Good afternoon. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This past Friday in Ottawa, I met with the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, Minister of Human Resources Development, and the Member of Parliament for Nunatsiaq, Mr. Anawak, to discuss the future of the community futures program in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Axworthy and I have agreed to begin negotiations to transfer the program to the Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism views community futures as a highly successful program that provides much-needed support to the still developing Northwest Territories business community. This program provides loans, business information, self-employment incentives and occasionally, equity participation.

Community futures societies operate a number of offices in the Northwest Territories. Clients typically include small businesses and unemployed individuals wanting to start a business. The program provides much-needed support for small entrepreneurs and business people involved in the traditional economy.

The transfer of the program will ensure that it will not be placed in a large federal bureaucracy based outside the Northwest Territories.

Given the success that the four community futures societies in the Northwest Territories have had in administering this program, we intend to ensure its continuation and protect the integrity of the program through this transfer from the federal government.

Mr. Speaker, I have written to the chairpersons of all community futures societies in the Northwest Territories to arrange a meeting in the near future to discuss the transfer in greater detail.

I will keep the House informed of any new developments as they occur.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier this session, I informed the Legislative Assembly about the establishment of the Minister's forum on income support reform. This forum of seven northerners has been consulting with people across the Northwest Territories for the past several weeks to gather their opinions on how income support programs can be made more effective and reformed to reflect the priorities and concerns of NWT residents. I am pleased that I will be able to table their recommendations later this week.

Mr. Speaker, the forum heard overwhelmingly that income support programs need to be changed to give people incentives to look after their own needs so that they can regain pride and self-esteem.

Many northerners recognized the need for individual and community healing as the first step towards greater self-sufficiency. The forum recommends that changes in income support be linked to the community wellness strategy.

The forum report also tell us that people want income support programs to recognize the role of traditional activities. Hunting, trapping, sewing, carving and fishing are the cornerstones of a traditional lifestyle. Recommendations were made on how these activities could become part of income support. For instance, social assistance could be combined with harvesters' assistance.

Mr. Speaker, the forum leaders were particularly interested in how to improve the situation of young people in the Northwest Territories. Much of the advice they heard focused on how to encourage young people to develop skills to follow a traditional lifestyle and to take part in the wage economy. People said that if young people want to receive welfare they must meet certain conditions, such as staying in school, learning parenting skills, pursuing training programs or community service, working with elders or working at outpost camps in traditional pursuits.

Education and training play a key role in helping people become more self-sufficient. People said that training must relate to real jobs in communities, including traditional activities. People want to encourage the development of markets for traditional products like wild meat, fish and clothing and they want income support programs used as incentives to residents to go out on the land. People also said it was difficult for community residents to travel to large centres for training and proposed that training be provided in every community.

Mr. Speaker, many people also saw increased community control of social programs as the foundation for income support reform. Specifically, many communities want block funding so that they have the opportunity to plan programs in a strategic way that best meets the needs of the community and of individuals within that community. But the forum leaders caution that turning over control of income support programs to communities would need to be phased in, and that training would have to be provided for community resource people and for strategic planning.

People are well aware that income support reform will not happen overnight. The report recommends that communities and government negotiate pilot projects to allow communities to gain experience in managing block funding and to allow them to develop programs that reflect the community's needs and priorities.

Mr. Speaker, people across the Northwest Territories have supported the work of the forum and would like to see its work continue. Since implementing income support reform will take some time, northerners feel that the forum has an important role to play in conducting further community consultation and providing advice to this Assembly. One of the report's recommendations, therefore, is to appoint the forum as an advisory committee to the Government of the NWT to monitor and confirm the implementation plan.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased with the high quality of advice that the Members of the Minister's forum have gathered from the people of the Northwest Territories. Reforming income support programs will be challenging, but I feel that the advice we have received gives us the direction we need. Thank you.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in our Assembly, those who sit on Cabinet are chosen by all Members. However, it is up to the Premier to determine the assignment of portfolios. In doing so, the Premier has to consider a number of factors, including the interests and abilities of Cabinet Members, and fair and equitable workloads. With many challenges in Cabinet for Ministers during the life of this government, the Premier also has to consider continuity in ministerial direction to departments. Mr. Speaker, looking at all these factors, the Ordinary Members' Caucus would like to express concern about the distribution of portfolios among Cabinet Members. It is not a new concern and we have shared it with the Premier before.

