Good afternoon. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Baffin Central, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. As my colleague, the Minister of Justice, has stated, our departments have developed a plan of action to implement the changes recommended in the family law review. The Department of Social Services will work closely with the Department of Justice in revising the Child Welfare Act. However, in addition to these legislative changes, there will be a requirement for major changes to existing policy and procedures.

Excuse me, Ms. Mike. I believe one of our Members is not receiving translation. Sorry. Member for Baffin Central.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, I will try again. Madam Speaker, as my colleague, the Minister of Justice, has stated, our departments have developed a plan of action to implement the changes recommended in the family law review. The Department of Social Services will work closely with the Department of Justice in revising the Child Welfare Act. However, in addition to these legislative changes, there will be a requirement for major changes to existing policy and procedures. This will, of course, require retraining of existing staff.

Here is a brief outline of what will have to be done to make the legislative and policy changes a reality:

- Assist in drafting the revised Child Welfare Act;

- Develop and train local child welfare committees wherever communities want to take on this responsibility;

- Negotiate agreements delegating ministerial authority to communities for child welfare;

- Revise child protection policies to recognize the role of child welfare committees and to give them the scope they need for innovative solutions;

- Revise child apprehension and placement procedures;

- Restructure budgets to provide funding to communities and local child welfare committees;

- Develop and train local bodies to take on this responsibility;

- Revise custom adoption procedures;

- Revise adoption policies to institutionalize the open adoption concept and recognize community roles in the process;

- Revise placement criteria and procedures in line with the recommendations of the family law review;

- Develop and fund local counselling resources to provide pre-adoption counselling;

- Clear custom adoption backlog of 1,500 cases and deal with annual volume of 400 applications.

Madam Speaker, these changes will start the process of family law reform. However, the task will not be complete at that point. The real work is the ongoing implementation by communities as they adapt to their new roles and responsibilities and determine solutions that respect local traditions and values. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Kivallivik, Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all our athletes, coaches, officials and cultural performers who participated in the Arctic Winter Games in Slave Lake last week.

---Applause

It was great to see how the Northwest Territories athletes were making friends and providing encouragement to athletes from other contingents when language was a significant barrier. I'm sure there were many friendships made last week that will last a lifetime.

I am pleased to inform you that the Northwest Territories athletes brought home 151 medals, the most of any contingent.

---Applause

This is the first time in ten years and we are all very proud. Very shortly, I will be distributing to Members a comprehensive summary of Arctic Winter Games results.

The residents of Slave Lake also deserve a medal for the excellent job they did in hosting this international event. I'm told that over 2,000 volunteers were involved from a community of only 6,000 people. The Northwest Territories uniforms stood out in both the opening and closing ceremonies and were in great demand as trading items throughout the week. I would ask that all Members join me in showing our appreciation for the athletes, coaches and officials as well as the host community of Slave Lake, Alberta. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I would like to inform the House that the Honourable John Todd will be absent from the House today. This is because of a flight cancellation in Rankin Inlet. Mr. Todd will be back in the House tomorrow. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Baffin South, Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to take this time today to congratulate the people of Lake Harbour who recently participated in the Arctic Winter Games in Slave Lake, Alberta. I'm very proud to inform the House that three young athletes from my community all emerged from the games with medals, proving their excellence in the area of Arctic sports. Madam Speaker, Olitua Judea won a silver and gold ulu in Arctic sports, Julie Oolayou won a silver medal in Arctic sports and Julie Mingeriak also won a silver medal in Arctic sports. Once again, congratulations on behalf of the Legislative Assembly for representing your community and the Northwest Territories so well in the 1994 Arctic Winter Games. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. On March 7 and 8, I, along with my honourable colleagues, Mr. Ballantyne, Mr. Dent, Mr. Zoe and the Honourable John Todd, had the opportunity to attend the Prospectors and Developers of Canada mining and trade show in Toronto. Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated and the City of Yellowknife/Chamber of Commerce had booths at the trade show which certainly received their fair share of attention, as the awareness of the NWT and the ongoing diamond exploration developments were a major topic of discussion.

In addition to the numerous amount of business people participating in the conference trade show, Mr. Charlie Lyall, president of the Kitikmeot Corporation and Mr. James Eetoolook, acting president of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, also attended the conference as delegates.

Madam Speaker, during our stay in Toronto, we had the opportunity to meet privately with Dr. Klaus Zeitler, president of Metall Mining Corporation and his staff respecting their plans with the Izok Lake project. We also met with Mr. John Stephensen, president of Kennecott Canada Incorporated respecting their plans in the Northwest Territories.

