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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Since I have become Minister responsible for Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, I have become much more impressed with the potential of our non-renewable resources, particularly minerals, to our economic future. I've also become very concerned about how poorly positioned we are as a government to take advantage of these resources for the long term benefit of our residents. This government has no ability to legislate in respect to oil and gas and minerals, or to obtain revenues from their development.

Mineral exploration activity in the NWT is booming, not just for diamonds but also for gold and base metals. Over the next ten years, we will probably see at least six new mines open in the NWT, bringing thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars worth of new investments. The mineral industry is here for the long term. It provides us with one of the best opportunities we have to increase our economic self-reliance. But we cannot realize this potential under the current arrangements.

Without the legislative tools to manage these industries and without access to resource revenues, this government will continue to have minimal control over non-renewable resource development, and will realize no fiscal benefits from mining and oil and gas activity.

Madam Speaker, this is why I intend to pursue devolution of responsibilities for oil and gas and minerals from the Government of Canada as a matter of my highest priority.

As long as we receive a reasonable share of revenues, a reasonable transfer of financial resources to operate the programs, and a clean transfer of legislative powers then we should be in a position to proceed with a devolution agreement for oil and gas and minerals which leaves us much better off than we are today.

Madam Speaker, in the coming weeks I intend to meet with aboriginal organizations and federal Ministers to move this initiative forward and I intend to keep the Assembly informed of any and all developments. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Kakfwi.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to conclude my Member's statement from yesterday with regard to the Nunavut leaders' summit that was held in Rankin Inlet.

Madam Speaker, with regard to the leaders' conference, I am sure that the Members of this Legislative Assembly will meet with interest after I have tabled the following document. However, I will commit that there was a declaration approved by delegates which committed those present to the annual meeting of this nature until 1999. Regular contact and discussions between leaders of organizations within Nunavut was encouraged, as well, Madam Speaker, with all we have to do between now and 1999.

It is essential that we work together to ensure that duplication of efforts will not occur. We, in the Nunavut Caucus, are committed to this initiative and are looking forward to future meetings with other Nunavut leaders. There were three accompanying statements, Madam Speaker, that were approved by the delegates. They deal with items that were discussed at the meeting that were of major concern to the delegates. Those are statements regarding cooperation and commitment to education in Nunavut, the statement supporting the devolution of non-renewable resources from the federal government to the Government of the Northwest Territories, and a statement concerning the adoption of a code of conduct by organizations in Nunavut. I guess that the Members will find these statements interesting and I believe that they are indicative of the commitment and hard work that lies ahead for all of us in the Northwest Territories as we work towards division.

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the Members of the Nunavut Caucus, the Nunavut Tunngavik executive, the members of the Nunavut Implementation Commission, the regional organizations and all other delegates who attended the meeting, for their hard work during the three days, as well. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause.

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

Madam Speaker, mindful of your admonition on Friday that Members should try to stay within the time limit, I have to confess that my Member's statement, for some reason -- it must have been the typist -- came out longer than two and a half minutes. So I'm going to probably go over, and I should confess that at the beginning, not at the end. But it's good stuff, Madam Speaker, so I'm going to start.

Madam Speaker, the government's staff housing strategy looks great, in principle. I'm sure that all Members agree with helping government employees who want to become home owners to do so. There are many in my riding. However, once again, just as with the rent increases, serious problems have arisen in implementing the strategy.

The main problem that I see -- and I'm not only speaking for Iqaluit -- is that quite apart from the sale of staff housing, whether staff housing is sold to employees or not, this strategy, unfortunately, will not deal with the fundamental problem of a huge and growing shortage of staff housing in the entire region, and I suspect in other regions, as well.

The reason is, Madam Speaker, that since the government has been talking about getting out of staff housing, mainly by selling units off but also by raising rents to encourage home ownership, hardly any new staff houses have been built or leased in Baffin Island. That's for at least the last ten years unless, that is, they burned down.

At the recent Baffin leaders' summit, for example, we heard from the Department of Social Services that they cannot hire a social worker in Broughton Island or in Hall Beach. Why? No staff housing.

I know that the 1994-95 budget of the Department of Justice contains funds to hire a community justice worker to support the elders' group which is very active in justice in Pond Inlet. Great news. Yet, our government is busy selling off existing staff houses, even a duplex, even to a term employee I've heard, although there are already no surplus staff housing units in Pond Inlet. Will Pond Inlet get its new community justice worker? Where will that person live?

In Iqaluit, a long awaited alcohol and drug treatment centre is near completion.

