though I am not obliged, I will be making restitutions to the people I have wronged. If I can change, I am sure that everyone else who makes an honest effort can also.

The Northwest Territories and its people have always been famous for giving a person a second chance. All you have to do, Madam Speaker, is take advantage of it. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife North, Mr. Ballantyne.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Today we are honoured by the visit of the Honourable Allan Rock, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. I think it is an appropriate opportunity to give our viewpoints of the present state of the Canadian justice system.

Four recent rulings by the Supreme Court of Canada have provoked criticisms by places, by victims' organizations, by many politicians and much of the public. The High Court has put so much emphasis on the right of the accused, that the rights of victims and the rights of society at large are being diminished.

I think Members are aware of these four particular cases. I will go through them quickly. One of the cases was that extreme drunkenness might sometimes be used against sexual assault charges. The second decision was one where suspected drunk drivers don't have to take a breathalyser test unless they are given a chance to contact their lawyer first. The third example is DNA evidence linking the accused to the rape of an elderly woman couldn't be used because the police did not follow the proper procedures. And, I just read in the newspaper that last Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that a man who stabbed his wife and killed her by smashing her against a sidewalk curb will get his third chance to argue that he should be acquitted because he was sleep-walking.

Although some legal experts have minimized the actual impact of these rulings on the justice system, at the very least, a strong symbolic message has been sent out to present and future violent offenders that our legal system remains very user-friendly to them. It seems to me, anyhow, that the Canadian justice system is in danger of losing relevance and credibility as it struggles to deal with the harsh realities of violent crimes in today's context with a philosophy of laws and procedures more appropriate to a gentler past era.

Although there is no doubt that intense media coverage of violent crimes often inflames and exaggerates public fears, the fact remains that the face of crime is getting uglier and more chilling .

Madam Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to continue my statement.

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

Parents are very concerned that children are not safe anywhere in Canada. They are being kidnapped, attacked and murdered at an alarming rate. Two cases that have, to me, become metaphors for public concern about our legal system are the following: One is the saga of Charles Ng, an individual who had been charged with particularly horrendous tortures and murders in California and who escaped to Canada. Our government and our legal system, I understand, spent close to $4 million over a four-year period before this individual was finally extradited to the United States.

Another very troubling case that Canadians have been following lately is the Paul Teale/Carla Homolka case in Ontario. It seems our system will spend lavish amounts of money to ensure that these types of accused are afforded the very, very best in a legal defence. I think that sometimes, in our almost slavish devotion to making sure justice is done to the accused, we sometimes forget the unspeakable horrors involved in the crimes, the shattered hopes and dreams of families and friends who will never be able to erase the insane cruelty that snuffed out the lives of their children.

It came close to home here in Yellowknife over the last three years. Four young girls have disappeared. The police suspect foul play. I understand also that federally-funded victims' programs are in danger of having their finances cut.

I guess to me the bottom line in a justice system is that of balance. It seems that the government, the system as a whole, lawyers, judges and everyone involved in the system, have to look at many ways to deal with this. This is not a partisan political issue. I made that point to Minister Rock, though the Reform Party and others have made it a prime issue for them. I think it is something that affects all of us. I think, as Minister Rock stated at lunch, it is going to take a diverse number of solutions.

It is a very complex problem and the solutions are obviously going to have to involve enhanced victims' programs, very aggressive intervention for troubled youth, new laws that allow the police and prosecutors to obtain legitimate convictions so that criminals are not getting off on technicalities. There are some cases where stronger deterrents for violent crimes are needed -- longer jail sentences. And, stronger community involvement is needed. This is not something that just the justice system alone can do. It is something that all of us have to be involved in.

It seems to me that in Canada today, Canadians must re-examine and redefine our justice system to ensure it is appropriate to modern realities and that the rights of victims, the rights of society as a whole, as well as the rights of the accused, are looked after in better balance than we do now. I think it is very important that we do that if we are going to continue to say that we, in Canada, have the best justice system in the world. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Prior to going on with Members' statements, I would like to recognize a former colleague of ours in the gallery, Nick Sibbeston. Good afternoon and welcome.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I wanted to take this opportunity to pay a tribute to Chief James Ross, who recently resigned his duties as chief of the Tetlit Zheh Gwich'in. There are days when we must all make significant decisions that change our lives and the roles we play in providing service to others.