We currently have two competent Cabinet Ministers with only one portfolio each. In contrast, the Premier has six portfolios out of a possible 22, Mr. Speaker. Through her portfolios, the Premier is directly responsible for over a quarter of the government's budget, more than any other Cabinet Minister. Among the Premier's six portfolios is one of the most difficult, due to the challenges of amalgamation, Mr. Speaker. Health and Social Services, with the current changes under way, needs a lot of attention and support from its Minister.

This direct involvement with departments is confusing to Members. In the view of the ordinary Members, the Premier should play a role of overseeing the government. Mr. Speaker, it is her job to look at the whole picture and deal with the Prime Minister and other Premiers on issues of concern. We question how well she can do this when she must be concerned with the day-to-day happenings of a number of departments.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to continue.

The Member for Natilikmiot is requesting unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Conclude your statement, Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. When objective decisions must be made about the allocation of skills, resources or opportunities, it must be very difficult for the Premier to detach herself from her portfolio obligations and consider the big picture.

Mr. Speaker, being a Cabinet Minister is hard work, both physically and emotionally. We need our Cabinet Ministers to share the load so they can be healthy, Mr. Speaker. We are very concerned that the Premier feels she needs to carry such a significant share of the Cabinet's work. To help us better understand this, Members will be following up with some questions to the Premier later today. Thank you.

---Applause

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

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a concern expressed by some of my constituents and I'm sure it is a concern for some communities with a population under 500. There is a concern in the smaller communities, since the amendment of the Local Authorities Elections Act section 18(2)(c), whereby hamlet employees are not eligible as candidates in a local election.

Grise Fiord, with a population of 130 people, has a problem with a lack of candidates for local elections. They have had to appoint councillors more than once because the population in that community is very small. I'm sure this section is not a concern to larger populated communities, but it is a concern with the smaller communities. Will the government consider amending section 18(2)(c) of the Local Authorities Elections Act so that all communities could be satisfied with the act? Today during question period, I will be asking questions concerning this section of the act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Zoe. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) I rise today regarding the people who are awarded contracts. I'm sure in the future, whether it's in the winter, summer or spring, contracts will be available. A lot of people who are certified in whatever fields, should also be considered to be awarded contracts. It's getting very difficult to get full-time jobs and there are people who are finishing their training in trades and the number is increasing in the Northwest Territories. The contracts that are awarded wouldn't go out of the Northwest Territories if they were given to the people in the north. We're in a restraint situation in the north, those people should be considered.

Mr. Speaker, those trades people who are qualified can also employ local people and train them at the same time, which is

beneficial to the north. I would like this to be given more consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last week we gave first reading to Bill 31, Recall Act. I wanted Members to have the bill over the weekend so we could discuss the principle of the bill on Monday. On Monday, I was asked by Members if I could give the Caucus a full briefing on Tuesday. I did this, and Members will remember we spent the entire Caucus meeting discussing the principle of the bill. It was my intention to proceed with it on Tuesday afternoon. Tuesday, I was asked by the Premier if I could delay the bill until she could discuss the bill with Mr. Pollard, the Government House Leader, when he came back from Ottawa. I'm a reasonable man, Mr. Speaker, so I agreed. Mr. Pollard was at work in this building at nine o'clock today. At 10 o'clock, I received a letter from the Premier's office indicating that the government was in the process of developing its own legislative action paper on recall, with the assistance of the Canada West Foundation.