Mr. Patterson, your allotted time has lapsed for Members' statements. I think if you didn't waste 15 seconds explaining you would be over, you probably would have had more time. However, you require...

---Applause

Mr. Patterson, go ahead.

May I seek unanimous consent, Madam Speaker, humbly. Thank you.

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

I feel fortunate today, Madam Speaker. Thank you.

Order. I asked for nays. I didn't hear any nays. I asked twice and I didn't hear any so, Mr. Patterson, proceed.

Thank you, Madam Speaker and Members. In Iqaluit, a long awaited alcohol and drug treatment centre is near completion. This is also great news. But there is no housing for the new treatment centre staff. Where will they live without housing? Will they be willing to apply for those critical new jobs?

It seems like our government believes that merely by getting out of staff housing, staff housing needs will look after themselves. Maybe that approach worked just fine in Yellowknife, Fort Smith and Hay River, places with a developed private housing market. But Baffin Island is not like Yellowknife. People applying for government jobs, even local people in communities, many of whom are probably already living in overcrowded public housing, and certainly not people coming up from the south or elsewhere in the NWT, will accept jobs in places like Hall Beach or Broughton Island on the basis they find accommodation once they get the jobs.

Our population in Baffin is growing, some communities by up to three per cent a year. Demands on government programs such as education and social services are growing because of the growing population. Apart from NWT Housing Corporation home ownership units and public housing, hardly any new houses have been built for years in these level II and III communities.

We have many new person years in this budget which was laid before us yesterday. I will be very concerned to find out whether the GNWT has a plan to provide housing for each new position in each community. Personnel and Public Works must have a strategy in place to meet staff housing for new staff needs at the same time as they implement in a careful manner, community by community, their program to sell staff housing to existing employees. If the Government of the Northwest Territories continues to pretend that selling off staff housing in level II and III communities, or waiting for the private sector to fill the gap, will somehow take care of staff housing requirements for our rapidly growing population, we'll have an even greater staff housing shortfall to catch up with each year.

Madam Speaker -- and I know the Minister of Economic Development will listen to this part of my statement with great attention -- there are development corporations and private companies willing to build housing units in these communities. I acknowledge that. And they are probably willing to sell them later on to government employees who want to buy them. But the reality, Madam Speaker, is that the private sector, these private companies, will not build on Baffin Island without government guaranteed leases. Why? They will not build, even on speculation, simply because no bank will finance such construction.

So, Madam Speaker, I say to Madam Premier and the Minister of Personnel, without exaggeration, I hope, in Baffin Island you have a staff housing crisis on your hands. For the sake of being able -- well, I'm only speaking...I know Baffin best, it may be true in other regions -- to deliver critical government programs, please deal with it. Thank you.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. As a courtesy to you and to this House, I wish to advise you that I will be absent all day tomorrow to attend a Kitikmeot Inuit Association annual general meeting in Cambridge Bay.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Here is another reality, Madam Speaker. I want to rise today to speak on the denturist presently attempting to run a business in Yellowknife.

Madam Speaker, the source of all this gentleman's problems is in inadequate pieces of legislation that ensure all powers remain with the dentists operating in the Northwest Territories. Why are the dentists so reluctant to give up their control of the Dental Mechanics Act in the Northwest Territories? It may be that the dentists have a new list of concerns about the professionalism of dental mechanics operating in the Northwest Territories if the dentist must have control to ensure the safety of NWT dental patients. I suggest to you, Madam Speaker, that their objection to the denturist operating has more to do with financial concerns than any amount of concerns on their part for the well-being of the Northwest Territories dental patients.

What I mean by this, Madam Speaker, is that I've heard from a reliable source that it costs the dentist approximately $200 to send a referral to the dental lab in Edmonton or Winnipeg. However, Madam Speaker, under the uninsured health benefits of the Indian Health Act, these dentists are billing the government $800 to $1,000.

In most cases, when it is known that the referral is an aboriginal individual, the dental lab uses the cheapest material and processes to do the work. The end result, Madam Speaker, is dentures that don't fit or are painful to use. In either case, it means that the patient does not use the dentures. Madam Speaker, as the honourable Member for Yellowknife South mentioned before Christmas, there have been cases of people using carving knives to effect the necessary repair on dentures instead of having to wait the three to six months it takes the dental labs down south to do the job.

Madam Speaker, I'm one of those people who require partial plates. I would prefer to have a local denturist who I would go to at any time...

Mr. Gargan, your time has lapsed for your Member's statement. Mr. Gargan.

