Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On October 6th, I informed this Assembly about the release of the federal discussion paper, Improving Social Security in Canada, and I referred Members to our own discussion paper, Creating Choices: Solving the Income Support Puzzle, which was released for public comment last July. I will be tabling our discussion paper later today.

As you know, income support reform is a complex issue which is being considered across Canada. To make sure that this reform proceeds in a way which respects the priorities and needs of northerners, we have developed four principles to guide us. In our paper, Creating Choices, we said that income support reform must:

1. link jobs and training, and encourage people to make responsible choices;

2. respect northern culture, community direction and the integrity of families;

3. make the best use of available money and federal cost-sharing opportunities; and,

4. be fair and easily accessible by people in the communities.

Since the release of our paper last July, we have been researching social security programs in Canada, and have been consulting with our partners in Health and Social Services, Executive, Renewable Resources, Finance and the NWT Housing Corporation.

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources Development is undertaking cross-Canada consultations on social security reform, and is planning a number of town hall meetings. The Secretary of State for training and youth, the Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew is already travelling in the north and social security reform is on her agenda. Ms. Blondin-Andrew will be consulting northerners specifically on social assistance issues as related to the aboriginal community.

Madam Speaker, these consultations need to be coordinated with this government's discussions on income support reform. I have written to the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy and stated that consultation on this critical reform initiative must be undertaken as a joint process, and that this government needs to be fully involved in any consultations in this area.

Consultations that are taking place with the Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew need to be aligned with this government's consultations. I have advised Mr. Axworthy that northerners are eager to express their views on income security reform and that these views must be heard. I further advised him that I would be planning to attend these town hall meetings and that some of my honourable colleagues in the Legislative Assembly would likely be interested in attending as well. I propose that the parliamentary standing committee meetings scheduled for Yellowknife and Iqaluit later this fall be held jointly with this government.

Madam Speaker, a consultation process that targets large southern constituencies and discusses largely southern issues will not suffice in the north. Consultation in the north will need to be a joint territorial/federal effort to ensure that northern social security reform has a made-in-the-north stamp on it. Therefore, I am proposing to this House that our government undertake the following consultation process with respect to income support reform.

I am proposing that a six-member Ministers' forum on income support reform be established in early November to provide advice to this government on reform and involve northerners in developing a northern agenda for change. This forum would include representatives from business, labour and individuals involved in social reform.

The forum would lead focus groups to be organized in the five regional centres to provide face to face information to people, involve community people in discussions and get first-hand public opinion and advice on the issues. The forum would conclude by providing its findings and recommendations for this Assembly at its February sitting. I further propose that a debate on social security reform be held early in the February sitting of the Assembly.

Madam Speaker, this highlights our proposed consultation strategy and the developments of income support reform. Mr. Speaker, we must continue to make every effort to ensure that this reform effort has a northern face. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Nerysoo. I am not Madam, Mr. Nerysoo.

---Laughter

Item 2, Ministers' statements. Ms. Mike.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise this House of a cornerstone program of my department's strategy to develop the capabilities of community governments to take on greater responsibilities with respect to the management of public lands within their boundaries.

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and Arctic College Nunatta Campus have agreed to start a one-year certificate program in community land administration. This program is a fundamental element in assisting community governments to be ready to accept the devolution of land administration from the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the program will start in January 1995 and be offered through the Nunatta Campus in Iqaluit. Future courses will be offered at other Arctic College campuses as the demand warrants.

In the program at Nunatta Campus, three six-week semesters will be offered. After each semester the student will return to his or her home community for a six-week practicum. Students sponsored by community governments will serve their practicums in the municipal office. This is the training approach most mayors favoured when my department discussed the options with them. I believe this combination of classroom and work experience will provide the best learning opportunity for the students and achieve the highest success rate of students who enrol and graduate.

The program will include courses in land administration, community planning, surveying, contracts and property law, communications and computers. The program has been initiated by my department with funding set aside as part of the implementation of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act. Although initially this program will assist community governments, the program could eventually form the basis of an Arctic College program to assist other land management agencies requiring trained northern staff.

I encourage all community governments to take advantage of this opportunity and to prepare for the devolution of land administration responsibilities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Qujannamiik, Ms. Mike. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise the House of a cornerstone program of the department's strategy to develop the capabilities of community governments...Sorry, I have the wrong one here.

