Thank you. Good afternoon. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Minister of Social Services and Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Madam Speaker, the purpose of the youth initiative program is to strengthen the capacity of youth to lead and find solutions to problems and issues affecting youth. The program provides contribution and grant funding to allow youth the opportunity to plan, implement and participate in programs and services to youth.

The goal of the program is to provide the youth of NWT with the tools and resources necessary to develop their leadership potential, enhance their cultural and traditional awareness, instill self-esteem and confidence and learn the value of working together. The Department of Social Services is pleased to present a display of the youth initiative program in the lobby of the Legislative Assembly. The Government of the Northwest Territories recognizes that we must enhance the role of youth in the NWT by encouraging their active participation in projects, initiatives and special events that will assist in developing their personal potential and developing leadership and advocacy skills.

Madam Speaker, a total of 39 projects received funding this fiscal year. They include cultural camps, youth drop-in centres, outdoor leadership training programs, youth gospel conferences and attendance at school alcohol and drug conferences. The display shows communities that received funding for the 1993-94 fiscal year. I urge you to take a few moments to visit the display.

Also, Madam Speaker, a group of young people representing Generation 2000, a national group, and Youth On The Move, an NWT group established to promote healthy lifestyles and well-being for youth in the north, are present today at the display to promote their mandate. They are also holding presentations in local schools in Yellowknife throughout this week. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The speaker would like to recognize in the gallery the youth who are in charge of the display, Youth 2000. Welcome to our Assembly.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Natilikmiot, Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I would like to inform Members of this House that the honourable Member for Aivilik, Mr. James Arvaluk, will not be in the House today as he is attending a meeting of the Keewatin Marine Resupply Steering Committee in Rankin Inlet. Mr. Arvaluk will be back in the House tomorrow. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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

I apologize, Mr. Whitford. I believe Mr. Pudlat does not have translation. Mr. Whitford, proceed.

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

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

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge an important gathering that is taking place at this time in Iqaluit. The Pauktuutit Inuit Women's Association is holding its annual general assembly starting today, February 21, and ending on February 25. Inuit women from all over Canada will meet to discuss important issues and projects affecting Inuit women and children today. Projects on justice, health and housing, to name only a few, will be reviewed. They will also discuss a code of conduct and economic development.

Madam Speaker, this year's assembly promises to be an exciting one as Pauktuutit also has a fashion show planned for February 24 that will showcase Inuit traditional clothing. Inuit traditional fashion from every region in Canada will be represented, and producers from Alaska, Greenland and Russia are also invited to participate. I would like to express my support to Pauktuutit in their endeavours. I am sure that their assembly will be productive as well as memorable. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I was going to make a statement last Tuesday, which was Shrove Tuesday, but I realized that we have so many dates on our calendar that have significance and meaning to them that you could stand up on almost any day of the year and find it is a special day for some reason or another. Instead of talking about going to the priest last Tuesday and asking to be forgiven for all my sins and then having pancakes -- which would be the last good meal I would have for 40 days, until Easter -- I decided people don't do this any more. That is not what people do on Shrove Tuesday.

However, today is a very important day which is meaningful to many of us because it is Heritage Day. It strikes me that in this great country of ours, and particularly in the Northwest Territories where we have so many cultures, it would be an opportunity for us to do something rather special, something different. Instead of just marking it on the calendar and saying this is Heritage Day, we should be doing things within our own society, within our own country, within our own language, which are meaningful right now, today. The calendar is full of dates that have been set aside by the Christian church and there has been a great civilizing influence throughout the centuries, but many of these customs and traditions are not really part of everyday life in the way we know it today. I would like to urge people today to reflect on this matter. Many of the challenges that we face relate to the fact that we are from different backgrounds, different histories and different cultures, and the challenge for us to live together may be to find respect for the way people look at the world. We could all live together more fully, I suppose, if we really appreciated the kind of cultural baggage we bring with us, the history we bring with us, so that by looking forward, we can solve the problems ahead. I would particularly urge the Minister of Education and Culture to look at this to see if in future we could do something definite, just more than simply observe it on the calendar. Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

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

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express some concerns which have been brought to my attention. These relate to the acknowledgement and use of the various types of training taken by alcohol and drug counsellors. I believe that this government has adopted a philosophy of standardizing the training of alcohol and drug counsellors in the Northwest Territories. To achieve this, this government is also using the exclusive services of Arctic College to develop and deliver this program.