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

Thank you. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to continue with his Member's statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Continue, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Madam Speaker and honourable Members. Recently, Madam Speaker, my younger brother, Frank, invited the resident denturist to Fort Providence to work on those people's dentures who require adjustment. Madam Speaker, the denturist would have been pleased to travel to Fort Providence to do this work, but had to decline due to the threat of criminal prosecution that hangs over his head, that he sought business without referrals from the dentist.

Madam Speaker, there are elders who have lived on a traditional diet all of their lives, who are now forced to live on a diet of tea and toast because of the continual problems they have with their dentures. As you can imagine, Madam Speaker, this contributes to the elders' physical and mental deterioration.

Madam Speaker, many of us in this Assembly can remember when medical services in the Northwest Territories were few and far between. Why doesn't this government support the establishment of a dental lab in Yellowknife for the benefit of the residents? We, as a government, must encourage new businesses and industry to locate in the Northwest Territories. If we have to change an inadequate piece of legislation to accomplish this, we must do so.

Madam Speaker, it is my understanding that the dentists have no problem with a dental lab in the Northwest Territories. The only thing they want is their right to make referrals. Madam Speaker, the denturist has received only five referrals since he started shop six months ago. I suggest the government move quickly on this issue before the problem becomes redundant by virtue of the denturist moving south to make a living. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Allooloo on February 9. This is a further return.

On February 11, 1994, I replied to an oral question asked by Mr. Allooloo on February 9, 1994. I reported that the revenue from the sale of staff houses was $6,240,456. I should have

reported that $6,240,456 is the revenue from the sale of staff houses to GNWT employees.

In preparing for the status report, a line was unfortunately omitted, which reports that the sales to the public to date, have brought in an additional $4,303,471.

Total revenues to date is, therefore, $10,543,927. I will distribute a revised report to the MLAs. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Patterson on February 14, 1994.

Where the GNWT has appraisals done for a house on leased land, no land value is assigned to the property. The government gives the purchaser a leasehold interest only. In conjunction with the sale of the house and other improvements that might be on the land, they get a 30 year lease for the land. The purchaser has to make the annual lease payments on the land. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Patterson on February 14, 1994 on the procedures for the sale of staff housing.

In response to an oral question asked by Mr. Patterson on February 14, 1994, I will provide to all Members a copy of the guidelines for the sale of staff housing to employees. Thank you.

Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Amittuq, Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Personnel. In the budget, which the Minister of Finance tabled, and introduced to this House yesterday, there were some new positions in the level II and III communities. Presumably, these positions could be filled as soon as April 1, 1994. How many housing units are required for these positions? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I will take the question as notice.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. To the Minister of Personnel, before 1991, the government had a staff housing policy, which anyone could find in the government's policy book. I should say before 1992, pardon me. Where would an NWT resident, today, find a copy of the long-term staff housing strategy? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I will provide the strategy to this House. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I am aware that before December of 1992, government employees who were implementing the staff housing policy had a staff housing section of the Personnel manual in which they could find detailed guidelines on what should be done, when and how, with regard to staff housing. For the new long-term staff housing strategy, are there similar guidelines or procedures available for government employees when they are dealing with questions and implementing that strategy? Thank you.

Thank you. Initially, the question was directed to the Minister of Personnel. However, the Premier did want to reply to it after I had directed the question to the Minister of Personnel. I will allow the Premier to answer. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I have been looking at Hansard and looking at some of the questions. I would like to bring in perspective the process that we started with and why we are here in terms of the long-term staff housing policy, or strategy, so everyone will have the same information. Some of the questions and supplementaries will be incorporated in this explanation.

Madam Speaker, the long-term staff housing strategy is the end product of many years of work and a variety of studies. The first study was conducted in 1979 by a joint task force consisting of management and unions, which the previous Government Leader was involved with and lead. This was followed in 1985 by the Special Committee on Housing and decisions were then made by three different governments, under three different Government Leaders, to get out of staff housing. The recommendations from the studies and directions from the different cabinets were incorporated in the long-term staff housing strategy which was developed in its present form between 1989 and 1991, finalized in 1992 and approved by Cabinet in November 1992. As well, several short-term steps were taken along the way.

In 1989 and again in 1990, a process for making single-family housing units available for sale to long-term employees in every community except Yellowknife was approved with the first sales closing early in the year of 1992. Madam Speaker, in early 1991, the first phase of the long-term strategy was approved which extends the sales to all employees residing in single detached units, including Yellowknife. This was announced in the Assembly on February 27, 1992, with the first sales being closed in August 1992.