Madam Speaker, our Minister suggested and received support to form a steering committee of senior officials with DIAND, GNWT and of mining companies to explore the area of options for identifying, financing and establishing transportation infrastructure requirements for the mining industry for the Slave geological corridor.

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

Thank you. Madam Speaker, during our meetings with mining industry representatives, they outlined their acknowledgement and commitment to develop any proposed mining developments with the full involvement of northern and aboriginal people, the need to address environmental concerns and to satisfy northern interest. Their acknowledgement of these concerns is a positive sign. However, one must keep in mind that they have faced these issues before. Madam Speaker, once again, I will stress the need for our government, in full consultation with aboriginal groups, to continue pursuing the devolution of mining responsibilities from the federal government in order to ensure the interests of all northerners are respected. We, as legislators, must show our support to the GNWT in assuming these responsibilities as there is a

possibility of mineral developments in all of our regions in the future.

Madam Speaker, it will be a lot more responsive dealing with our government instead of the federal government to address any concerns respecting mining activities in the NWT, whether it be now, a year from now or in 1999 upon the creation of two new territories. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am pleased to be back here in the Assembly after a wonderful week at the Arctic Winter Games. (Translation) I would like to congratulate the athletes. (End of translation)

However, here is my main concern. There are many Inuit in my riding who live in very crowded extended family situations. The sons and daughters are not living on their own because of a shortage of single or smaller housing units. Often you have whole families in a room.

Also, Inuit families are wiling to live together in conditions of considerable overcrowding because of their tradition of family closeness. Often, several sons and daughters will hold low income jobs and contribute to the operation of the household. The total household income may be higher than a single or double income household, but I am concerned that the proposed revised rent scale may not take into account the unbelievably crowded conditions in which many of these families live.

I am also concerned that rents in Nunavut must take into account the extraordinary costs of living in these communities which don't have wood and roads. I am, therefore, suggesting to the Minister of the Housing Corporation that the revised rent scale, if it does not already, must consider the degree of crowding in a unit along with total household income. There should be a significant discount built in where families are living in more crowded conditions than the ordinary standards.

Secondly, I am going to suggest that the cost of living and condition of the unit must be taken into account to reduce rent so as to provide for equity and fairness. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

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

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise today to speak on a subject that is close to my heart. I have always been concerned about the erosion of the aboriginal culture in the Northwest Territories. I believe that some of the programs that this government has introduced over the last ten years may look good on paper, but have done little to support the people's aspirations at the grassroots community level.

Madam Speaker, the attempts of the divisional boards to incorporate cultural and traditional instructions in curriculum may be a noble effort. But I ask, Madam Speaker, how do you teach a child about their heritage, about our close ties with mother earth, in a classroom? The whole concept of traditional knowledge does not lend itself to the institutional setting such as school. By taking responsibility away from the community and legislating the cultural and traditional knowledge that is to be taught in school, we, as a government, are seen to be interfering in an area we have no jurisdiction in.

Madam Speaker, we, as a government, have signed a language agreement with the federal government. This agreement gives us money to spend on the promotion of aboriginal languages. The problem I have with this, Madam Speaker, is that it seems to me all the money we receive under this agreement is being spent on bureaucrats. I do not see this money filtering down to the community level, to the people it most affects and is relevant to. This, in my opinion, is another example of the top-heavy Government of the Northwest Territories.

Madam Speaker, there has been much talk over the past couple of sessions on the issue of custom adoption. The government has promised to introduce legislation to deal with this important issue. The problem I have with this, Madam Speaker, is that if we legitimize custom adoption, that is if we, as a legislature, adopt a Euro-Canadian set of laws and recognitions to deal with custom adoption, we are not just defeating the entire cultural rationalization for the practice of custom adoption.

Madam Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to complete my statement.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker, and honourable Members. Madam Speaker, I urge this government to remember that by formalizing the process for custom adoption, they are in some cases interfering with the process that has remained unchanged for hundreds of years. The government has a responsibility to the people of the Northwest Territories. The people of the Northwest Territories prefer to deal with the issues of custom adoption at the local and family level. The legislation should not be so all-encompassing that it interferes with the process at the local level.

Madam Speaker, legislating traditional values and customs may be seen as legitimizing them. What I am saying is why do we have to do this? These practices are already legitimate. Madam Speaker, we have started down a road where we, as a government, are becoming too involved in deciding what we feel is good for aboriginal people, instead of the aboriginal people being responsible for what is ultimately their own tradition and customs. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

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