Thank you, Mr. Ng. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you. Yes, Mr. Whitford, rare, but when I do speak, I hope it's worthy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to take this opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to do what many others in this Assembly have done and that is recognize the contributions of many in my constituency to deal with the issue of alcohol and drug abuse.

Members should be aware that the Hay River alcohol centre is probably one of the oldest organizations dealing with alcohol. There have been many successes and many failures, or so-called failures. But, the fact is, no matter what situation occurred, at least we were able to convince people that there is a need for them to deal with some of their personal issues, problems and development.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to pay tribute to those people in Aklavik, of the Aklavik Alcohol Committee. Historically, we have to recognize people like Danny and Annie B. Gordon, who were instrumental in the establishment of that committee. But, I also wanted to pay personal tribute to a lady who is our community school counsellor in Fort McPherson, a lady by the name of Hazel Nerysoo. Hazel Nerysoo has been involved in the development and establishment of a pride group in Fort McPherson. In the last three years, they've been attending most pride conferences and have been raising funds, even to this day, for people to take healing programs, particularly as they deal with personal drug and alcohol abuse, and solvent abuse. They are trying to get young people involved in community wellness and development.

Mr. Speaker, I wanted to take this opportunity to say to those people and to the many staff who are working with these boards, committees and with our young. It is always our pleasure to see the commitment of our communities and our people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Nerysoo. Your timing was perfect. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think this is going to be the last day before Christmas, which is only about 40 days away. Publicly, I would like to wish the people of the NWT a very merry Christmas, especially my colleagues in this House. I find it very useful and educational to work with all my colleagues, the MLAs, in this government. I would also like to wish my constituents a very special Christmas.

Mr. Speaker, Christmas is a time to rejoice, share and be merry. However, there are many families that may not be as lucky as most of us. They may not be as healthy as we are, they may not be able to move around and, financially, Mr. Speaker, families may not be able to enjoy a turkey dinner and kids might not be able to receive a Christmas present like most of our kids do, especially those of us who are in the system.

Mr. Speaker, my heart is very, very close to people who are struggling to make ends meet. Therefore, I would like to remind all the MLAs and the people of the NWT to walk that extra mile to help the poor people of this jurisdiction so that they may have the most pleasant, most enjoyable Christmas ever. Thank you.

Hear, hear.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ningark. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Deh Cho First Nations want to host an economic development conference soon and I support that concept because in my constituency, there are many different economic opportunities that have been undertaken by individuals and different bands and companies over the years and there has never been an economic development conference in my constituency.

Over the past couple of years, there have been discussions on the community level to try to put together some sort of a conference. This is to try to develop a framework economic development strategy for the whole region. What will it achieve? Well, it will achieve formulating several actions plans for key economic sectors which will, in turn, roll into a comprehensive regional economic development strategy. There are different opportunities in each of these sectors presently: transportation, oil and gas; communications; mining; and, resource harvesting. That is naming just a few opportunities that are out there. Participation is very important for everyone in the region and in the communities to try to put our heads together to see what is there and plan for the future. I think it is very important in light of the fact that in 1999, once division happens, the north is going to have to be revisited and see what we have and how we will deal with what we have. This is the direction in my constituency. There is a request to

the government by people in my area for financial support to put on such a conference.

Just recently, there was a conference in Rankin Inlet where the government supported this major initiative, so people could put their heads together and see how economic opportunities could be realized. This is similar to that type of request. I would just like the House to know that this is the direction people in my constituency are taking at this time. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Whitford.

Thank you, Mr. Whitford. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam...Mr. Speaker, pardon me.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, I want to comment today on the recent statement from the president of the NWT Medical Association, Dr. Perry Caplan: that there are now more doctors in the NWT, that they are staying longer and many doctors who come to the Northwest Territories are attracted by the challenge of practising a different kind of medicine here than in many other parts of the country or the world.

I would like today to pay tribute to one of those doctors, the longest serving physician in Nunavut and one of the longest serving physicians in the Northwest Territories, Dr. Paul Stubbings, who has been practising medicine in Iqaluit, in one capacity or another, including a term as chief of staff of the Baffin Regional Hospital, and the establishment of the first private medical clinic in Iqaluit, since September 12, 1978.

Dr. Caplan, in his statement, pointed out that practising medicine in the NWT is especially difficult and challenging and involves much more primary care than elsewhere. Being a permanent resident of the community, getting to know your patients very well means the patients get excellent service, but I think it can also mean additional pressures on the person delivering the service. It must be much more difficult when you are a doctor who is close to your patient.

