Thank you, Mr. Allooloo. Orders of the Day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two Minister's statements I would like to make today.

Mr. Speaker, in this time of fiscal concerns and increasing costs, it is not often enough that we hear success stories.

Today, I wish to inform the House of a good news story.

Recently, an announcement was made concerning a new diamond discovery in the Keewatin region, between Baker Lake and the centre of the universe, Rankin Inlet. Cumberland Resources Ltd. reported that an exceptionally promising diamond discovery on the Parker Lake property has been identified. A total of 1509 micro-diamonds and two macro-diamonds were found in a 22 kg sample.

This discovery is of great interest and importance for a number of reasons:

Firstly, the diamonds were found in a different type of rock than those in the Slave province, north of Yellowknife. Now geologists are going to have to consider looking at other rock types for diamonds.

Secondly, this diamond discovery is in an area of the NWT that has not seen much diamond exploration. It opens up a whole new area of the NWT for diamond exploration.

Thirdly, the initial discovery of these diamonds was funded under the mineral initiatives of the Canada-NWT economic development agreement.

This recent diamond discovery at Parker Lake, while still in the initial stages, will increase the mineral exploration activity in the Keewatin, providing employment and business opportunities for the residents of the area. Perhaps in the future, it could lead to a diamond mine. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In January 1993, the Standing Committee on Finance requested that Economic Development and Tourism develop a fisheries plan emphasizing potential for increased processing in the NWT. This task was used to tie together several initiatives and programs which were under development at the time, which would form a strategy for the development of the Northwest Territories fishing industry. On January 17th of this year, I indicated to the standing committee that the strategy was being finalized.

On February 8th, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans tabled a report entitled "Review of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation." The recommendations in the report place the future of the corporation in doubt.

The Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation was originally created to consolidate production from many small isolated fisheries under a single agency, to increase the selling power of the fishermen and to increase their returns. The corporation was given a near monopoly over the processing and marketing of freshwater fish from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories and northwestern Ontario. There are strongly divergent views in the industry on the "single desk" selling mandate of the corporation.

The parliamentary committee recommendations, if accepted by the Government of Canada, will bring an end to the freshwater fish market as we know it today.

The committee recommends that in the short term provisions should be made for fishermen to opt out of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation. Fishermen opting out would then be able to sell their fish to other companies.

In the longer term, it is recommended that the federal government enter into negotiations with the provinces and the Northwest Territories and other stakeholders, with the objective of transferring responsibility for processing and marketing freshwater fish from the FFMC to each jurisdiction now covered by the corporation. As jurisdictions implement programs for marketing and selling fish, it is recommended that they be exempted from the Freshwater Fish Marketing Act. When all jurisdictions have programs in place, no later than the 1997-98 fiscal year, the Freshwater Fish Marketing Act would be repealed and the FFMC would not longer exist as a Crown corporation.

Accordingly, for the present, existing policies and programs will be maintained. Subsidies to the winter fishery on Great Slave Lake will remain as set, at 10 cents per pound. The subsidy for the summer fishery will be set in the spring.

The Government of the Northwest Territories will consult with the fishermen on the committee's report and respond to the federal government. When the direction of the federal government is clear, we will return to the development of the fisheries strategy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members receive survey sheets as part of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business regular poll of political and business leaders on matters of interest to the public.

This week I received results of Mandate West's survey number 174 which was published on February 2nd of this year. I don't always respond to the survey, Mr. Speaker, but I found the results of this one very interesting. One of the four questions on survey number 174 dealt with the issue of the recall of MLAs by their constituents. The question on the survey was: Should the Legislature adopt a system enabling voters to recall their MLAs?

Only people in the Northwest Territories were asked to respond to this particular question, Mr. Speaker. The response was yes, 63 per cent; no, 29 per cent; undecided, eight per cent; no interest on this issue, zero per cent. So everybody was interested.

There is clearly a continuing interest in this issue in the north, Mr. Speaker. I spent the past year working on the recall bill. I've said previously that there is a problem with our current consensus government. I shall be introducing the bill in this session since I believe there is an accountability problem we must all tackle.