Madam Speaker, there are many alcohol and drug programs in the Northwest Territories, and all are committed to the growth, development and training of their workers. However, there are many counsellors, especially ones in the western Arctic, who have been trained through the Nechi Institute on Alcohol and Drugs, in Alberta. These workers are convinced that the training provided by Nechi is more appropriate than that now provided by Arctic College. Therein lies the dilemma. This government does not recognize and will not assist in sponsoring alcohol and drug counsellors to complete their training through the Nechi Institute. Some of the concerns raised about the current program at Arctic College reflect the reliability, availability and consistency of its courses. Also of concern is the lack of spiritual and cultural components of the programs and, finally, the setting and environment in which courses are delivered.

Madam Speaker, the ultimate objective of our alcohol and drug programs is to assist the people who are ill and in need, and to do this we need properly trained and equipped counsellors. Thus, it would seem beneficial to utilize the various programs and learned people who can help achieve these goals, no matter where they are trained. Our population is so small and the need so huge that we should accept help from whatever source we can. Madam Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to continue my statement.

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

Mahsi. Madam Speaker, I hope this government will review their position on this issue and will use the service and training provided by the Nechi Institute to help deal with our biggest problem in the north, the abuse of alcohol and drugs. Mahsi.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. This weekend I attended part of the very interesting conference here in Yellowknife organized by the Metis Nation and the Metis Heritage Association. I want to thank them for their efforts, especially Bren Kolson and Mr. McSwain, from Rae-Edzo, who organized the conference. Also, thanks to Education, Culture and Employment for funding this conference.

There are many varieties of Michif French -- as my colleague from Yellowknife South mentioned -- but the word is pronounced in a different way. There are also Michif Cree in which all the nouns or names for things are in Cree and all the verbs or action words are in French. There is also Michif spoken in Manitoba. We were trying to determine if the Michif here in the Northwest Territories is different, which is French mixed with Dene languages. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Very well timed. The honourable Member for Kitikmeot, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. There is a group of Inuit in Coppermine who have established a local development corporation, Illaut Investments Incorporated. On Wednesday, February 16, the shareholders held their first annual general meeting. Madam Speaker, this group of individuals has been struggling since early 1992 to establish itself. During my election campaign in early 1993, I was asked and agreed to support and assist the group. Since late last year, I have actively become involved in providing advice and encouragement to them.

These individuals are long-term residents of Coppermine who have developed a desire, like many other aboriginal people in the NWT, to become involved in the private sector. The shareholders have invested $500 each, which may not seem to be a lot of money to some of us who have well-paying employment, however, to many of these shareholders, becoming involved in business for the first time, the $500 investment of their hard-earned and limited financial resources is a major financial commitment.

Madam Speaker, the Honourable Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, through his department, has now provided funds for a consultant to work with the group, to develop a work plan and identify possible business ventures which the group can possibly become involved in.

The shareholders have committed to a long-term investment. In fact, these investments are not for themselves but, they are hoping, for the benefit of their children and grandchildren. These individuals are not trying to get rich overnight or disrupt any existing businesses. They are only asking for the opportunity, as a broad-base of local individuals, to become involved in a small way in the business sector of their own community.

Madam Speaker, I urge the government to support any reasonable initiative that comes forward from this and any other group which shows a broad community-base of involvement and the initiative to pool and risk their own resources. The newly elected executive of Illaut Investments Incorporated are: Mrs. Elizabeth Joss-MacDonald, president; Mrs. Joanne Taptuna, vice-president, Mrs. Annie Kellegok, treasurer, Ms. Rosie Kagak, secretary. I congratulate these ladies and the rest of the board members elected to pursue the interests of all the shareholders.

Madam Speaker, I will be absent from this House on Tuesday and part of Wednesday in order to meet with the consultant and the new board of directors in continuation of my support for their efforts. Thank you.

---Applause

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

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. My statement today will be regarding the rental rate review for public housing in the NWT. Madam Speaker, my constituents, most of whom live in public housing units, are very concerned about possible rent increases. The housing association in Lake Harbour, for example, informed me that their tenants are extremely worried about how they will be able to afford their rent, along with the very high cost of living in that community. They have not been officially notified, but the general assumption is that the rents will be increased significantly.

They have instructed me to resist any such increases. The local housing associations are also under pressure from tenants not to increase rents. I am also very concerned with the very high cost of living, especially the high cost of food, and how increased rents would have a very negative impact on many of my people.