---Laughter

(Microphone turned off)

Sorry, Mr. Speaker. Later today, I will be tabling an action plan for the consolidation of the departments of Health and Social Services. The plan includes a functional organization chart for the newly approved headquarters structure, which will be fully implemented by January 31, 1995. The integration of the headquarters operation has resulted in a significant downsizing of the management team from 18 to a total of 10 managers in Yellowknife.

The consolidation at the regional and community levels will occur in two phases following the headquarters reorganization. Much work has already been done with boards and senior staff of Social Services to explore the opportunities for integration of both program and staff resources. Health boards appear to be receptive to the variety of options that have already been discussed and it should be possible to move fairly quickly with the changes that are identified through continuing consultation.

It is clear that solutions cannot be the same in all parts of the territories. For example, some innovative approaches will be necessary in the South Mackenzie. The Health and Social Services operations do not cover the same geographical areas, as is the case in the other regions. However, this consolidation gives us the opportunity to rationalize resources in this area and to move staff closer to the people they serve. This is particularly true of Mackenzie health services, which currently operate out of Yellowknife, but whose clients are primarily in the Deh Cho and Dogrib areas.

There are some good opportunities to bring jobs to smaller communities through decentralization and I will be providing regular reports to this House to keep Members up to date on the progress of consolidation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Premier. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, continuing on a positive note, I would like to talk about an event that befell me last summer, following the Baffin regional consultations on the new social housing rent scale in Pond Inlet. I took a trip to Iqaluit, a beautiful area about 50 miles from Pond Inlet -- that is the other Iqaluit, Mr. Speaker. We travelled on the sea ice by snowmobile and when I got there, I was welcomed by Mr. Allooloo and his constituents.

On the way back, Mr. Speaker, I had a mishap. While manoeuvring past some deep cracks in the sea ice, I failed to notice that the heavy komatik I was pulling had gotten stuck on a piece of ice. The komatik stopped, but my snowmobile kept going. The rope stretched and my snowmobile stopped suddenly. I was thrown forward and ended up with a rather deep gash on my face when I hit the snowmobile. Dumb qallunaaq.

---Laughter

By the time we got into Pond Inlet, it was 7:00 that night. I called the health centre and explained the situation. I was told to come up right away. I was given immediate and careful attention from Theresa, the nurse on call, who very carefully cleaned the wound and then called on a visiting physician, Dr. Rob Driscoll, to assist with stitching me up.

Even though I had been out on the sea ice for seven or eight hours before I got treatment, the wound healed well and I have been left with a barely noticeable scar.

I was very grateful for the prompt attention I was given, even though I know my call interrupted supper after a long day of clinic for the health centre staff. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to relate this story, not because it was outstanding or exceptional, but simply because this is the kind of cheerful, prompt and quality treatment our people are accustomed to receiving from our dedicated health care professionals in our communities.

---Applause

Although there are always problems and things to be critical about in our health system and improvements that can be found, I want to thank the health centre staff in Pond Inlet for looking after me so well when I needed treatment. I want to state my belief that considering we live in a very remote part of the circumpolar world, we should still be grateful that we have a health care system that is second to none. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in this House today to offer my thanks and support for the commitment the Minister of Public Works and Services made yesterday to monitor contractors in compliance with the provisions of the business incentive policy.

I think the Members will agree that we have seen too many of these parachute contractors who promise the world when bidding on the contract, but when the work starts, the vast majority of employees are from the south.

Ensuring compliance with the contract and possibly even revoking the contract is a positive step and will make these parachute contractors take notice. I would also like to thank the Department of Transportation for negotiating the right-of-way brush clearing contract with the local of Fort Providence aboriginally-owned contractors both this year and over the last

several years. This is an important contract to my constituents and I appreciate it.

However, Mr. Speaker, I do have some concerns about highway contractors working in the Fort Providence area that I would like to address. Last summer, a contractor who was doing work over 50 kilometres from Fort Providence did hire a lot of members from my community to start the project to work on the highway. However, Mr. Speaker, as I drove back and forth to Yellowknife on business over the summer, I was dismayed to see less and less of my people employed on the construction. There are probably lots of reasons this happened, Mr. Speaker, or, Madam Speaker...

---Laughter

They just change like that.

I think the primary reason was the distance the residents had to travel every morning to get from Providence to the job site. People from the south and communities other than Fort Providence employed by the contractor were given accommodation at the job site in a camp. Madam Speaker, the contractors were generous in providing transportation allowance for the workers from Fort Providence. However, I don't think they realize the problems.