This emphasis on community and preventive primary health care is what makes our health system unique and even the envy of the rest of Canada. Paul Stubbings is a long-time home owner in Iqaluit. He is a keen hunter and respected outdoorsman. Last year, he travelled by snowmobile to Cape Dorset from Iqaluit. He knows the people in the Baffin region and he understands them. He knows a lot about the Inuit and their culture and he has freely passed on this specialized and valuable knowledge to the many shorter-term physicians and health professionals with whom he has worked over the years.

Over the years, Paul Stubbings has been there for us for the emergencies, the call-outs in the middle of the night and he has also delivered an awful lot of babies, and even their babies, in Iqaluit. He and his family have made an enormous contribution to the community.

I rise on behalf of the people of Iqaluit and the Baffin region to say thank you to Dr. Stubbings. He is a modest, humble man. He doesn't seek recognition or high visibility, however, we do recognize him and his great contribution to health services in the region. Thank you.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Is there anyone on this side of the House? Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to express my gratitude. We will probably be finishing today, Mr. Speaker. During the session, my constituents were expressing their concerns, and there were other matters, but I would like to thank them. They often help us along the way. They don't just express their concerns, they also help us. We can move further with the help of our constituents. We have to represent our constituents and they help us along the way.

I probably won't be able to go to all the communities in my constituency during the Christmas holidays, so as I won't see everyone during the holiday, I would like to wish them a merry Christmas, especially to those people who have physical disabilities and they can't go to any activities during the holidays. I am sure there will be other people who will help them. I wish everyone a very merry Christmas. We will be taking time out to rethink our priorities. With that, Mr. Chairman, I would like people in my constituency and citizens of the NWT to have a very merry Christmas. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you very much, Mr. Pudlat. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for the last few years, one issue that has received a lot of attention and discussion is the relationship between aboriginal people and the justice system. Today I would like to talk about the relationship between the justice system in the Northwest Territories and the residents of smaller communities, both aboriginal and non-aboriginal.

In Canada, when a person comes into conflict with the law, they have the right to legal representation. This right is entrenched under section 10 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. If a person is detained by authorities, the exercising of this right poses certain duties on the police. The first is that they must give the person the opportunity to retain and discuss the situation with a lawyer without delay. The second is that the police must not attempt to extract information from the detained person until the person has had reasonable opportunity to retain a lawyer.

These two conditions, Mr. Speaker, place additional duties on the authorities. They must inform the person of the reason they are being detained, or arrested so that the person can exercise his or her right to counsel in a meaningful way. The accused must have a reasonable understanding of the trouble they are in. This understanding is even more important if a person should choose not to retain a lawyer.

From time to time, usually in the south, we hear of these basic rights being violated for one reason or another. Usually they are just honest mistakes that can sometimes have very serious consequences. We face a unique situation here in the north that could also have serious consequences. As an important part of their obligation, the authorities must, as a matter of routine, inform the detained person of an existence and availability of legal aid in that jurisdiction. But, here in the north, Mr. Speaker, resident lawyers are few and far between outside major centres. In addition, Mr. Speaker, the unfortunate fact of life in the Northwest Territories is that the majority of crimes are committed under the influence of alcohol. This fact, coupled with the communication problems due to the many different languages in the north, requires policemen in the Northwest Territories to be especially diligent in ensuring that no one's rights are violated.

Mr. Gargan, your time is up.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member is asking for unanimous consent to complete his statement. Are there any nays? Proceed, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and honourable Members. Most of the smaller communities in the north do not have a lawyer a person can call if they get into trouble. However, the government has made an effort to provide services to anyone who needs them. Legal aid is only a phone call away. In fact, a list of lawyers is posted in every police detachment in the Northwest Territories. As a condition of their duties, these lawyers are required to accept all collect calls. Legal aid also pays for telephone calls necessary to allow the lawyers to become familiar with the case.

Instead of calling a lawyer, a person can contact a regional legal aid clinic or a local community representative of the regional office. These representatives are members of the community who are able to steer citizens through the legal system.

I would like to note the ongoing commitment of this government to improving northern justice through aboriginal and community justice initiatives. I encourage future governments to continue to pursue these goals. Every effort must always be made to ensure that residents, especially those in smaller communities, are granted all their rights and privileges under the law. Every effort must also be made to ensure that justice is done.

Mr. Speaker, under aboriginal initiatives, the community of Fort Providence has, during the last year, worked on creating the possibility of an aboriginal correctional facility in the community of Fort Providence. Unfortunately, to my disappointment, there is no money allocated for that initiative. And I'm truly disappointed that whether it's the government's fault or the Standing Committee on Finance's fault, I would like to say that it is a step for my constituency with regard to aboriginal justice initiatives. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

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

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

Shame.