Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I guess I have to say I am participating in this session this afternoon with somewhat of a heavy heart. I think the great expectations and hopes we had and put together this whole regime of aboriginal languages and a Official Languages Commissioner, are somehow not working out. I am not quite sure why. But I sense a real frustration on many counts. I know there has been good cooperation in some respects which I am pleased with. It is also obvious that some departments of government are not being cooperative with the Official Languages Commissioner and her office. It doesn't take much understanding to note a sense of frustration on the part of some MLAs. I suspect that this is also difficult for the Official Languages Commissioner herself.

Mr. Chairman, I think we all very much want this to work. Maybe we should be patient because it is new and we are breaking new ground. I think the time we have taken on these issues is a demonstration for our support for official languages and our great interest in finding out what is going on. But I think we have some problems that have to be dealt with. I would have hoped, for example, that the Official Languages Commissioner would be able to meet regularly with the Premier, not with one of her staff and would perhaps be better respected by some departments. I am not sure why that is not happening.

I also have an alarming feeling, and I know I have been satisfied from Ms. Harnum that legalistic approaches are to be avoided at all costs -- I have heard her say that when I have asked questions initially -- but it seems to be coming up all the time that the lawyers are taking over. Legal opinions are going to be relied on to determine issues. Frankly, I think this is a very human issue, it very much involves people who work in a small government and a small legislature. I really would have hoped that problems that arose could be solved by people with goodwill and open communication, rather than making lawyers rich no matter how good they are. One thing that has alarmed me about the tone of this discussion is that it has been very legalistic. I guess I'm not one to talk, I mean I've been part of that profession and I don't mean to condemn my own kind, but I don't think this is the place for legal analysis. I think language and culture is a very human, emotional, passionate, spiritual issue. I hate to see the lawyers getting more involved than is necessary.

Mr. Chairman, we obviously have another serious problem with the method of accountability and the method of reporting on the part of the Languages Commissioner. This is something that she has obviously addressed in her report. This format of committee of the whole, however effective it is for some things, is clearly not the way to do it. It's an awful, painful, formal process and clearly we've go to do something about that. I think there's been some thought given to that.

I think that part of what we're wanting to do is what every senior officer of the territorial government should welcome and I'm sure this includes the Languages Commissioner, is kind of a performance review. Now I know she doesn't work -- the office is independent and she doesn't work for an employer in that sense -- but I think that there should be some method of saying you're on track on this and you're not on track on this. Every manager and every senior functionary welcomes a chance to get constructive criticism. This forum isn't working. It's too formal and maybe there's an attitude of defensiveness. I think it's not the kind of place where we can expect someone to say, "I made an error in judgement, I've learned and it won't happen again." It hasn't happened here and I don't think it's going to happen. It may be the forum that has resulted in a tense atmosphere. We want an atmosphere of constructive criticism and openness on all accounts.

My concluding comments, Mr. Chairman, are that -- and I'm not going to invite a response as these are just comments -- what we certainly need to first of all do is tackle the reporting relationship that we all agree needs to be addressed and probably was overlooked by those of us who participated in drafting the bill. It has clearly taken on an importance of its own in light of all the questions that have arisen. I want to say that I'm just a little bit disappointed that we're not talking about the fundamental questions of the future of aboriginal languages in the Northwest Territories; we've been sidetracked from that discussion by and large. That has to be fixed up. Once we deal with the reporting relationship, and maybe I shouldn't be calling it a reporting relationship as it implies a lack of independence, but the relationship between the Languages Commissioner and the legislature. Once we've tackled that issue, then perhaps we can move forward and continue the real issues we all care about. Thank you.