Members were uncertain on how to proceed with recall a year ago when I first discussed it with my colleagues. Since then, Mr. Speaker, British Columbia has passed legislation and recall is no longer a strange or unusual concept. Thank you.

---Applause

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

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

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity, through my Member's statement, to talk about the aboriginal people of Nunavik in northern Quebec. The aboriginal people are very concerned right now in Nunavik about the issue of separation of Quebec because they are one of the original peoples of Canada and are aboriginal people. The Premier of Quebec is really pushing for Quebec separation from the rest of Canada so, for this reason, the aboriginal people of northern Quebec are very concerned. They are working towards staying in Canada. They want to belong to the rest of Canada as aboriginal people.

There is going to be a referendum very shortly in Quebec to decide whether or not Quebec will be separating from the rest of Canada. Because Nunavik aboriginal people are our family -- I have family members there because my wife is from there -- they want to have easy access to the rest of Canada. The residents are very scared that Quebec is going to separate from Canada. I rise today to say we support the aboriginal people of Quebec to stay in Canada. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about a good friend of mine. His Worship Larry Aknavigak took office as mayor of Cambridge Bay in January of 1994. Recently, on February 16th, he resigned to assume his new full-time responsibilities as chairman of the Nunavut Impact Review Board. At this time, on behalf of my constituents and myself, I would like to thank him for his contribution and service to the residents of Cambridge Bay and the region. In establishing an excellent working relationship that I have had with him, I would like to recognize him sitting in the gallery and ask Members to join me in wishing him all the best in his new capacity as well.

Finally, I would like to wish the new mayor of Cambridge Bay, Mr. Michael O'Gorman, best success in his endeavours. I hope that I will be able to establish just as good a relationship with him as I was able to with the former mayor. Thank you.

---Applause

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the government has referred to a community action fund in conjunction with the 1995-96 budget. This fund would help community groups test their ideas in making plans for community wellness initiatives. However, the government has not said where the money for the community action fund will come from.

I asked the Minister of Finance, on Friday last, why the government suggested such a plan without providing a means for funding it and without including it in the budget. While the Minister agreed that such a fund is something that the communities want to have happen, he didn't tell the House why the government hasn't identified funding for this initiative in the 1995-96 budget. Mr. Speaker, the Members of the Standing Committee on Finance and, indeed, all ordinary Members do not find this acceptable. If the government has a proposed initiative, they should tell this House where the money will come from. If the funding is not available, the initiative should not have been proposed.

The Minister of Finance said until such a time as there is an agreement on the program and where the funding comes from, it will not be brought back before the House. My response is, if there is no agreement on the program or on the source of funding, the proposal should not have been brought to the floor of the House in the first place.

I am further concerned, Mr. Speaker, by an apparent contradiction in the Minister's answers to my questions on Friday last. At one point, referring to the budget supplement document that discussed the community action plan, he told the House that he didn't consider that document to be part of the budget. However, later that day, in response to another question, he said if we can reach agreement on how to raise those funds or where to get the money from then, yes, we would propose bringing that issue back to the floor of this House and amending the budget or department somehow so that it is reflected in the 1995-96 budget.

The Government of the Northwest Territories introduced a proposed initiative which would appeal to all northerners. Yet, it was not specifically included in the budget and we don't know where the money will come from. With all the challenges, fiscal and otherwise, facing this Assembly and this government, this is not acceptable. This initiative should have been either reserved until the funding issue was resolved or included as part of the budget with some means of funding provided.

Mr. Speaker, I have run out of time. I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member for Nahendeh is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Antoine.

Mr. Speaker, as a result of this incident, we have deferred the Social Envelope Committee in the committee of the whole for the departments of Health and Social Services, Education, Culture and Employment, Justice, and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to later in the review process until this issue is resolved.

As a result of that and to help matters, Mr. Speaker, later today I will be giving notice of a motion to direct the Executive Council to consider allocating $3.2 million from the 1995-96 supplementary funding reserve to implement this initiative. I agree that the community action fund is worthwhile for the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I spoke about the role of community justice systems and especially the service volunteers who serve on these committees provide. Today, I would like to expound a bit on what these committees do. I can only make reference to the community justice committee in Inuvik, as I have had opportunities to meet with them and observe their work.