James, who has been my friend and I know the friend of many in this House, and a political leader for many years, has chosen to play a different role in the development of the Gwich'in nation. I want to thank James for his continued contribution to the Gwich'in nation, his personal commitment to serving the Gwich'in and the residents of Fort McPherson and the Mackenzie Delta.

I know that, as political leaders, we all realize the importance of the support that is necessary from our families. In saying this, I want to recognize the support that has been given and the sacrifice that has been made by his wife, Mary, and his children, Frederick, Kayla, Stephanie and Jolene, during his tenure as chief.

I know all of us would want to extend our best wishes to James Ross in his future endeavours and recognize and thank him for his contribution to providing leadership and advice when it was necessary. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Whitford.

Thank you. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays, Mr. Whitford.

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for High Arctic, Mr. Pudluk.

Qujannamiik. Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to rise today to thank Members. In the last 18 years some students were finally able to bring forth their concerns with regard to their teachers taking advantage of them. For 18 years, the students have been hurt deeply. Madam Speaker, the same people I'm talking about are having a meeting in one community. They're attending a healing workshop. This is the first kind of meeting they have been involved in, Madam Speaker. There are a lot of different people gathering in Resolute Bay and these people are involved in a meeting whereby they're taking part in this healing workshop.

I'm very thankful for the coordinators who are taking part in this and who are trying to help with the healing workshop. I feel the children will feel helped and some of them will start to heal. I would like to see more of this in the future. I'm very thankful for people who have participated in the workshop and also thankful to the people who are involved from the Department of Social Services. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I was very pleased this afternoon to hear the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism announce that this week is National Co-op Week. We would like to congratulate all the co-ops in the Northwest Territories and all the members of these co-ops. Cooperatives have been a vibrant part of our northern economy. Originally, they were involved in the arts and crafts business and today they're involved in all aspects of our economy.

Thursday, October 20th has been set aside as National Credit Union Day. I find this ironic because here in the north we don't have an active credit union. There has been a lot of active lobbying over the past years to get one established, and I would encourage this government to continue supporting cooperatives in the Northwest Territories and the initiatives to establish a credit union in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statement. The honourable Member for Kitikmeot, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, earlier today history was made in Coppermine. At approximately 12:10 pm, the first scheduled Boeing 737 jet service touched down on the Coppermine airstrip. NWT Air flight 951 signalled the start of an additional new airline service to residents of Coppermine. Coppermine residents are excited and appreciative of the fact that their community now has the opportunity to utilize jet service for their travels. The current NWT Air schedule allows Coppermine residents direct flights to Yellowknife twice a week and to Yellowknife through Cambridge Bay once a week.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of my constituents, I wish to thank the Minister of Transportation, the Honourable John Todd, and his departmental officials for their efforts in planning and financing the Coppermine airstrip upgrade project under the cost-shared NWT transportation initiative with the Government of Canada.

We would also like to thank NWT Air for their commitment to providing jet service to Coppermine by expanding their service in Kitikmeot. NWT Air jet service to Coppermine for this winter season only runs up until April 4, 1995, due to changing runway conditions as a result of the warmer season. However, the completion of the airstrip upgrade late next year will allow for full year-round access by Boeing 737 and 727 jet aircraft and will benefit all air carriers to the community.

Finally, Madam Speaker, although they may be disappointed by the start-up of NWT Air into Coppermine, on behalf of my constituents, I also wish to acknowledge and thank First Air and Ptarmigan Airways for their past and continued commitment to providing air service to the residents of Coppermine and the Kitikmeot.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I want to thank our Minister of Justice for encouraging the federal Minister of Justice to come here and learn more about justice concerns in the Northwest Territories, specifically on the current issue of gun control. I am sure all Members agree that we must be committed to developing our renewable

resource economy, our fishery, the harvesting of muskox, caribou, seal and other country foods and furs.

Our renewable resource economy is valuable, cherished and, more than a long-standing tradition, it's also a reflection of aboriginal culture and values. Those values include teaching the young how to hunt and live on the land from an early age, the sharing of resources harvested and the sharing of equipment needed to harvest resources, including firearms and ammunition.