Mr. Speaker, I've spent a long time, a big chunk of my life, working on this bill, and I've made full use of the Canada West Foundation. I don't believe much further delay for the debate on the principle of this bill will serve any purpose.

Agreed.

The principle is quite clear. Since politicians get their power from the people, not from God...

Agreed.

...will we give the power to the people to remove a politician before his or her term has expired?

We all know, Mr. Speaker, that under the current system, the only way a politician can be removed is if the good Lord decides his or her days on this earth are numbered, or if she or he is so demoralized that they voluntary give up the ghost and they resign. There's no other way of leaving.

At the appropriate time, I shall also table a proposal I received from the Premier's office today. I'm a very reasonable man, Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated. So we will delay second reading on Bill 31, Recall Act, until tomorrow. Thank you.

---Applause

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

The Member for Yellowknife South is seeking unanimous consent to continue. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Whitford.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we, in the Northwest Territories, are entering a new era of federal funding cutbacks, program downsizing and PY cuts. The regional economic development programs that we have depended on for so long are in the process of being cut back, not just here but across the country.

As I have said many times, the north is probably the most vulnerable region to these cutbacks. We are the most dependent on the federal government. Mr. Speaker, we have two choices. We can sit here and we can divide and redivide a shrinking pie amidst clamouring from regions, Nunavut and the west, all fighting for an ever-diminishing pie; or, we can go out and aggressively pursue our economic future.

I have talked many times in this House about the opportunities in mining, the opportunities in oil and gas and I feel it is very important that we aggressively pursue those opportunities. There are also opportunities in many other areas of our economy: in timber; and, tourism. Japanese by the thousands are coming to the territories and are very interested in the territories. I ask, why don't we have a high level delegation from the Northwest Territories going to Japan with some of our operators...

Hear! Hear!

---Applause

...to make deals. I was reading that the university in Newfoundland has found new uses for seal meat. It is very rich in vitamins. There is tremendous potential in the whole health industry for seal meat. We should be travelling the country and pursuing the opportunities in our renewable resources.

Mr. Speaker, we have the most experienced and the best negotiators on all sorts of land claims and aboriginal issues. There is a tremendous market for our expertise right across the country right now. We are leaders in the country. Why aren't we sending some of our people down to show their stuff and help the rest of the country to try to achieve the same progress as we have reached here.

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister of this country is spending a lot of time travelling the world seeking new markets and investment opportunities for Canadians. Mr. Speaker, in the midst of this emotional diatribe, I would like to seek unanimous consent to continue.

---Laughter

---Applause

The Member for Yellowknife North is requesting unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Proceed, Mr. Ballantyne.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said, the Prime Minister has spent many days outside of the country drumming up business for Canada. The Premier accompanied him on a very successful trip to China and the Far East. Premiers as we speak are crisscrossing the country trying to seek economic opportunities for their provinces.

I see tremendous opportunities for the Northwest Territories in this country. I would like to see high-profile visits from Ministers and business leaders from the Northwest Territories crisscrossing the country looking for opportunities; letting them know that the Northwest Territories is here and we have tremendous opportunities.

Many times, I don't think we are confident enough in our own abilities. We are afraid to go out and beat the drums for what we have to offer. My fear is if we don't take advantage of the opportunities out there, we will soon be a forgotten backwater in this country. So I ask the government, the Premier and the Minister of Economic Development to provide some leadership, some enthusiasm, some excitement and let's hear the name of the Northwest Territories from coast to coast.

Hear! Hear!

---Applause

Let's see if we can break the dependency we have on the federal government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, on a less positive note...

Boo.

Mr. Speaker, I wish I could be as inspiring as the Member for Yellowknife North. I must tell the House that I am shocked to learn that one of the exemplary official languages programs in the Northwest Territories, the legal interpreting program, has been savaged and gutted by the Department of Justice, even before the languages agreement with the federal government was finalized, even before the government's own aboriginal languages unit had a chance to assess its overall priorities and make recommendations on priorities following reduced funding and yes, even before the completion of the Avery Cooper evaluation of this program now under way.