Madam Speaker, I would like to get unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker, honourable Members. The majority of people getting this work were young people who had not yet had an opportunity to purchase their own vehicles. One had to get up at 5:00 in the morning to get to work by 7:00 am. If you missed your ride or if your ride wasn't going to work, you were fired. One chance, that is all you got.

Was this so that contractors could replace local workers with people from outside the community? I don't know, Madam Speaker. Maybe a bus service from Fort Providence or allowing residents to stay in the camp would have slowed the rate of attrition over the summer.

In the past, Madam Speaker, workers from my community have worked on portions of the highway between Fort Providence and Enterprise and stayed in camps. So, they are no strangers to this way of work. The reason I mention this here, Madam Speaker, is that next year the construction work will be even further from Fort Providence. Will workers from Fort Providence have to get up three hours before work to make it in on time?

Madam Speaker, I guess the point I'm trying to make is that, even though this contractor lived up to the intent of northern preference, they did not meet its spirit. Setting unrealistic barriers to employment and then replacing the workers when they cannot meet the requirements is not, in my mind, fair. Madam Speaker, what I would like to see is a community consultative process right through the tendering process on large projects like this.

The community could tell the government which companies have a good record in hiring locally, who treats their employees with respect and some consideration and understanding. After a contract is awarded, the government contractor and the community or communities involved should sit down together and work out any problems such as unrealistic employment barriers.

Madam Speaker, it is only by working together with government, communities and contractors, that programs such as the business incentive program will work. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

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

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

Thank you. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. Today I would like to talk about the nursing situation in Wrigley and the positive steps taken by the community and the Mackenzie Regional Health Services to work together to solve their problems. In August, Madam Speaker, a situation arose in Wrigley in which the nurse was verbally threatened for refusing to treat someone in what she thought was an unsafe location. Consequently, Madam Speaker, the nurse left the community and Wrigley was left without a nurse and with minimal local health care service.

With worries about the elders and children and the possibility of someone being hurt on the job, Chief Gabe Hardisty and the band held a public meeting with Mackenzie Regional Health Services to hear the community's concern and to work out a solution to the problem.

The results of that meeting and meetings held after by the community, Madam Speaker, was the formation of a community health committee. A committee, along with 10 other volunteers, will help the nurse in dealing with her concerns, and offer the nurse assistance in any dangerous situation. In turn, Madam Speaker, I believe this committee will provide an excellent forum for the residents to voice their opinions to the community nurse in a non-adversarial way.

This new system will put the word "community" back into the community nurse position. Thanks to the efforts of community residents, the band and the Mackenzie Regional Health Services in setting up this community health committee system, Chief Gabe Hardisty was able to convince the nurse who had left Wrigley that she would have the support of the community should she decide to return.

Madam Speaker, I am happy to say that the nurse has returned to Wrigley and, consequently, the community was spared the long wait that accompanies the filling of such an important position. It must be noted, Madam Speaker, that the nurse position in Wrigley is still being filled on an interim basis and that Mackenzie Regional Health Services is looking for someone permanent.

This is a local solution to a local problem. However, Madam Speaker, it will be necessary for the government to provide nominal, ongoing funding for administrative support for the community health committee to ensure that this excellent program does not fade away after two or three years of operation.

Again, my thanks on behalf of the constituents in Wrigley and my admiration for all those involved in working to solve this health care problem there. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Today I would like to talk about the partners for youth program for the city of Edmonton. The Standing Committee on Finance met this morning from 10:30 until 12:00 and put on an information seminar. We were very fortunate to have a Ms. Maria David-Evans from the city of Edmonton who has been working on the partners for youth program in Edmonton.

Members of the Standing Committee on Finance have been talking about this type of program for the last year. I think we found the information seminar very useful. I know the Members of the committee were very pleased with the turn-out of Ministers and deputy ministers. Mr. Nerysoo was there, the Premier was there, Mr. Kakfwi was there, Minister Mike, senior representatives from the RCMP, senior deputy ministers from Justice, Social Services, Health, and a number of MLAs.