I am aware of the difficult position that the Minister of Housing has been put in by the CMHC, but the legitimate concerns of public housing tenants must be heard and responded to. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The initial request for us to travel to Edmonton was from the Treaty 8 Nation, who asked us if we would go down in support of them at the beginning of their negotiations on their land entitlement. They also wished that a parallel negotiation process be put in place to discuss programs and services to Treaty 8 people in the Northwest Territories. The Minister of Indian Affairs, Mr. Irwin, was conducting a series of meetings with all Treaty 8 people across Alberta and had set up a generous amount of time to meet with the Treaty 8 of the Northwest Territories. They requested that we be there in support of getting their negotiations going.

While we were down there, we also asked to have a meeting with the Minister of Indian Affairs in relation to setting up a process to deal with our overall financial arrangements for the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. There were many people at those meetings with Mr. Irwin, and he had gone through at least a month of steady sessions before he got to the meetings with Treaty 8. We are attempting to get the federal government to deal with that outstanding issue. We did commit that we would be willing to go on a working group if the process could be established. I would like to refer a further explanation of this question, Madam Speaker, if it is permissible, to the Minister responsible for Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs.

Unfortunately, I don't believe our rules allow for one question to be directed to two Ministers to answer. Unless Mr. Dent asks this question to the Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs Minister, our rules do not allow it. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, it appears that the Minister wants to begin some type of process. I don't think it is quite clear from our discussion exactly what that process will be. The federal government of the day is committing to respective inherent rights and also aboriginal self-government. The suggestion was that perhaps Treaty 8 could be part of the overall review regarding the parameters of those two phrases, but that would take a whole year to do. The Minister did, without our provocation, state that he was interested in a one-window approach to deal with the treaty land entitlement and self-government. But I don't think it was very clear to us exactly how he was going to approach that, although he indicated that if we formed a working group, we could work toward what that process would be to allow Treaty 8 to proceed with their claim. I don't think I can clearly say to the honourable Member that there was a great deal of clarity. We did commit to support a process to try to deal with it and get it on the table. Thank you.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I think it would be in our very best interests to do so, yes.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions, the honourable Member for Inuvik, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. In my Member's statement today I mentioned a concern raised by some people in the western Arctic about training provided by the Nechi Institute on Alcohol and Drugs. My question to the Minister is, has this issue been reviewed and what is Arctic College's position on the training program provided by the Nechi Institute for Alcohol and Drugs as compared to the program run by Arctic College? Mahsi.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. There has been no position taken by Arctic College, per se. They are a delivery agent for training on behalf of our government. They're not involved in the philosophical decisions of this government.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

It is recognized though, that Arctic College does deliver a program to train alcohol and drug counsellors and I believe it's supposed to be standardized across the Northwest Territories. That is a government policy and philosophy. My question to the Minister is, does this government then recognize the training that people have taken through the Nechi Institute and the equivalency of those programs and training to the courses at Arctic College?

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. There is an interpretation of how one recognizes a particular course. I want to inform the Members that there is only really one institution, I believe, at present -- I'm not aware of any others -- and that is the University of Alaska that makes recognition of the Nechi program. Our attempt to develop an alcohol and drug counselling program in the NWT, through Arctic College, is to associate it with other post-secondary institutions in Canada where you can continue in a program to receive a degree. That is where we're at, at this particular juncture.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi. Arctic College's alcohol and drug program is fairly new and is trying to be enhanced. What changes are being made to include some of the spiritual and cultural components that Nechi has into the alcohol and drug programs provided by Arctic College?

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I will just indicate that many appropriate changes can be accommodated to respond to the training needs and cultural differences of the residents of the Northwest Territories. What seems to be the big debate at this particular time between a number of communities is whether they want to participate in

the northern training program or whether they want to continue in the Nechi program. That is the crux of the problem. My suggestion to the residents of the Northwest Territories is to help Arctic College develop a program that is more responsive to these needs, including spiritual and cultural requirements, in the northern training program. We would be prepared to consider these program changes if necessary.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. I thank the Minister for that response. I assume, though, that Arctic College programs for alcohol and drug treatment are delivered in central locations. Is Arctic College willing to look at delivering the alcohol and drug counsellor training programs at some of our alcohol and drug treatment centres?