This flagship program, Mr. Speaker, which has already relied very heavily on vote 4 federal funding and very little on vote 1 GNWT funding, is a model much admired across Canada and in the circumpolar world for the enlightened way in which the vital and sensitive question of legal interpreting in courts has been handled. A core of over 50 trained interpreters have been trained over the years and certified, not only in aboriginal languages, but also in languages which are used in courts in the Northwest Territories like Vietnamese and Somali. These trained, certified legal interpreters are available in communities throughout the territories. An up-to-date registry is maintained. A monthly newsletter is published. There is a 1-800 number available to interpreters anywhere in the territories to call when they have a question about legal terminology. Much excellent work has been done to refine terminology.

What is most significant about the legal interpreters program is that they are closely connected with the courts, where legal interpreters do their vital work. The best proof of the credibility and success of this program is that the NWT legal interpreters program has been given the direct responsibility for hiring court interpreters in the NWT and for administering the court budget for interpreters. They're ensuring that qualified interpreters are hired and are administering the budget efficiently in the process.

I would like to request consent to conclude my statement, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, court demands for legal interpreters are increasing, not declining. Furthermore, the recent Tran case in the Supreme Court of Canada recognized the right of an accused person to have the services of a qualified legal interpreter. Finally, in the Northwest Territories, I believe we are all very proud of an amendment to the Juries Act which allows jurors to sit in courts in the Northwest Territories even if their first language is not English or French.

The gutting of this program requires us to now ask whether the government is now required to repeal this amendment to the Jury Act. Yesterday, Mr. Speaker, in response to a question asked by Mr. Pudlat in question period, we were comforted by the Minister of Justice who told this House that the "The degree to which changes in funding will change the budget of the Department of Justice is not clearly defined yet." Mr. Kakfwi talked about deleting a half person year plus some reductions in the O and M requirements for the coming year.

However, the Minister was talking only about the very small portion of vote 1 funding which has been available for this program historically. Vote 4 funding has always been very critical to the very existence of this program.

I was therefore astonished to learn that all this enormous progress and this vital program has already been put in terrible jeopardy by a decision already taken to cut two vote 4 PYs, of 4 positions in the entire program. The program's manager and the legal interpreter terminology position with responsibility for the Dene languages, located in Fort Smith, were each given notice on March 1, 1995 that their jobs are gone as of June 1, 1995.

Mr. Speaker, this is a very good program. We are very proud of it. I believe there is consideration being given within the government to transferring the program to the Arctic College interpreter and translator programs. Mr. Speaker, Arctic College, with respect, could not duplicate this program nor could Arctic College offer the vital connections and credibility which has been won over the years in the workplace with judges, court administrators, prosecutors and lawyers.

Mr. Speaker, I will not stand by idly and see this important program gutted and savaged. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Patterson. Item 3, Members' statements. Ms. Mike.

Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. Three days ago, I was delighted to read an article entitled "Seafood-Rich Diet Immunizes Inuit Against Air Pollution" in the Edmonton Journal. I say this to inform my constituents, especially the residents of Broughton Island that, according to Dr. Eric Dewailly of the Quebec Centre for Public Health, seal meat is no threat to anybody's health. It, in fact, contains several contaminants and at the same time, an antidote.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to encourage the young people in my constituency to make seal meat part of their diet and not to fear the contaminants reported by the Department of Health a few years ago. Mr. Speaker, a bit of advice for Department of Health officials: please seek advice and approval of your Minister before disclosing any studies carried out in less than five years before making any public announcements or, better yet, let the Minister responsible make the public announcement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Mike. Item 3, Members' statements. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier this session, the Minister of Safety and Public Services tabled the annual reports of the NWT Liquor Commission and Liquor Licensing Board. One of the important improvements in comparison to many other reports was the inclusion of the statistics about the number of liquor inspections completed in each community during 1993-94.

Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to see that in Fort Smith, there were 152 inspections undertaken by the Minister's liquor inspectors and another 70 by the local RCMP detachment. These inspections were devoted to the regulation of licensed premises in our community. Mr. Speaker, I believe that this is important. People are going out to a liquor establishment and want to be in a safe and well-controlled environment. Parents want to know that appropriate safeguards are in place to prevent underage access to drinking. We all have a stake in reducing the illegal distribution of alcohol, the rates of impaired driving and the risks of alcohol-related violence.

I believe a conscientious approach to enforcing the regulations for bars and other licensed premises is an important component of our liquor control system and I would encourage the Minister to continue providing the resources needed for this effective inspection program in Fort Smith. In saying that, I would also like to commend the Fort Smith contracted liquor inspector. I understand that he not only maintains a regular schedule of inspections but he also spends a lot of time explaining regulations and regulatory expectations to bar managers and staff.

However, in further review of the report, I do want to state that I was somewhat surprised that the annual report for 1993-94 indicated the same quality of liquor inspections may not have existed here in Yellowknife. Yellowknife has nine more liquor establishments than Fort Smith and only 53 more inspections

were carried out in 1993-94. Fort Smith only has four liquor establishments.

Mr. Speaker, there are good reasons for MLAs from outside of Yellowknife to be concerned about liquor control in Yellowknife. Many of our students come here from communities all across the territories. People from our constituencies visit the city in large numbers for business purposes.

I seek unanimous consent to continue with my statement.

The honourable Member for Thebacha is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, tourists frequently form impressions of the Northwest Territories based on what they see in Yellowknife. All northerners consider the proper regulation of liquor to be a vital government responsibility, especially since we have received the Report on the Review of Rewriting the Liquor Laws of the Northwest Territories: A Legislative Action Paper, which we are dealing with in our committee of the whole.

Mr. Speaker, it has come to my attention that every year after Caribou Carnival, there are concerns that certain establishments' reputations for overserving, overcrowding and serving minors are not being closely monitored. I've wondered whether any formal planning has gone into the organization in administration of the NWT liquor inspection program? Are there any policies and procedures in place to determine when, where, and how many inspections need to be conducted?

I was wondering whether or not there may be too much money going to pay for the Liquor Licensing Board's involvement in administrative details when, really, funds would be better spent on enhancing our enforcement capabilities.

I feel these are important issues and later on, Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of Safety and Public Services to undertake a full evaluation of the way our liquor inspection program is presently being organized and administrated. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Marie-Jewell. Item 3, Members' statements. Are there any further Members' statements? Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to speak today about the community wellness strategy, these are new initiatives that are being carried out in many communities across the Northwest Territories. And I believe that they are getting good reactions within the communities. But to make this strategy work, Mr. Speaker, we need the full cooperation from all agencies and all government departments and we must involve the aboriginal organizations.

In this time of scarce dollars and tight budgets, social agencies are overworked. We need to provide them with proper assistance to be able to implement proper programs and continue providing the services they do provide in the communities. Our communities have smart, knowledgeable, and resourceful people and they need to work together to get the best bang for our buck.

Government agencies, organizations and departments cannot continue to work in isolation of each other. Communities need to mobilize all their forces to make this strategy work. We also need to provide resources to train more facilitators and coaches. We cannot rely on one or two people in a community to carry the ball. We have to develop our pools of local talent.

Mr. Speaker, we have a strategy here that can work. It is working in some communities and it is up to everyone to cooperate and make it work. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was debating whether I should raise this issue -- it is an issue about the community hall in Fort Liard -- because I had talked about it in the past, but I would like to give the new Minister of MACA the opportunity to hear it from that side of the House, because the last time I did it he was on this side of the House.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, the community hall in Fort Liard was built in the mid-1970s, indicating at least 20 years of usage. The log community hall was possible at that time by accessing funds available under the Canada works projects. Mr. Speaker, over the years, this hall has been home to numerous events of the community such as feasts and drum dances, and public functions such as court proceedings and public hearings, and other activities that bring the community together for one reason or another that benefits the community.