The Inuvik committee is very active and has a large case load to deal with. From what I have observed and hear, this committee is doing a very good job. Mr. Speaker, one of the major tasks of these committees is to work on an adult diversion program; that is, where possible, to try to keep an individual from appearing in court and possibly ending up in jail. There has to be a tremendous cost-savings for every person diverted from our current formal justice system. For example, there are costs of: police services; legal services; defence and prosecution lawyers; the judge; maybe the jury; and, if it is in the territorial Supreme Court, the cost of the court party, which includes their travel.

If a person is convicted, then additional costs, which include transportation to a correctional centre, including return fare and accommodation for police escorts and then the cost of housing that individual in our correctional centre. We all know the high costs involved in our current formal system.

Mr. Speaker, the point of my statement is that we now have a community initiative which seems to work and at very little cost. It would seem that for every person diverted from the formal justice system, there is some cost-savings. I would suggest to the department that they do a review of the effectiveness and efficiencies of the community justice committees with a view of providing more support, moral and financial.

Mr. Speaker, we have something that works. Let's encourage and support it. Mahsi.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last week, the town of Iqaluit and the Nunavut Implementation Commission hosted an important meeting of men and women representing some 25 Nunavut communities; seven MLAs from the Nunavut Caucus; one from the Constitutional Development Steering Committee, Mr. Koe; the Premier; and, executive members of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.

The town of Iqaluit has recently established a hospitality committee under the leadership of the mayor of Iqaluit, Joe Kunuk. I would like to congratulate the mayor, council and the community for the fine job they did of hosting this major meeting last week. There were activities each night; games and dancing in the parish hall; more music dancing and entertainment, along with the community feast at the Inuksuk High School. There was a banquet hosted by the Iqaluit and regional chamber of commerce and corporations, followed by games and dancing in Apex. I would like to thank the entertainers, young and old; people like the hunters who secured country food for the feast, business people and especially each member of the Iqaluit hospitality committee.

I was quite impressed, Mr. Speaker, by the very grateful comments of many of our visitors from Nunavut, some of whom had never been to Iqaluit before. The community I represent is a strong Inuit community; in fact, the largest Inuit community in the Northwest Territories. They noted that it has what has to be the smallest and oldest community hall in Nunavut and that Iqaluit can reflect the very best of northern hospitality and entertainment in an alcohol-free setting.

So, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank all of the people who honoured us by attending this meeting. Iqaluit now looks forward to the honour of hosting the Nunavut trade show this coming weekend and, later this spring, the annual general meeting of the NWT Association of Municipalities. Qujannamiik.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Patterson. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Koe on February 21st regarding proclamation of Aboriginal Custom Adoption Recognition Act.

Before the act comes into force, the Department of Health and Social Services will work with the departments of Justice and Safety and Public Services to carry out a number of tasks.

An appointment process must be established for adoption Commissioners, an information kit will have to be prepared for communities, an orientation process is needed for adoption Commissioners and payment procedures will have to be finalized.

Departmental officials have been in contact with the department of Justice regarding the development of regulations for this act and an action plan has been developed. Proclamation of the Aboriginal Custom Adoption Recognition Act is expected to occur on or before September 30, 1995.

Mr. Speaker, I have another return, if I may proceed.

Mr. Speaker, it is a question asked by Mr. Ningark on February 22, 1995 regarding a birthing centre for Taloyoak.

Earlier this month, in response to a letter received from the mayor of Taloyoak, I recommended that the Kitikmeot health board proceed with the development of a proposal for a midwifery project, either as a community or regional initiative, and submit the proposal to the deputy minister's office for review and consideration. Once this proposal has been received and reviewed, we will be better able to determine how the government will be able to support the centre.