If I could very briefly, Madam Speaker, explain the philosophy of the program. It's a school-based, single entry social service program which has met with great success in San Diego and other places in the United States, and has been quite successful in Edmonton. The basic philosophies of this particular service for children and families are: that it be prevention and early intervention-oriented; it will be based on an integrated and holistic service delivery network; involve children and families in determining desired incomes; will facilitate more self-reliance and accountability of families, for their health and well-being, basic needs and the safety and security of their children; provide communities with the flexibility to make decisions, and be more accountable for providing services in keeping with the overall principles established for this delivery system; and ensure that there is a congruency of service and funding, goals, objectives and standards across provincial, municipal and various boards. The major focus is on outcomes. All of this, I think, is very relevant to the Northwest Territories.

Ms. David-Evans made it very clear that each community could have a different derivative of this particular model.

Madam Speaker, I think I'm about to run out of time. Could I seek unanimous consent, Madam Speaker, to continue my statement?

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to continue. Are there any nays? Proceed, Mr. Ballantyne.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. There is really nothing new in this approach and there is nothing that the Standing Committee on Finance wants to take credit for something that's a great new idea of ours. I think most of these ideas have been around. The government has put many of these ideas in place over the years. There was quite a successful experiment in Arviat. The Premier has talked many times about the need to have a community-based solution. We've heard Mr. Gargan talk about needing a more holistic approach. And I've heard most Members around this table talk about...We have to break down some of the bureaucratic barriers between departments.

Mr. Nerysoo, yesterday, gave fairly supportive comments on this particular approach. I think it's an approach that has worked, and it's an approach that has the flexibility to make it very applicable here in the Northwest Territories. I know, speaking for myself and for other Members of the Standing Committee on Finance, we really hope to see the government try this approach, and a beginning with this approach in the near future.

On the same subject, Madam Speaker, we're talking about early intervention for children. There was a study just completed by the University of Montreal and McGill University that studied 1,000 five-year-olds, and through this study, which took 10 years, they were able to identify amongst the five-year-olds those who had the most likelihood of becoming violent offenders, and that by putting them through a rehabilitation program they were able to change that pattern in 50 per cent of those who went through the program. So the success rate of intervening early, intervening aggressively is being proven. If there's one basic philosophy that comes from the Standing Committee on Finance -- and I've heard it many different ways from many Members -- it's that if we're to deal with the social problems in the Northwest Territories, in days of diminishing resources we really have to concentrate our efforts on young people. That is where the biggest pay-off will be, and that is the only place where we can even begin to try to undo the damage that is present now in society.

So I know in the government there is a lot of support for this approach. I know the Standing Committee on Finance appreciated the words and the support of the Ministers who were there today. We look forward to a very progressive next few weeks from the government as we pursue this objective. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Amittuq, Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I stand up today to say thank you to the government for a couple of items. Madam Speaker, for the last few days, I have had a matter of great concern on my mind. Several days ago, a very close relative of mine who used to take me out hunting all of a sudden went missing from his outpost camp near Igloolik. Apparently, his snow machine broke down, and the poor weather conditions and the seasonal ice conditions hampered local ground search and rescue operations.

I would like to report, Madam Speaker, that yesterday Inuki Kunnuk safely returned to his outpost camp, on foot, after spending six days out on the land, not in the best weather conditions.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the local search and rescue committee, the RCMP and the emergency measures staff of the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs for promptly positioning themselves for search and rescue operation. I understand that the RCMP twin otter was taxiing down the runway when they heard the word that Inuki was safe.

Madam Speaker, I would also like to say one more thank you this afternoon, if I may. I was very pleased to hear yesterday from the Minister of Public Works and Services about the positive changes to the business incentive policy that are being introduced; the ability of contractors to work their way through loopholes has been secured, a source of ongoing concern for my constituents.

I thank the honourable Minister for introducing these positive changes to BIP, and I encourage him and his staff...

I'm sorry, Mr. Allooloo, I cut you off before you finished your statement. In our rules, Members' statements only allow a Member to speak on one subject. So may I remind Members that Members' statements are only to pertain to one subject. In your statement, you thanked the government for their assistance and then you went to BIP, which is a totally different subject. So I would suggest you attempt to do your other statement tomorrow. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to continue with his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Lewis.

Madam Speaker, I was going to make this statement tomorrow, but then on reflection, I thought if I did it tomorrow, people would think I was not serious. So, I thought I would do it today instead. But, having listened to Mr. Kakfwi, I am a bit confused now because I know he wants his statement to be taken seriously. The subject I want to talk about today, Madam Speaker, is one which is a serious subject. It has to do with schooling.