As a result of its usage and the lack of an infrastructure program in place at the time, the community hall has been allowed to become dilapidated over the years. Mr. Speaker, the community hall has served its purpose well, however, major structural repair is required; emergency retrofit. The degree of repair is beyond economic common sense. As a result, Mr. Speaker, the community hall is being unused and sits as a reminder to the people of Fort Liard that the process involving the benefiting from a new community hall is once again left in the hands of officials in Yellowknife, which is quite a way from Fort Liard.

If an effective evaluation program was implemented by the necessary department where community consultations are seriously considered, Fort Liard could conceivably be enjoying the benefits of a community hall today. However, this is not the case. In fact, they have made arrangements, such as holding court proceedings in the airport hangar, which have become a sign of the times.

According to the government, Mr. Speaker, it officially recognizes the Fort Liard community hall by endorsing a health inspector's report in a letter addressed to me in October of last year, and I quote, "recommending the community hall be closed because of safety concerns." And, "the building has extensive structural damage, and renovations to bring it up to suitable standards would probably be extremely costly."

Mr. Speaker, I am running out of time. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.

The Member for Nahendeh is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Conclude your statement, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Here in the north, the majority of the people come from small communities. So, it must be realized how important a community hall is; important to the social aspect of a community the size of Fort Liard. Once again, Mr. Speaker, efforts made by communities in taking steps to achieve community wellness should not be impeded by government, but rather encouraged by government cooperation. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to rise today to speak about a program that I believe is one that should receive a great deal of recognition and, I think, encouragement on the part of Members of this House. Mr. Speaker, it is called a Gwich'in healing program. It is located in the area that is about 18 miles south of Fort McPherson, which is, in Gwich'in language, called Tl'oondih.

There has been a great deal of work done on the part of the Gwich'in Tribal Council, and the Gwich'in leadership; particularly leadership by a young man by the name of Robert Alexie Jr., and formerly the chief of Fort McPherson, James Ross.

Mr. Speaker, the Gwich'in leadership and the communities have taken this issue of healing not only in the context of alcohol and drug abuse but rather total healing in terms of spirituality, emotionality, physically and mentally. They are considering doing it in a natural surrounding in an area that historically was used by trappers -- not only am I saying my grandfather, who had a cabin there, but by trappers -- and hunters who made their trips up and down the Peel River.

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that last week, Robert Alexie Jr., Rebecca Francis, Karen Mitchell, Doug Smith, Frank Hope, and Joey Horesay, came to this community of Yellowknife to articulate the importance of this particular program; to see if this government would provide their advice and their support for the development of the program.

They have made some recommendations that may not, Mr. Speaker, be in the interest of some of my colleagues. But they are suggesting the possibility that clients who go to the Northern Addictions program here or people who are incarcerated, not come to this community but rather the resources be moved into a program of this type. Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to continue my statement.

The Member for Mackenzie Delta is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Nerysoo, conclude your statement.

Mr. Speaker, the suggestion that is being made by the Gwich'in leadership is that any monies that are so-called "identified for their purposes," for servicing their community and clients in their community, in fact be directed to their organization, not to any other territorial organizations, or not to any other community organizations that are providing that particular service.

Mr. Speaker, I want to say -- and I am going to provide a copy of the proposal to all my colleagues in this House because I believe, Mr. Speaker, this is the first program which an aboriginal organization has...This organization has spent $800,000 developing the facilities for this particular program. There is no other community, no other organization that has taken the time to spend their own money for a program of this particular type that includes a total program that deals with all aspects of the community. They do not want inmates to be removed from their families. Of those situations where there is family violence, it should be dealt with between the community and within the family because a lot of the issues that deal with that violence, whether it's abuse, physical abuse or sexual abuse, have to be dealt with in the context of the family addressing those issues.