Public sales of surplus units began in Yellowknife in September 1992 with the first sales closed by early October in 1992. The present government approved the long-term strategy on November 7, 1992. This was announced in the Assembly and was tabled on December 3, 1992. After discussion and debate, several changes were made, approved by Cabinet and announced in January, February and March of 1993. The December 16, 1993, Cabinet decision extended another round of sales to tenant employees, added multi-plexes and set a process for MLA consultation about what to do with surplus units, if any, in these communities.

Madam Speaker, the long-term staff housing strategy is a plan which is devised to bring about the government's policy of getting out of staff housing. This strategy was designed to help people become more self-sufficient, promote home ownership, develop private rental housing markets, consolidate staff housing functions and aid the transfers of responsibility for public housing to community control. It is not a policy that has been promulgated in the GNWT policy manual. Many other Government of the Northwest Territories policies are not formal, blue-book type policies.

Point of order. Mr. Lewis.

Point Of Order

Thank you, Madam Speaker. This is a long response and it is very unclear to me what the question is that this response is being made to.

Thank you, Mr. Lewis. There is nothing really in our rules that indicates the time frame that should be allotted for replies to oral questions. However, taking into account here your comments, I will take your point of order under advisement because I do believe somewhere in our rules it does state that the reply to an oral question should answer the question and that I believe the question should be answered in as short a time as possible. So, I will take your point of order under advisement. Thank you. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I apologize for being long-winded about this, but there were many questions and there seems to be some confusion, and I believe I did

have a preamble and I am sorry it is so long, but however, the question was: "What is the policy?"

Madam Speaker, what I was trying to say is that this is not a policy that has been promulgated in the GNWT policy manual. Many other GNWT policies are not formal blue book policies. Blue book policies are descriptions of Cabinet-approved principles, rules, regulations and guidelines for the delivery of certain programs or services or for guiding decision-making on a variety of issues, are of general application and usually concern the interests of the public directly.

Madam Speaker, I have a bit more of an explanation and I hope this would answer the question on the matter of policy and strategy. Many other Government of the Northwest Territories policies exist which would be more properly styled something else such as internal guidelines or procedures.

These include items such as a human resource manual which contains detailed procedures and guidelines for many aspects of human resources. Strategies or plans, a great deal of the present work by Renewable Resources and ED&T flows from strategies they have developed and which have or will receive Cabinet and Assembly review. Although there is not a policy manual, blue book type policy for the strategy, the long-term staff housing strategy is a plan devised to bring about the Government's policy of getting out of staff housing. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I do appreciate, even if it was long, the full response to my question since I had asked yesterday if there was a policy and it was taken as notice, so I do appreciate that. I guess what I would like to ask now then, Madam Speaker, as a supplementary, is, now that we know it's not a policy but a plan, is the Premier willing to, since there is much, some confusion anyway, about what's in this plan, is the Premier willing to make this plan available to Members of this House so we can see what's in it? Thank you.

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, certainly. I believe it was tabled before or circulated and tabled before and we will do it again. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Madam Speaker, the Premier referred to the strategy tabled December 3, 1992, but she stated just now that on December 16 Cabinet reconsidered the strategy and made other changes allowing a further round of sales and revising this plan, so it's not the previous strategy that I'm interested in, Madam Speaker, it's the new revised, revisited, post-December 16 plan. I wonder if the Premier would be willing to table that plan before the Members. Thank you.

Thank you. On the same topic, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, certainly. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Honourable Member for Kitikmeot, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Personnel again. Under the pre-1992 allocation guidelines, locally hired employees were at the bottom of the list for staff housing. Due to the limited number of staff houses, very few locally hired employees could get into the staff housing so there are currently still many of these employees living in level II and III communities who reside in public housing units. Has the Minister now ascertained why staff residing in public housing units were not taken into consideration in developing the long-term staff housing strategy.

Minister of Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Like I indicated before by way of a letter to Mr. Ng, I am willing to work with each MLA and if he can provide the particular names so then I can do something about it. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ng.

Madam Speaker, I don't believe the question was answered and I would like to pose it again. What was the reason that GNWT employees residing in public housing units were not taken into consideration in the development of the long-term housing strategy.

Thank you. Minister of Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I can't provide the answer right now, but I will provide it to the Member at a later date.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ng.

I would like to ask the Minister, through you, Madam Speaker, will there be another review of this long-term staff housing strategy as a result of the concerns that have been brought forward yesterday and today?

Thank you. Minister of Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have already indicated, through my letters, that I would work with each MLA. I think that is continuing on the basis of the sales as they are going with the staff. Thank you.

Final supplementary, Mr. Ng.