Twenty years ago it struck me that one of the things that happened in our school system is that the young girls did quite well. They seemed to adapt to it. It was natural. Whereas, the young guys seemed to go reluctantly to school, much as I did, I suppose, at times. But, usually, I found that the young boys in the system really didn't relate to the culture and environment of what a school is.

So, one day, upon reflection, I thought why is it that people want to go somewhere? It is because they are interested in what goes on there. The one thing that does not go on in our schools, from my observation, is the one thing that is central to the life of every young red-blooded Canadian boy, and that is the game of hockey.

I know, from my own experience, that if you really love something, you want to be close to it. You would have no difficulty in getting a young kid up in the morning to go to a hockey practice at 6:00 am if the school had a team and they were going to prepare for a game between Providence and Simpson or Wrigley and some other place. They would be keen, they would be excited.

You would find that if it was part of the culture of the school, those young boys would be motivated. Schooling would become more relevant to the things that mattered to them. You can have a basketball team, a volleyball team or a track and field team, but you can't have a hockey team; the implication being that this is too important a subject to be left to schools and that schools should really deal with the things that don't matter as much to young boys. Hockey is so important, it has to be left to the wider community.

Why is it in our system and in our culture, we have not given consideration to the fact that this one thing could maybe completely turn around what schooling means to a young boy in his formative years when his testosterone levels have to be tested...

Mr. Lewis.

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

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

I made my point, Madam Speaker. I would like Members to reflect on this, though. I have not made a statement of this nature in this House before and some people have said to me, well, you were in education for all that time, why couldn't you do it? Well, because I was a bureaucrat, and being a loyal bureaucrat, I always served my political masters.

But, then, when you get into this political arena, you suddenly realize that to make that kind of change means you have to upset a large part of your community that has taken charge of this as a major component in the lives of young boys and they would be very reluctant to give it up.

But if you want schools to be meaningful to young people so that they can have their energies focused and directed, it is something that makes sense to them. In our system, we can do it. It is possible for us to do that. I really believe that in a short period of time, you would find the motivation to become part of an activity would also be reflected in improvement in other things that go on in the school system. The young girls already do quite well, and there are stats to prove that they do better than young boys in the school system up to a certain age. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Baffin South, Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. This is not the first time you have heard me mentioning this concern. I am talking about airline rates for children. The rates for children are almost the same as adults. This has been an ongoing concern of my communities for a long time now and it is not acceptable to some of my communities. A lot of people in the communities do not have much money.

Low prices for carvings, among other things, mean they don't have the means of earning money in the communities. Madam Speaker, I urge the government to look for a solution to this problem. I spoke of this concern more than once during this Assembly. We would like to have an answer to this problem. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, in all of our communities, there are many elders who form a very important part of our social fabric. Our elders pass on their knowledge and experience to their children, to their grandchildren and, for some, to their great-grandchildren. Since my election one and a half years ago, I have requested that the GNWT provide elders' residences in both Coppermine and Cambridge Bay, as elders in both of these communities have asked for these facilities.

It is my understanding that the Kitikmeot region was scheduled to have its first elders' facility constructed in Gjoa Haven since 1988. For various reasons, the capital funds for this project have been deferred, year after year.

Last year, all funding for elders' residences was deferred in the capital estimates due to the unresolved issue of CMHC housing funds being virtually eliminated.

Madam Speaker, for the 1995-96 year, the Department of Health and Social Services reinstated the capital funding for elders' residences in Fort Norman and Fort Resolution, which were two of the deferred projects from last year. However, the capital funds for the elders' residence in Gjoa Haven, within the Kitikmeot region, has been entirely deleted from the capital plan.

Shame, shame.

Madam Speaker, it says my time is up here, but I don't think I've spoken for two and a half minutes. I would like to ask for unanimous consent to finish my statement.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker, and honourable colleagues. Madam Speaker, the government has substantiated this deletion to the Kitikmeot health board and the Gjoa Haven hamlet council with the delivery of an extensive home care program within Kitikmeot which we understand will be included in the upcoming main estimates. This arrangement and subsequent deletion has been done without any type of consultation with the Members of this House, the honourable Mr. Ningark, myself and, more significantly, without any consultation with the elders in the region.

Madam Speaker, I and other Members acknowledge and support the establishment of an extended home care program to assist individuals including elders needing and requesting home care assistance. A home care program can address some of the physical needs of elders, however, it can in no way fully address the social and mental well-being of individuals in being able to socialize and receive support from their peers on a constant basis.