The department is currently working with the Keewatin Regional Health Board to evaluate the Rankin Inlet birthing project. I think there are some valuable lessons to be learned from the pilot project. The evaluation is expected to be complete in the spring of 1996. This will give us time to review the request from Taloyoak in relation to the results of the Keewatin pilot project. At that point, a decision will be made based on the economic and practical viability of community birthing projects. A major factor in the decision, Mr. Speaker, will be the availability of sufficient funds to adequately support the project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Koe on February 24, 1995 regarding changes in WCB coverage for hunters and trappers.

Section 10 of the Workers' Compensation Act allows for a person who is a resident of the NWT, who holds a general hunting licence, and is an independent operator principally engaged in hunting, fishing or trapping for a livelihood, to be covered to their year's maximum insurable remuneration, YMIR, of $24,000. There is no cost for this coverage.

If a hunter/trapper is not covered under section 10 of the Workers' Compensation Act, or if he/she wishes to insure himself/herself in an amount greater than the $24,000, the coverage can be obtained at a rate of $2.50 per hundred dollars. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, I have been away from the Assembly and I am not sure whether I have been neglecting Mr. Ben MacDonald, but he is here and I am here today. He is from the Union of Northern Workers. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Whitford. Mr. Whitford, do you have a question?

He is introduced now.

Would you like to go back?

---Laughter

The Member for Yellowknife South is asking unanimous consent to go back to item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Whitford.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I got several calls from constituents this morning about last night's budget, Mr. Speaker. I was asked to raise this question: since in fiscal year 1996-97 we're expected to be cut by about $58 million by the federal government, and since we've heard lots of statements right across the country -- Mr. Savage is angry about the $250 million cut they're going to get; Mr. Rae is angry about the more than $3 billion cut that Ontario is going to get -- and since we're saying that we're not going to fight about it, we're not going to rail like everybody else -- and we took a hit like everybody else -- I would like to ask the Minister of Finance how can our constituents judge whether we are being treated fairly by this cut in comparison to everybody else across the country since we had an immediate reaction yesterday from every jurisdiction to this budget and we haven't had an official reaction from the Northwest Territories as to whether we like this or not?

Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, individual residents of the Northwest Territories, along with individual residents in Canada, are going to have to judge for themselves the fairness of Mr. Martin's budget.

To reassure people why am I not railing against what Mr. Martin has done, I believe that railing against what he has done would be non-productive. I would rather work with the federal government to achieve the ends that they want to meet than I would in becoming an adversary of theirs and fighting with them.

At 3:00 this afternoon, I will be discussing this issue with Ethel Blondin-Andrew and we will be requesting that, in the not-too-distant future, we'll be meeting with Mr. Martin, the Premier and myself, to discuss how these impacts on the Northwest Territories are going to occur and just what the full impact will be and how we're going to address those changes in our lives that are going to take place. So I would rather work with them than against them, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's understandable that, since we seem to not have a reaction, the public would be interested in knowing what the full impact on us will really be.

I understand that we are in a different position than the provinces. We are in a weaker position, I suppose, because we're not a province. I would like to ask the Minister, since we have a formula funding agreement, what aspects of this formula funding agreement need to be examined in creating a new formula for us? In other words, if our cut is going to be $58 million, what is it that we need to change in the formula funding agreement that helps us to absorb that kind of a reduction?

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, what needs to happen is there needs to be a recognition that the Northwest Territories can be of great advantage to Canada if we manage the assets and if we manage the resources in the Northwest Territories well. If they are taken out of the ground or if they're taken off the land and put into production, not only will we gain but so will Canada. So what we need to do is to convince Mr. Martin to have a formula funding agreement that recognizes that if we do well, then Canada does well. Our present one is somewhat restrictive and doesn't allow us to do that, so that's the argument that I will be making to him, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although this federal budget only proposes to raise taxes very selectively on a very narrow range of issues, what would be the impact of these taxes on northerners and on our northern economy?

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, the gasoline tax increased by 1.5 cents a litre. That's going to have an impact on people in the Northwest Territories. It will maybe have an impact on us too because it may cause us to gain some more revenues.

With regard to the other taxes, the increase in corporate income tax is going to affect companies in the Northwest Territories.