Our hunters and trappers choose to live on the land and work on the land. This is not an easy life. They are very skillful, self-reliant people. They don't have the benefit of many of the programs and facilities available to those who live in town and have jobs. They are often people who don't have extensive cash income, even though what they harvest and share is very valuable. They are often not amenable to paperwork, record-keeping and filing, and they can ill-afford fees and permits.

Madam Speaker, I sincerely hope that these values and the special circumstances of the majority of our aboriginal population can be considered by the Honourable Allan Rock when he looks at the issue of gun control in Canada. There must either be flexibility in the north or an exemption for subsistence hunters.

Hear, hear.

If there are to be exemptions for subsistence hunters, then subsistence must not be narrowly defined. Madam Speaker, I hope these comments and the other comments that Members have had the chance to make privately to Mr. Rock will assist in producing a law that can be enforceable and can be applied and can be accepted in the Northwest Territories.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Madam Premier.

I have a return to an oral question which was asked by Charles Dent on October 6, 1994, regarding the progress on policy for respite care.

Madam Speaker, in implementing the government's response to the Special Committee on Health and Social Services, the department has developed guidelines for the provision of respite care in the long-term care program. These guidelines were developed in consultation with the NWT Council for Disabled Persons as well as long-term care facility operators, home care coordinators and staff of health boards. Based on these guidelines, a pilot project is being developed for 1995-96 to provide respite care in several communities across the Northwest Territories. Based on the results of the pilot project, the department will be looking at ways and means of integrating respite care into the range of services currently offered in communities. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Baffin Central, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have a return to Mr. Jim Antoine's question on October 14, 1994, on municipal election questions.

Questions asked by a council during a municipal election may or may not be binding on the council, depending on the nature of the question and/or whether council wishes to be bound by the result.

For example, if the question is to seek approval to borrow money, then the result of the vote is binding; if the council asks a question which is seeking an opinion, then the results may or may not bind council.

In the case of the question being asked in Fort Simpson, which I believe is the basis for the Member's question, the council is asking the eligible voters if they are in favour of continuing the present liquor rationing system in Fort Simpson. The question is seeking an opinion and, as such, council is not bound by the result. To actually change the present liquor rationing system, council will have to apply to the Minister of Safety and Public Services to conduct a plebiscite under the Liquor Act. The results of such a plebiscite would be binding. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Patterson.

Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to welcome Mr. Don Farrell, president of Farrell Financial Limited of Vancouver, and Edgar Fenwick, who is in charge of corporate communications. This company is engaged in venture capital and the environmental and biotechnical field. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for High Arctic, Mr. Pudluk.

On Friday, October 14, 1994, I asked a question of the Minister of Transportation regarding the airports, which he took as notice. I have reviewed unedited Hansard and realize that there was a mistake in translation, so I will just ask this question to replace Question 135-12(6) in unedited Hansard, which was wrong. Last summer, the airport at Resolute Bay was upgraded and the runway lighting improved. I would like to ask the Minister of Transportation if there are plans to transfer the airport to the hands of the

territorial government from the federal government. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Minister of Transportation, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes, the transfer of the airport at Resolute Bay is part of the negotiations that are currently under way with the federal government with respect to the transfer of Arctic airports. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I would like to direct my question to the Premier with regard to a return that she gave regarding to the testing of drinking water. I was more concerned about the water in the rivers than I was with drinking water. Sure, testing drinking water out of a tap or that type of testing is done all over. I was more interested in finding out if the Mackenzie River and the Slave River are still safe enough to drink while people travel on the river.

Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, the reply I gave to the honourable Member indicated action that was to be taken and testing that is being done. To my knowledge, the testing, whether it is with Renewable Resources or the Department of Health, does not indicate that there is danger or there should be restrictions put on drinking water, from the information we have received. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Gargan.

Madam Speaker, I would like to ask the Premier, when you do the testing, is it prior to it going through the water treatment plant or after it comes out of the water treatment plant.

Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, it is my understanding that it is done in various locations. It would take into consideration sources above stream and downstream, as well. The testing has a wide range of locations. It is not restricted to locations that are anticipated to produce safer measurements, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you. I would like to thank the Premier for that answer. I would like to ask the Premier, then, whether she might be able to give me some information about the kind of testing that was done in Fort Providence, upstream and downstream; how often it has occurred and the results of those tests.