The Kitikmeot will continue to have no elders' residences in the entire region, while all other regions have some form of elders' facilities. Madam Speaker, I find it totally unacceptable and objectionable as to the government's deletion of the elders' residence funding in Gjoa Haven. Where is the fairness and equity in addressing elders' needs in the Kitikmeot? I ask the government to immediately address this issue.

Madam Speaker, my honourable colleague and I will continue to pursue the government on this matter until the needs of elders in the Kitikmeot and in my constituency are addressed in a satisfactory manner. Mahsi.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Baffin Central, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Return to oral question asked by Mr. Gargan on October 19th regarding the firehall.

The Fort Providence firehall project is proceeding after some delays this past year, to allow the hamlet council to consider a proposal from the local Digaa Enterprises Development Corporation.

The hamlet council has agreed to proceed with the planning and design of the firehall this winter, with construction next summer. A full project authority agreement has been signed with the hamlet giving them the responsibility for the construction of the firehall.

I am optimistic this project will be successfully completed next year. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Kakfwi.

Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visits in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife North, Mr. Ballantyne.

I have a question for the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, Ms. Cournoyea. Did the Cabinet approve the Power Corporation's proposed 22 per cent low-water surcharge?

Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, no.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Ballantyne.

Thank you. Then did the Minister approve the proposed 22 per cent low-water surcharge?

Thank you. I just want to caution Members that I've been advised that this particular request has been placed before the PUB, which is a quasi-judicial board. I would like to ask the Member if you could possibly rephrase your question in order not to place any type of impediment on the process.

Point Of Order

Madam Speaker, I respect the sub judice provisions of our rules. However, in this case, there is an anomaly as to how the Power Corporation operates. The Power Corporation goes in front of the Public Utilities Board in order that they can hear rate applications. But, on the other

hand, the Power Corporation is 100 per cent owned by the Government of the Northwest Territories, and the legislation which enacts the Power Corporation allows the Minister to issue directives to the Power Corporation. What I'm trying to do here, Madam Speaker, is to deal with the relationship between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Power Corporation, not the relationship between the Power Corporation and the Public Utilities Board. Thank you.

Mr. Ballantyne, first of all, on your point of order, I want to indicate to you that the question was not ruled out of order. I've asked you to rephrase your question, keeping in mind and being cognizant of the fact the request for an increase has gone before the Public Utilities Board, which is a quasi-judicial body. Therefore, I did ask if you would rephrase your question, but to keep that particular request in mind. However, Mr. Ballantyne, since you have put forth a point of order, I will take it under advisement and rule it accordingly. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife North, Mr. Ballantyne.

I appreciate that. I think it will be useful to Members. To the Premier, I fully respect the relationship between the Power Corporation and the Public Utilities Board, but I am interested in exactly how the Cabinet was involved in the decision-making process.

The Minister says the Cabinet wasn't involved, but the Minister responsible has the authority to issue directives and I want to ask, has the Minister issued any directives to the Power Corporation in the past year.

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Yes, Madam Speaker, there was one directive issued to the Power Corporation.

Supplementary, Mr. Ballantyne.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. It's a fairly strong tool that the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation has. Could I ask what that directive was?

Thank you. Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, the directive was for the Power Corporation to pay the Government of the Northwest Territories, I believe, $4 million plus in order for the government to pay the subsidy on power rates. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Ballantyne.

Supplementary. Thank you. With that particular request, the government, I would think, is indirectly saying that the Power Corporation has to find the money from somewhere else. My last question to the Minister...Obviously, the Minister is consulted in any sort of decision like this for the Power Corporation to go in front of the Public Utilities Board. Was the Minister consulted by the Power Corporation before they went in front of the Public Utilities Board?

Thank you. Minister responsible for the Power Corporation. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I was made aware that a request for a low-water surcharge would be put forward to the Public Utilities Board. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have a question to the Premier, in her role as the Minister of Health and Social Services, and the leader of our government. We, as MLAs, are often asked by constituents to assist with travel costs for them to visit their ill relatives in other communities. As much as we would like to, we are not allowed to use money from our constituency funds to help these people in need. Could the Premier inform this House what assistance is available to those people who would like to travel to another community to visit sick or terminally ill relatives, but can't financially afford to? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Health, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, thank you. In reply to the Member, travel assistance is available from two programs: medical travel; and, social assistance. Madam Speaker, to be eligible for medical travel assistance, a doctor has to certify that travel by the relative is medically necessary for the patient's treatment. Without the doctor's certificate, travel cannot be authorized.