Of much greater concern is when we find out more details; they talked about mining and resource revenues, yesterday. We don't know what the impact of that is going to be. Those are the kinds of areas that I'm concerned about right now. I know there are other people in Canada who are concerned about frightening away large corporations from Canada, and I guess we must be equally vigilant.

You know yourself, Mr. Speaker, that this year we did not choose to raise corporate income taxes because we wanted to be competitive. So I think Canada has to be competitive and the Northwest Territories as well. So it may have some downstream effects that we don't know about yet, Mr. Speaker, but it's something that we're monitoring. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Lewis.

Thank you. Since we are funded quite differently from the provinces, I would like to ask the Minister of Finance; in the areas of health and education where we, at one time, used to have established program funding, how will this new transfer system of health and social services affect us or does the formula funding agreement we have right now cover all that anyway and we need not worry about what's happening in the provinces?

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Nerysoo is going to have his work cut out for him over the next few months, as he deals with the federal government in this particular area. With regard to the impact upon us fiscally, we do not believe that there will be a fiscal impact to us because of the formula financing agreement that we have seen laid down before us by the federal government. The outlines are there and the basics are there, and under the present conditions, it would not have an effect on us. But I stand to be corrected as we get further into the negotiations, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. Yesterday in committee of the whole, we were reviewing the department's main estimates. In particular, we were reviewing an activity called "policy and planning." I asked a question about the increase in PYs in one of the tasks associated with this activity.

There were tasks we were dealing with: the economic planning task and the human resources task. In reviewing this further, I note that the person years in the economic planning task were reduced by one person year, from six to five, but in the human resources task there is an increase of 1.6 PYs, from 2.0 to 3.6 PYs. This information is in direct contrast to what the Minister said yesterday in responding to my enquiry. My question to the Minister is can he please justify the reasons for increasing the person years in the human resources task from 2.0 to 3.6 PYs in the 1995-96 main estimates.

Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was pointed out to me late yesterday afternoon by the deputy minister that perhaps I was in error in my interpretation of that increase in the PYs. In fact, these 1.6 PYs were added to cover off student summer employment that historically was done under contract. We added it to this component under the casual wages, where students would come back and are employed by the department for four months in the summer. We have four trainees in this category: Danny Gaudet; Tanya Roth; Donna Kisoun and Donald Havioyok.

As I said, in the past this work apparently was done under contract. This year we changed it to casual wages. Therefore, I apologize to the Member for misguiding him yesterday, and I appreciate the opportunity to clarify it this afternoon. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Thanks. I appreciate the response from the Minister, and I again congratulate him on looking after our students, especially the ones in training positions to ensure they have jobs when they come back for summer breaks.

Also in the Minister's response yesterday, and I quote from the unedited Hansard, he said: "...the human resource component really isn't increasing, it's mostly in the policy and planning area because there's a greater emphasis on trying to manage results and to try to evaluate more clearly the return on investment we're getting of our expenditures." So, my supplementary to the Minister is, what work is being done in terms of measuring results and evaluating activities within the department?

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some time ago, last year I believe, the Standing Committee on Finance indicated to us that we had to determine what our return on investment is, particularly in the tourism and parks area. We did present to the Standing Committee on Finance earlier in the year our first cut at trying to evaluate what the return on investment is, whether it is expenditures in the park in Lake Harbour or expenditures that Mr. Dent asked about yesterday with respect to tourism development. That's the area we're working on right now. We're trying to determine if we are getting a return on the money we are spending in the development of parks and the marketing of tourism.

I believe the results we have so far are certainly not perfect and we have to refine the gathering of information so it is a little more sophisticated and accurate, but I think we're on the right track. Hopefully, in the coming months, we'll be able to demonstrate that to the ordinary Members and determine more clearly if the money we're spending in particular areas is giving us a return on our investment. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, we represent hunters and trappers, business people, young people, women, elders and so on. They are struggling every day to make their lives easier. But there is one very special group of people who we haven't really seemed to represent in the House yet. For mentally handicapped and physically handicapped people, life in the small communities can be very difficult. Mr. Speaker, my question is what programs and services are available for mentally and physically handicapped people? Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, there are a variety of programs and services to meet the needs of the categories of individuals as outlined by the honourable Member. What I had hoped to be doing in the next few months is looking at all these needs in a more structured, rational way so that we can plan, within the Department of Health and Social Services, to meet those needs.