Thanks, Madam Speaker. I'm still not sure if the question was answered. My question was, will there be a review of the long-term staff housing strategy? Not the individual concerns of Members as a whole, but the review by Cabinet of this strategy. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Maybe I could be a little bit more clear. As part of the review, I would like to get the input of each MLA. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Amittuq, Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have a question to the Minister of Personnel. I would like to know who in the Department of Personnel is responsible for allocating staff housing needs. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to get clarification. Is he asking for the name of the person?

Ms. Mike, he has indicated who in the department of Personnel is responsible for allocating staff units? Is that correct, Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to know if it's a person or a section of the department. It might be a little different from region to region. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The regional superintendents do. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you. To assist the regional superintendents, does the department have clear, written guidelines regarding the allocation of staff housing which ensures fairness and equitable allocation of available units? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Would the Minister table, in this House, the guidelines for allocating staff housing units?

Thank you. Minister of Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes, I will.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Allooloo.

Final supplementary, Madam Speaker. Can the Minister of Personnel assure this House that all decisions regarding staff housing allocation needs as of December 1992 have been made in accordance with her department's guidelines for allocation?

Thank you. Minister of Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Personnel staff should be allocating fairly to the employees. If they are not, I would like to get names and dates of who they are so we can look into it. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. Item 6, written questions. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Gargan.

Madam Speaker, I had my hand up for oral questions.

Mr. Gargan, I recognized your hand after I spoke twice for oral questions. I then stated written questions and your hand went up. If you wish to go back to oral questions, I'm sure you know the rules of our House. Item 6, written questions. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Gargan.

Madam Speaker, I request unanimous consent to return to item 5, oral questions.

Thank you. The Member is seeking unanimous consent to return to oral questions. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Proceed, Mr. Gargan. Item 5, oral questions.

Thank you. To the Minister of Personnel, Madam Speaker. Members are aware that there have been some changes and additions to the long-term staff housing strategy since it was introduced in December of 1991. Can the Minister tell this House the details of any revisions to the strategy which have occurred since she assumed the portfolio in September of 1993?

Thank you. Minister of Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I don't believe there have been any new revisions other than the fact the December 16 decision was the second-phase round of sales of staff housing to those who probably didn't have an opportunity the first time around. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Gargan.

So if it's not a new revision, then the strategy on the first and second phases are all non-strategies. Am I correct?

Thank you. Minister of Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. That's correct.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Amittuq, Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister of Personnel, is the Minister informed by her staff about these problems that are occurring? I know the Minister is responding to my question that she would like to know if there are essential problems allocating staff housing in fairness and based on need. I know of two audits that the Department of Personnel is doing to find out whether there is fairness or not, based on need allocations. Is the Minister being informed by her department as to what is happening? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes, and I have been talking with some of the regional superintendents. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife North, Mr. Ballantyne.

Madam Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of Health concerning the classification of public health nurses. I sent a letter to the Minister on January 27 on this subject and I haven't received a reply. The Minister is aware that when we took over Health in 1988 from the federal government, the public health nurses were given a commitment then by the then Minister of Health, by the then Minister of Finance, myself, and the then Premier, that the classification of their position would be looked at and would be adjusted accordingly. They came over to our government on that understanding. Six years later, there has been no action on this commitment by our government. My question to the Minister of Health, what steps is he taking to have this government live up to a very serious commitment made six years ago?

Thank you. Minister of Health, Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. We are just coming to the end now and should be finished by June or July of this year, the reclassification of in excess of 4,500 positions in the Government of the Northwest Territories. This issue will be dealt with, within the total job reclassification. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ballantyne.

That is well and good, Madam Speaker, but I think we are talking about 20 positions. They were given a specific commitment by this government. These nurses in Yellowknife are the backbone of the health delivery system here in Yellowknife. Everyone who was here during the whooping cough epidemic realized the sort of work that they do. I find it appalling that the government hasn't lived up to that commitment. So I ask the Minister if he will look at this as a very special case and live up to a commitment made by this government over the last six years?

Thank you. Minister of Health, Mr. Pollard.

Madam Speaker, I would point out that the Member who is asking the question, was the government at the time. I will deal with this issue, along with the other job classifications. If there is a priority in this area, then I will look at it as a priority. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, the honourable Member for Yellowknife North, Mr. Ballantyne.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes, I will put it on the record. It is a priority. To me, it was such a simple commitment that I had assumed it has been done. This group of nurses is so professional and reasonable that they haven't caused a lot of fuss about it. They have tried very hard to come to some sort of accommodation with the government. So, I will ask again, will the Minister make this a priority and deal with it? The government's credibility is on the line here.

Thank you. Minister of Health, Mr. Pollard.