I sense that there is good support for the motion so I won't speak at length, but I would like to make a few brief points. First of all, Mr. Speaker, there have been cuts that have taken place in official language services, even though the Premier who is in charge of official languages has said that there is a review under way of all programs. Logically one would think that the review should have taken place before cuts were made haphazardly and randomly, but this doesn't seem to be happening.

The legal interpreters program is only one of many programs where cuts have been made and have been felt in the government departments, but also in communities.

For example, I think we should be concerned that the amount of funding for the aboriginal languages enhancement grants, which is a portion of the agreement available to communities to undertake their own language activities, has been reduced. This program is administered by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. This reduction took place even though the GNWT had assured communities that this would be one of the highest priority areas for maintaining levels of funding. That doesn't seem to have now happened.

Several positions at the language bureau in Yellowknife have also been vacant for a long time: the Inuktitut linguists' the training officer; the manager of professional services; and, two editor/paraphrasers. The result is that on-the-job training and other support services are now almost non-existent for language bureau staff.

There are other areas where there have been cuts that are affecting services in the communities. For example, the number of clerk interpreters in health centres, who have been funded to take training in conjunction with Arctic College, has been drastically reduced.

Funding for research and development of renewable resource management terminology in aboriginal languages has been cut.

So, Mr. Speaker, the cuts are being made without a plan and without an overall review. I know that the groups in the Northwest Territories that are concerned about aboriginal languages are most anxious to give advice to the government about how cuts should be made and how priorities should be set. They know, and we all know, that federal funding has been drastically reduced. So the purpose of this motion is basically to encourage the government to quickly proceed with the review and to consult with the aboriginal languages groups rather than making random cuts without explaining and being accountable to the communities and the organizations that they serve.

Secondly, Mr. Speaker, I recommend that we should be willing to look in our own back yard. I know that we are very proud of the Official Languages Act and the simultaneous interpretation that is provided in this Assembly in all official languages. But, Mr. Speaker, we have been subject to severe funding reductions and we have to now say that even this service in our Assembly should be reviewed. It is expensive, I am told it costs about $11,500 for each sitting day to provide these services. That would be somewhere in the vicinity of $600,000 to $800,000 a year, depending on how many sitting days we have. That is a lot of money, Mr. Speaker.

I am not saying that it is money that shouldn't be spent, but I am saying that we should look at that sum of money alongside the money that is being spent for legal interpreting to support the rights of accused people in courts, and the other very important community programs and services that are being provided. Let's review everything and let's agree that because of the drastic funding cuts, we have to review everything.

Mr. Speaker, I have talked about the legal interpreter training program as an example of a cut that I don't think has been very well thought out. I haven't been pleased with the way the government has explained what is happening. The Premier and the Minister of Justice say that the training part of the program will be transferred to Arctic College. Yet, the Minister of Education said in the House yesterday that no final decision had been made on that matter; that he was awaiting the results of a consultant's report. Meanwhile, this morning on the radio, we heard Florence Smith, the head of the interpreter training program at Thebacha Campus of Aurora College, saying that she is confident that they will do a fine job of taking over this program.

So we are getting mixed signals about what is really happening and I think that is because the government has not taken a global look at the funding and really is cherry-picking here and there in a random fashion and making cuts.

I was also concerned that Mr. Kakfwi suggested that it was the federal government that had cut the PYs in his department. With respect, I don't think that is quite true, Mr. Speaker. We know that the federal government cut the global funding to the Government of the Northwest Territories, but it was Mr. Kakfwi who cut the two PYs in his department and recommended that they no longer be funded out of the aboriginal languages funding. So, it is not quite correct to suggest that the federal government is the bad guy in this case when decisions are being made by Ministers for the departments in a random fashion.

So, Mr. Speaker, those are reasons why we should support a timely and urgent review of these programs and it should be done in conjunction with the groups that are concerned about official languages in the Northwest Territories, including the Francophones. Mr. Speaker, I know these groups are anxious to participate and to offer their experience in delivering these services. The Commissioner of Official Languages has recommended that they should have a role. So far it seems they may not be involved, but it would be useful to get their advice because they are people who are dedicated to the use of the aboriginal and official languages in the Northwest Territories and they have experienced delivering these programs.

For all these reasons, Mr. Speaker, I hope Members will support this motion. I think if the review takes place, it will eliminate a lot of the uncertainty and confusion that we have seen with the legal interpreter program and some of the cuts -- some of which we may not even know about -- that have been executed by departments unilaterally and without consultation with those affected, including Members of this Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.