I've tried to put together information so that we can have a comprehensive look at the communities. I'm not advocating any major studies or bringing in consultants, but to get a fix on the communities, the age groups and what the requirements are so that the department can plan to meet the needs of these groups of people.

I know there has been a concern that because of the smaller number of people we are dealing with, they often get forgotten. There's a great deal of interest now at the community level to address, as much as possible, as many of the needs as can be met at the community level. I hope that the community wellness strategy will look very carefully at overcoming some of the ad hoc planning that has occurred in the past.

Mr. Speaker, I hope in the next few months we will be able to come up with a fairly good idea of what is needed, what communities can handle and how residents who have handicaps that are too severe can be handled in another locality. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the honourable Minister communicate and seek advice from the regional health boards in this matter? Thank you.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I have dealt with this issue with the Inuvik health board in the Inuvik region, the Sahtu health board in the Sahtu region and also with the Kitikmeot health board. It is anticipated that, as early as possible, we'll be meeting with the Keewatin and Baffin boards to address these concerns. As well, when there are regional meetings, the community wellness strategy has been brought to the attention of the members and it has been suggested it might be an avenue for identifying, with community and regional involvement, the best way of identifying needs and where these needs should be met. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. Mr. Speaker, the Nunavut trade show is coming up in Iqaluit this coming weekend. I'm pleased the Minister is going to be there. There will be businessmen and women from all over Nunavut gathered there, and I know they will be discussing progress on the development of a Nunavut Chamber of Commerce to prepare for economic activities in Nunavut. I would like to ask the Minister, does he support the establishment and growth of a Nunavut chamber of commerce? Thank you.

Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we support the orderly development of a Nunavut Chamber of Commerce. I've already expressed to the presidents of the Keewatin, Kitikmeot and Baffin chambers of commerce that I would be only too happy to look at the potential funding proposal, should they request it. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Could the Minister inform the House what contribution, in dollar terms, his department has made to the Nunavut Chamber of Commerce, compared to the contribution made to the Northwest Territories Chamber of Commerce in the current fiscal year. Thank you.

Mr. Todd.

Mr. Speaker, if my memory serves me correctly, the only contribution we made to the Nunavut Chamber of Commerce was last year. It was $7,500 to bring the three presidents from the three regions in to see if there was sufficient interest in the development of a new Nunavut Chamber of Commerce. I've been disappointed, obviously, with the results and have been encouraging the three presidents to accelerate the efforts to have a more representative Nunavut Chamber of Commerce. With respect to the NWT Chamber of Commerce, I believe the dollars were significantly more, somewhere around the $100,000 to $200,000 range. I stand to be corrected, but it certainly was significantly more. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Dent.

Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, the Social Envelope Committee recommended to me that they prepare this document and present it to the Standing Committee on Finance as an information item. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, that was not part of the budget deliberation considerations. There were certainly no funds available for that particular initiative; we were already in the hole $14 million. So it wasn't considered by FMB. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, if my memory serves me correct, this did not come out of the Social Envelope Committee and get reported as part of the budget. This is something that occurred after the reports from the envelope committees. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Final supplementary.

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, I never disregard what the Standing Committee on Finance says. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. In reviewing unedited Hansard, Mr. Speaker, one of my colleagues had asked whether the Minister felt they could achieve a mining accord. It's my understanding that this government is trying to achieve a northern accord -- and possibly a mining accord may be subsequent to a northern accord -- in addition to an oil and gas accord.

Mr. Speaker, can I ask the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources whether or not he feels a northern accord can be achieved by this government by the fall?

Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I should clarify. The honourable Member is correct, it is a northern accord; oil and gas/minerals. As I said yesterday, my optimistic side is if we can reach an arrangement with the aboriginal groups by the end of May in which they assist us in the development of the accord and the language of the accord, then I'm optimistic with the commitment that has been given by Mr. Irwin, Minister of Indian Affairs, and the priorities being placed on this initiative by both the Premier and our illustrious Finance Minister, that we should be in a position to conclude an accord that is reflective of the majority of people in the territories. I'm certainly optimistic we can achieve that.

However, in all fairness, I think it's contingent upon, to some extent, the ability of all of us who are meeting to reach an arrangement on the accord, to work with each other in an effort to reach a compromise position. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you. Recognizing that the Treaty 8 organization is in their land selection process, and also recognizing that there are some other native organizations that don't have their claims settled, I recognize the Minister is being optimistic; however, stating the reality of the world today, inside and outside of the Northwest Territories, and the reluctance of certain native organizations without a claim, I cannot see how they can achieve a northern accord; how this government can get the support of all native organizations for a northern accord. I would like to ask the Minister, can he

advise this House as to what aboriginal organizations do not support the acquisition of a northern accord for this government? Thank you.

Mr. Todd.

Mr. Speaker, I'm not trying to avoid the question but I can't speak for aboriginal organizations that are at the table. I can say this; both Treaty 8 and the Deh Cho people have expressed some concern. They are in intensive discussions with the federal government as it relates to a nation-to-nation relationship, rather than a claim relationship. I think I can say, I hope without contradiction, that the Inuvialuit, the Gwich'in, Sahtu, NTI and the Metis Nation have all agreed to sit around the table and try to reach an arrangement and language that would make them feel comfortable so that we could move forward in trying to reach an accord. I don't know whether that satisfies the honourable Member, but that's the best way I can describe it at this time.

It would be my hope -- and I believe I've been reasonably public and candid particularly with my colleagues, the Treaty 8 people -- that while they view themselves as observers and not direct participants, they would still give us their best advice on how we should proceed. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister advise this House and the public of the Northwest Territories, as of this date, does he have the support of Treaty 8 to acquire a northern accord for the Government of the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's a very difficult question to answer. Again, I'm not trying to be evasive. I have met on three occasions with Treaty 8 representatives and have encouraged them to be participants in this process. They view their relationship with the federal government differently than claimant groups with claims. It would be difficult for me to say whether they are onside or not onside. I know they've come to the meetings in an observer status and I've certainly appreciated that and I've extended my appreciation to them for that.

They're attending the meetings as observers, which I'm encouraged by. They've made it clear to us that they have a special relationship with the federal government which they don't want the accord to encumber. So it's very delicate. We're trying to find a delicate balance in the language of the accord that will one, satisfy this public government; and, two, not impinge upon the negotiations that are under way with the federal government. I guess that would be the best way to explain it. Thank you.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister may feel it is a delicate situation but I don't think it is a delicate issue. I'm just asking whether or not they support the accord. Recognizing that Treaty 8, as the Minister stated, is only an observer in the process -- they don't even want to be participants in the process to give the government support for the northern accord -- I would like to ask the Minister again, has the federal government stipulated that all aboriginal organizations have to support this government in order to acquire a northern accord? Thank you.

Minister Todd.

The federal government has indicated to me, in my discussions with them, that I should make every attempt to seek broad-based support for an accord. That's what they've indicated at this time. I don't believe they have said one group or another would have a veto, but I believe they have said it is incumbent upon us to reach broad-based support for this accord. A genuine expression of the politics of inclusion is what we're attempting to achieve in the round-table discussions we're having with the key leadership of aboriginal groups. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Zoe.

Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my understanding, Mr. Speaker, that discussions have begun already with key stakeholders in the sport system, and a public

discussion paper is being prepared to be presented to Cabinet for review in early May of this year to form the basis for further public consultation, with the expectation that a final report will be presented to the Cabinet by the end of September on the evaluation of our government's involvement in recreational games. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Zoe.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not positive whether or not there's a policy currently in place but I know there are provisions in place, through the former Minister and former Cabinet, in the amount of $50,000 specifically to address the North American Indigenous Games, as a result of the concerns that were brought forward by the Member at the last session. Thank you.