The family, the community and the individual; those are all important components. And they truly think that this is an important initiative and they want this government and, of course, my colleagues, to see the importance of not finding new money but rather taking advantage of existing money that is in our programs to support this particular important initiative. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Whitford.

Thank you, Mr. Whitford. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, following up on my Member's statement that I made earlier, my

question is to the Premier of this government. We all know the Premier of this government is a very, very hard working person.

Hear! Hear!

In fact, I think she works too hard at times; a workaholic. She needs a little time to do other things for herself. I think the Member's statement was warranted. I think the questions that are to come out of this are warranted. My question, Mr. Speaker, is, since February 15, 1995, the Premier has answered many questions about her numerous portfolios. We appreciate that very much. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, more than half of these questions have been taken as notice or required further follow-up with more complete answers. My question to the honourable Premier is has the number of portfolios being carried by the Premier impacted on her ability to answer questions in the House when they are asked? Thank you.

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, from my own assessment and from the questions, some questions are very easy to respond to; other questions are of a nature that would not be necessarily part of the daily knowledge of a Minister responsible because it's within the department; other questions, I think, should be given a more thoughtful approach to answering. I don't recall any question that I've taken as notice because I did know the answer or I didn't know part of the answer but had taken it as notice, mainly because I had thought that there were other issues that should be looked at so when the answer came forth it would be a thoughtful one. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier today, my colleague, Mr. Ningark, made a Member's statement with regard to the Premier's role. He stated that currently we have two competent Cabinet Ministers with only one portfolio each, and that the Premier has six portfolios out of a possible 22. Mr. Speaker, both Mr. Ng and Mr. Arngna'naaq are capable Ministers and seem to be handling their single departments well. Can the Premier explain why more responsibility has not been shared with these Ministers, such as Personnel or even the Status of Women portfolio or even official languages? Thank you.

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, as the Members know, these Ministers are relatively new to Cabinet and it was my opinion that it would not be fair, since we are in the preparation of the budget from February to this point in time,

to ask them to take on responsibilities on a last minute basis. So two areas that are important were assigned to the two Ministers. I didn't intend to reassess further changes until after the budget had been considered. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Antoine, supplementary.

Supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Premier for her response. I take it from the response that the Premier will be considering redistribution of the portfolios, perhaps increasing and sharing her workload with Mr. Ng and Mr. Arngna'naaq. Thank you.

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, like I stated before, because of the budget preparation and the work that was already in progress I did not feel, as Premier, to make those changes during the deliberations of the budget would be proper, and that I would be looking at some redistribution after the session. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Premier.

(Microphone turned off)

Pardon me. I'm sorry.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier is saying that because these two Ministers were new and the budget process was in the works and there are new initiatives going on, she did not feel they could handle the job. Why hasn't she considered sharing her workload with these two Ministers? Thank you.

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, we were in the process of the budget preparation and I didn't think it appropriate, since I had been already dealing with the issues that were being dealt with at that time, that both the very able Mr. Arngna'naaq and Mr. Ng had two major portfolios and I felt that it was important that they get the focus around those portfolios. As far as I was concerned, the portfolios I was managing, although large, were manageable. I will just explain to you what those portfolios are because I think sometimes we have a lot of lines on our portfolios but it doesn't necessarily mean that the lines of responsibilities are bigger than some other departmental responsibilities.

In terms of the portfolios that I have right now, they are the Power Corporation, Personnel, Department of Health and Social Services and the Status of Women. Mr. Speaker, the Power Corporation is at arm's length from government and has a corporate strategy and a plan, and it is not a time-consuming responsibility. Although I was heavily involved with the Dogrib Nation in terms of the hydro power project to help get things moving in that area, it is not necessarily a day-to-day time-consuming activity.