Secondly, to be eligible for compassionate travel under social assistance, the relative who wishes to travel has to be eligible for social assistance. This eligibility is based on a needs test. If the relative has sufficient income to meet their needs, then they are not eligible for this form of assistance.

Madam Speaker, the government recognizes that the current policies have restrictions that can create hardships for some families. However, these are the two access policies that can be used in requesting travel assistance. 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 Municipal and Community Affairs. Today she made a good statement about the department's education initiative, which referred to preparation for the devolution of land administration in Nunavut. I would like to ask the Minister about the reference to the devolution of land administration. Specifically, how would this devolution of land administration, referred to in the statement, actually occur? How would this process be initiated? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I thought in my Minister's statement it was quite clear how this process would be carried out. The first step in doing this was we had to get an agreement with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, especially on the date and also the wording of the question that would be asked for the referendum.

With respect to the transfer of municipal lands, municipalities are now preparing necessary by-laws to acquire those lots occupied by municipal buildings and turnovers have commenced. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Madam Speaker, I take it from the Minister's answer that the devolution will occur, provided that the community votes yes in the community plebiscite that was set up under the land claims agreement. My supplementary, Madam Speaker, is if the community decided to take on this responsibility, how would the cost of this additional administrative requirement be met by the hamlet or the municipality? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. As I indicated in my Minister's statement, this referendum is a requirement under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act. The financing part of it is from the federal government. This is to commence July, 1996. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Madam Speaker, I really want to understand this correctly. Is the Minister telling me that her department will turn over the fee simple title and the responsibility for administering community lands in municipalities, where communities vote yes, and that the federal government will pay for the additional administrative costs incurred by those hamlets and municipalities to administer those lands? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The question on the referendum will be, "Do you want the hamlet of..." for example "...Iqaluit to be able to sell municipal lands?" In the event the answer is no, they will still have the responsibility of municipal lands. If the vote is yes, that gives them the authority to sell municipal land. But if the local council doesn't want to sell the land, they don't have to. It will be up to the community. There will be money available from the federal government to help pay for the salaries and the trained local land administrators. Thank you.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think I am finally getting the answer to the question. The answer was, the federal government will help pay the salaries of the new staff required. If the federal funds are not adequate to pay for all these costs, since the Minister said the federal government will only help pay the salary cost, who picks up the balance? How are those incremental costs to be borne by the hamlets and municipalities? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. To my understanding, most of the municipalities are funded for municipal lands operations. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is to the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. I would like to ask the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation if there has been any recent follow-up work undertaken to update or revise the 1992 housing needs survey to ensure that the corporation is meeting the housing needs of northerners to the greatest extent possible, given the limited funding available.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The only update that has been done was in Mr. Gargan's riding, on the Hay River Reserve. The Hay River Reserve did not agree with the housing survey their people had done, along with the Housing Corporation, so it was redone and from that, they managed to receive a reallocation.

Next year is the third year of the housing survey. It is supposed to be done next year. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Gargan.

I would like to ask the Minister whether the allocations that are being done for this year are based on the 1992 housing needs survey?

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The allocations for this year are based on the last needs survey. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I was happy to receive a letter back on April 27, 1994, from the Minister's staff stating that a funding request for my constituency was approved by the Minister under the workers' training fund to fund the Ivvalu Women's Group of Arctic Bay. But, I'm disappointed to say that the funds that were approved by the Minister have not found their way to my constituents.

My question is, how long does it take to get funds approved by the Minister into the communities after the Minister approves them? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I don't track the time, but I apologize to the Member if the group hasn't received the resources. I would assume the department would send the resources immediately to the community. But, I will look into it.

Thank you. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Whitford.

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, there are plans to acquire the equipment and the necessary support to provide kidney dialysis treatment in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Whitford.

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I did look at the numbers and some of the information that was put together. It is not really in a report. There are some figures and some assertions about what the cost would be to equip Stanton Hospital. As the Member rightly stated, there are also associated costs. That analysis is being done now. We are trying to make sure we get all the figures and all the questions that have to be answered, answered. We're in the process right now.

Given that the figures show the cost-benefit of providing the services in Yellowknife for Northwest Territories residents, we will proceed with establishing how we would do that. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Whitford.