Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Zoe.

Thank you. Minister of Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Minister who knows about this is Mr. Pollard. Thank you.

Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, good afternoon. Madam Speaker, I've addressed this Assembly before about the issue of management of the public service. Obviously, the affirmative action policy plays a part in that. We are presently looking at the development and the retention of our human resources. It is ironic that Mr. Zoe would ask me the question today, because today at 1:00 pm in the Explorer Hotel in the Melville Room, consultations started with aboriginal leaders in the Northwest Territories and our staff about the review of the affirmation action policy and how it should be conducted in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Zoe.

Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Pollard.

Madam Speaker, the purpose of the meeting today is to solicit from various people across the Northwest Territories some input into how they feel a review should be conducted, and what their feelings are about it. So, from those people, from the information we gather from them today, we will decide how to address the next step of the affirmation action policy review. I have an open mind, and I will take their suggestions today, Madam Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Zoe.

Thank you. Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

Madam Speaker, I'll table the original invitation list and I'll also table information, as soon as I find out, about how many people showed up and made presentations, or mailed in presentations and submissions to us, later on this week. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Zoe.

Thank you. Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

Madam Speaker, the focus today is on the format and scheduling of a consultative process in the Northwest Territories. I will await the recommendations made by the group today and then bring back to the House what the proposals are and how they should be handled, Madam Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Justice. Since corrections is no longer part of Social Services and is no longer a social program and, in light of the comments made last week by the Minister on community justice, is consideration being given, in the proposal to do more work locally, to privatizing some of these functions?

Thank you. Minister of Justice, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Lewis.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I guess people who break the law can be considered a renewable resource. I hope it will not be a growth industry, however. My question to the Minister is, if you are considering this, have your officials examined where privatizing of corrections has happened elsewhere in this country?