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Any of those considerations could be made by Arctic College and by the department, but I would be a bit cautious about indicating to the honourable Member in the affirmative until we see what the design of the program is. I think we could consider the concept, as with the teacher education program where we run it on a community by community basis, with modules being run in a central location. There is nothing to suggest we can't consider that.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Education. The Minister knows that there are quite a few students attending school outside the NWT, and there is no policy to guide the parents on what sort of financial assistance they can gather if schooling is available in their community or region. I would like to ask the Minister if the department is drafting a policy that would address those students attending school outside the NWT.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The basic policy we've adopted as a government is to deliver our education programs in the NWT. It is not my intention to promote the idea of not developing the educational system. While I understand the issue the honourable Member is raising, I think our main focus should be developing quality educational programs in the NWT. That's our first priority and that's the approach I'm taking at this point in time.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Allooloo.

Madam Speaker, I don't dispute that the quality of education in the community is going to improve. I believe it is still improving and it will continue to do so for a long time. For those students who are interested in taking courses that are not available in their community or region, would the Minister be willing to develop a policy to address that sort of requirement? These students are mostly very bright. I know the first priority of the Minister, his staff and Cabinet is to educate our kids to the fullest. There are students who are very bright, and the courses they want to take are not available in their communities or regions so their parents are sending them out. Is the Minister willing to support developing a policy that would address those particular students? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am prepared to consider the idea but I'm not going to suggest to the Member that I'm going to support a policy of that nature. I would rather, if I could suggest, support a programming initiative in the Northwest Territories that would respond to those students. I would be very careful about how a policy that is being suggested by the honourable Member is considered or, for that matter, implemented. It could mean that a lot of students or parents could find ways to suggest that their child could qualify for a program of that nature. It's no different than the student residence/home boarding policy. Once you make a change to it and allow options, then it seems to fall apart. I would be very careful about that, but I will consider the comments that are being made by the honourable Member.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Would the Minister agree with me, in sending a certain group of students outside the Northwest Territories may cost the government less money? Madam Speaker, recently I received a letter from the Minister saying that in order to send a student from Pond Inlet to Iqaluit to attend high school, it costs this government $24,000 a year. I have a student in a southern institution whose parents are paying all of the costs and it's not as much as that. Would the Minister agree with me that in some cases it will cost this government less to send the students outside? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would not argue with the point that is being made by the honourable Member, however, the concept of building an educational system in the Northwest Territories is expensive no matter how we look at it. Our first commitment is to build a quality educational system in the north. That's our first priority.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Baffin South, Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. A little while ago I made a Member's statement with regard to the rental increases. This question is directed to the Minister of Housing. In the Baffin South region, in my constituency and other communities, there is a review being done with regard to rental increases. I have been getting a lot of phone calls from my constituents that if the rents are increased they will have a hardship. Madam Speaker, my question is, before the approval of the rental increases, would the Minister please notify the communities just before the rental increases become effective? Thank you.

Minister of Housing, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The process for reviewing the rental structure in the Northwest Territories for the Housing Corporation is, right now we're out in the communities gathering all the information from your constituents. Once the information is documented, then the Member will be informed of how it would effect his riding, also the community will be informed. A new rental structure will be discussed through the advisory committee, through Cabinet and through Members of the Assembly, then the community will be informed. There will be no adjustments for rent until 90 days after the process has all gone through. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Minister of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs, Mr. Kakfwi.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Finance, and it's to deal with a meeting that the Minister attended in January. A meeting that was put together of the federal Intergovernmental Affairs Minister, Marcel Masse, about the possible elimination of duplication between federal, provincial and territorial programs. I wonder if the Minister could give us a brief report as to what transpired in that particular meeting. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. It was actually a Finance Ministers' meeting, in which Mr. Martin had asked Mr. Masse to attend to talk to Finance Ministers about overlap in duplication. It involves areas of concern expressed by both levels of government, where we're both doing similar things. It involves the regulatory process. It involves the environment. It involves programs that are delivered by sometimes three levels of government: municipal; territorial or provincial; and, federal. It is hoped that after Mr. Masse has looked at this problem and gotten more comfortable with it, that individually, as provinces, territories and in some cases municipalities, we can agree on areas that do overlap, that do duplicate and we can come to some arrangement whereby the program would be delivered by one level of government and get some efficiency in the others. That was the gist. It was a get-to-know-you kind of meeting.