I recognize that you are asking for more information, Mr. Gargan, but these types of questions you should note in the future should be made under written questions. However, I will see if the Premier will reply to your question. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I will provide those details to the honourable Member. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik, Mr. Koe.

The NWT

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, earlier today, the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism spoke about National Co-op Week and International Credit Union Day. At the annual general meeting this summer of the Northwest Territories cooperatives, they had expected the Minister to respond to a request they had made to establish a credit union in the Northwest Territories.

My question to the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism is what is the status of this request.

Thank you. Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I believe I stated last week that I've received more letters on this issue than Santa Claus gets in December. My position on the NWT Arctic Cooperatives Ltd. request for fiscal assistance to establish a credit union is that we are moving as quickly as we can to put an application before the EDA to see if they're prepared to provide them with some of the initial funds they require to move forward on the important issue of establishing credit unions in the Northwest Territories. We are responding as quickly as we can. We are trying to move quickly on it, hopefully by the end of November.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi. This application to EDA, is this a joint effort proposal between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Northwest Territories Arctic Cooperatives?

Thank you. Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Mr. Todd.

No, this is a direct request from the Arctic Co-op Ltd., through Mr. Lyall, who is the president of that operation. It was a direct request to me to provide, if you want, the Seed money necessary for them to take a look at what kind of fiscal resources they would need to put a credit union into place.

I want to make it clear to everybody in the House that it is not our intention to provide all the money necessary to put together a credit corporation. The request we have been given is for some initial funds to take a look at the options that may be available in terms of funding an NWT credit union. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Thank you. Just for clarification then, the application that is going through EDA, the economic development agreement, is that for Seed money or is that for investigative money?

Thank you. Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Mr. Todd.

Madam Speaker, it is for both. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. The Minister stated that they are moving very quickly to do this. Does he have a target date as to when he expects to have something lucrative to report back to the cooperative?

Thank you. Mr. Todd.

Well, I don't know if it is going to be lucrative, but this Minister made a commitment to the board of

directors of ACL to put forward an application to invite some assistance in the potential development of a credit union. It is my understanding in talking to the department that it is going before the EDA subcommittee. Hopefully, if we get a positive response from them, we will be able to tell Mr. Lyall and his many co-op members, that we are moving forward positively on this issue, and then I will stop getting letters about it. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance, who I would like to welcome back to the House. I know, Madam Speaker, that the Minister has been meeting with his federal, provincial and territorial counterparts this past week. We've read in the newspapers that there were proposals put forward, one of which would abolish the provincial sales tax and the GST to be replaced by a so-called "flat tax."

I would like to ask our Minister of Finance, since we don't have a sales tax in the Northwest Territories how would the Northwest Territories fit into this proposed new flat tax scheme? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, and good afternoon. Madam Speaker, we just don't know how provinces and territories, such as Alberta, the Yukon and ourselves, will fit into this program. There have been some suggestions back and forth about a refund of personal income taxes or a distribution of those funds over and above the five per cent that the federal government would require back to the territorial and Alberta government for redistribution.

There have been a number of casual comments made in that regard. But we are, by far, the least of Mr. Martin's problems. His problems are with those provinces that are going to have a shortfall if he goes through with this particular proposal. It is up in the air at the present time.

I should remind Members that there are now three proposals. Manitoba and Ontario have tabled proposals in this regard as well. So, until the smoke clears and there is some clarification about which proposal is going to take effect and how it is going to take effect, we will continue, along with Alberta and the Yukon, to monitor the situation. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I would like to ask Mr. Pollard whether or not the Ministers have agreed to a timetable to resolve this issue, or are we just going to continue hearing about various proposals floating around indefinitely? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, Mr. Martin was committed to an early date in 1996 to have this new proposal in effect. Let's say maybe he wasn't committed, but he suggested it. But, I think at the last meeting, he indicated to us that he wanted to progress on the issue. So there is no hard and fast deadline. He did make it quite clear that his government, when they were running in the election as Members, had indicated that their policy would replace the GST. It was something referred to in the red book, and he made it quite clear to us that one way or another there are going to be some changes. There's no hard and fast deadline, but certainly resolution on the part of the Minister to change, rename, replace or restructure this particular tax. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

The Minister referred to consultations and working closely with the government of the province of Alberta. I'd like to ask the Minister, since we share in common with Alberta and, I believe, the Yukon, the distinction of not having a sales tax, does that mean we are working closely with Alberta because we have the same interest in preserving a situation where citizens are not subjected to a sales tax? Thank you.

Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, at the meeting, Quebec threw out the suggestion that there could be regional rates, to which Alberta replied, in the west there is already a regional rate between Alberta, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon and that regional rate is zero. So they're working with us and consulting back and forth. When western Finance Ministers meet, we discuss the issue of what our respective positions are. Yes, there's quite a bit of consultation and, of course, there's very little to react to until such time as the larger issue, which is how do you deal with those provinces that are going to experience a shortfall...Until they get past that issue, they won't be dealing in total with us. But we are consulting, Madam Speaker. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, the plan is to have two respite care pilot projects which are being proposed for 1995-96. They'll be in the Fort Smith, Fort Simpson and Baffin regions. The pilot projects would provide care up to a maximum of 20 hours per week through adding extra staff to existing home maker and coordinated home care programs, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for High Arctic, Mr. Pudluk.

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of MACA. There were quite a few hamlets that had a deficit. What is the forecast with regard to these hamlets in the coming year? What will their budgets be like? Could she advise the House on this matter? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Ms. Mike.

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. There were quite a few of the hamlets and the communities...I will provide the Member with documents regarding the hamlets' budgets, if he wants them. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Ng.

First of all, I'd like to commend the Minister of Housing for his work and efforts towards reinstating federal funding for housing because I think the announcement he made today is indicative of the hard work and efforts he has made. I'd like to ask the Minister, with respect to funding for elders' residences, if he feels that is one of the priorities of the

Housing Corporation. Has his department addressed this? Thank you.

Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Funding for elders' residences falls under the responsibilities of the Minister of Social Services. They have to find the money and then we, as the Housing Corporation, design the buildings and work with the communities and elders in the design, to see that it meets their needs. I do agree with the Member, elders' facilities are a priority of most communities. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'd like to ask the Minister, would the responsibility for elders' residences include basic facilities and not extended care facilities? Would that still be with the Department of Social Services? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Housing Corporation supplies units into the community on need and all need is treated equally, whether you're an elder or a single person or whatever. It's not just for elders. So our allocation process is based on need in the community. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'd like to ask the Minister, if there's a need identified in the community, how would he correlate with the Department of Social Services to address this need? Does he meet with the Minister to discuss these matters? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes, we do work closely with Social Services on this issue and we are working with Social Services right now. I will be working with the Minister responsible for Social Services to try to address the need of elders' units in your riding, as well as other ridings. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'd like to ask the Minister, is he aware of the specific needs and the requests that have come forward from the communities of Coppermine and of Cambridge Bay in my constituency. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Member has made me well aware of the issue. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Baffin South, Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Economic Development. Madam Speaker, a lot of communities have been provided docks in the communities. If there was an evaluation done already, would they be providing a dock for the community of Cape Dorset or Lake Harbour?

Thank you. Minister Todd.

I believe the honourable Member raised this issue some time before, Madam Speaker. Subject to the hamlet council defining docks as a priority in the capital planning process, we are prepared to consider docks and breakwaters as we have done in some communities like Gjoa Haven, Pelly Bay and currently in Coral Harbour, Rankin Inlet and a number of other communities.

Whale Cove.

Whale Cove probably, too. I appreciate the honourable Member enlightening me, it is so rare. Anyway, yes, Madam Speaker, we are in a position to provide some fiscal support to communities that request breakwaters and docks. We would only be too happy to with respect to Lake Harbour or Cape Dorset. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. Has this been evaluated already? I am happy to hear that they will be able to give some support, financially. I wanted to find out, are we included in the plan for providing breakwaters in

our shores this summer? Will this be provided during the upcoming year? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Minister Todd.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'm not entirely sure about every single capital dollar and detail. I do know this, the regional superintendent of the Department of Transportation has been in close communication with the hamlet councils both in Cape Dorset and Lake Harbour, and in other Baffin communities that have requested some assistance.

With respect to specific dollars in the capital budget, I will have to review the book and advise the Member. I do know that discussions are under way with the local municipalities in an effort to determine what kind of financial resources they will require for the building of docks and breakwaters. Thank you.