I have to write to Mr. Masse and give him our position with things that we see in the Northwest Territories that overlap and duplicate. Many of those things involve DIAND, of course, and the transfers of program responsibility that we have not yet received. I will be doing that, then Mr. Masse will respond and we'll see if we can work some of those issues out, Madam Speaker. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Ballantyne.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I find this process very interesting for us, probably as much if not more than other jurisdictions. It's a very, very important one. As the Minister has said there is a lot of overlap now. Many programs that DIAND carries out I am quite sure we are very capable of carrying out. Is the Minister of Finance the designated Minister in this process?

Thank you. Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

Yes, I am, Madam Speaker. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Ballantyne.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Could the Minister give us a time frame where we can expect the Minister to report back to this House as to what progress he has made in these negotiations?

Thank you. Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I hope to be able to isolate some fairly simple things this summer and pass them on to Mr. Masse. The overall strategy has to involve the rest of Cabinet, sitting as FMB, simply because of the complexity -- as Mr. Ballantyne points out -- of the problem in the Northwest Territories. It involves a huge government department and we are going to have to sit down and look at this before we make suggestions of an immense size. We will probably be able to report with some small successes in the fall session, and with the strategy then of how we intend to approach the larger picture. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Ballantyne.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Then would we expect this initiative to be put into the package of initiatives that the government now is negotiating with the federal government?

Thank you. Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

It is ironic that Mr. Ballantyne should ask that question, Madam Speaker, but of course he is very swift of mind. Just as a little insurance, shall we say, when I was meeting privately with Mr. Masse, I mentioned that we had experienced some problems with transfers from the federal government to ourselves, namely minerals and the northern accord, and would he be interested in attacking that problem from the aspect of overlap and duplication. He said he would be willing to look at that situation after we had exhausted the efforts that we have under way right now with the federal Finance Minister. I think Mr. Ballantyne was probably thinking ahead and I was doing the same thing in trying to cover some bases. We may be able to attack that problem from an angle of overlap and duplication, which would perhaps speed the process up and save the federal government some money. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Social Services. The Department of Social Services has done a lot of work and have been able to find some money to resolve the salary and benefits issue for alcohol and drug workers. For this, the workers are very grateful. But other than alcohol and drugs, there are many different programs within the department. One of these is the care for elderly residents. They are cared for in either government-owned and operated facilities or self-standing facilities, which are managed by other agencies and they receive contributions from the department. What is the department doing to ensure that the salaries and benefits of employees in the free-standing facilities are compatible with the work and responsibilities they do?

Thank you. Minister of Social Services, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Department of Social Services has already compiled a list of where there is wage parity with the facilities we have. But there are ongoing talks within Cabinet. Social Services is not the only department that has wage parity. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. I understand that a study was done reviewing the salaries and benefits in all the long-term care facilities. Can the Minister confirm whether a study was done of all long-term care facilities funded by the department in order to ascertain the salary and benefit levels of all the staff?

Thank you. Minister of Social Services, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am not aware if there was a study done, but our staff did collect information on the staff who are hired through the contributions and grants we provide. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

I have also been lead to believe that the levels of salaries which employees receive and work in government-owned and operated facilities are quite different than those owned by employees of free-standing or contracted out facilities. Can the Minister confirm that there is a difference in the salaries paid to employees in government-owned and operated facilities as compared to non-government-owned facilities?

Thank you. Minister of Social Services, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes, that was one of the reasons why the alcohol and drug counsellors' wages were increased to bring them up to the GNWT employee wage level. Thank you.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. Can the Minister then assure this House that employees who are qualified and have responsibilities in caring for aged and handicapped people should be paid salary and benefits which are commensurate and equivalent with their duties and equivalent to those in government-owned and operated facilities?

Thank you. Minister of Social Services, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I have the full commitment to try to increase the levels of wages where it lapses. It will come when the reorganization and the realigning of the programs within the department, where the funding can be found, are complete.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for High Arctic, Mr. Pudluk.

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to direct this question to the Minister of Education. The students in universities, outside of the communities...Since the...(inaudible)...quite rapidly, the price of clothes and food. Can their living allowances be raised annually? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. A year ago, there were changes that allowed for increases to student financial assistance, specifically in the area related to aboriginal students. The honourable Member has raised a concern. It is not our intention to cover things like clothing. That is not part of the ongoing responsibility we have. What student financial assistance does is deal with the matter of financing students to attend an institution, a college or a university.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Pudluk.

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. In Iqaluit campus, do the students who are single parents and do not have their children with them receive the same kind of assistance as the ones who do have children there? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.