The Department of Personnel was downsized when a large part of its operation was consolidated into the Financial Management Board. The women's advisory liaises with women's groups throughout the NWT and administers a grant. That's what they do.

From a departmental perspective, the only major responsibility relates to the Department of Health and Social Services. This responsibility is manageable and I don't find it burdensome, based on the experience I've had with this portfolio on previous occasions. With the directions established in Health and Social Services, I felt it best to assume responsibility rather than place one or two new Cabinet Members in the position of finalizing, consolidating and implementing the community wellness strategy in the few months left before the fall session. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Premier when she is busy doing all of this other work, being the Minister of all these other portfolios, how is she handling her role as the Premier? Thank you.

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, one of the things I find with handling a departmental responsibility is that it keeps you in touch with what is going on on a day-to-day basis. It draws you into the workings and changes in government. I believe, although it's a difficult situation in some ways, it's also very helpful. I believe it creates involvement in the actual changes in government. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is also to the Premier. Mr. Speaker, I think most people believe it is a very important role of the Premier to be an overseer of the government as a whole, and the Premier needs to be seen

as an objective figure, both by departments and by other Ministers. I would like to ask the Premier how she distinguishes this role, being an overseer of a government as a whole, from her responsibility to fight for and defend the departments and responsibilities she holds in her other portfolios? Thank you.

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I believe in the last while, in the last three and a half years, the attempt of the government has been to try to create a partnership among departments, and not be in a position where we're thinking about individual departments but are really working in partnership to see how we can put necessary components and overlapping and duplication of functions together. I see my role as being in partnership with other Cabinet Ministers. I also see my role as the responsibility to be fair to the entire Northwest Territories. That works into the partnership relationship I'm trying to build. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Maybe I can put the question another way, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Premier, what does she do when an important issue comes before Cabinet involving, say, a major decision involving Health, Social Services, or NWT Power Corporation? How does the Premier carry out her role as neutral chair of the Cabinet when issues involving her portfolio responsibilities come before Cabinet for decision? Thank you.

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, as I suggested, we have tried to build a partnership. As the Member is aware, in the areas of social well-being, we're trying to work in an envelope committee where there isn't one department that is more important than another department. We're trying to look at it in a holistic way where the community at large is focused on. I believe I've tried very hard, in working with this partnership, to instill in all Ministers that we're working collectively, not individually. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure the question was answered. The Premier is the chair of Cabinet and we know the easy decisions are made before they get to Cabinet. It's the tough decisions that go to Cabinet, where there are difficult decisions to be made and a scarcity of resources. Unfortunately, sometimes it involves competing demands; say, for example, between the social envelope, infrastructure envelope and whatever other envelope there is, like resource management.

I would like to ask the Premier not whether they all try to work together. I know they all try to work together. I would like to ask the Premier, how does she reconcile her responsibility as Premier to be a neutral chair, to mediate disputes and achieve consensus in Cabinet, when she's responsible for a sizable portion of the territorial budget and accountable for a significant number of portfolios within that Cabinet? Thank you.

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I guess there are two words. One is consensus, as the Cabinet operates and the other is common sense. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Well, I'm still not satisfied, Mr. Speaker. It's easy to talk about common sense and consensus, but it's another matter to implement those objects. Maybe I'll ask the Premier a slightly different question. She said earlier today in her response to Mr. Antoine that it's useful for the Premier to get day-to-day experience in the trenches, dealing with the departments she's responsible for. She's able to know what's going on in the communities by this exposure to the departmental responsibilities.

I guess I would like to ask the Premier, would she not agree that the ideal situation would be, rather than having a Premier exposed to day-to-day experiences and issues of the community and departmental levels through a select few departments, that the Premier has no departmental responsibilities and instead can gather experience in the operation of all the departments of the Government of the Northwest Territories, rather than a select few? Isn't that the ideal situation, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I guess I live in an ideal world because there isn't one portfolio I haven't held at one time or another during my tenure in this Legislative Assembly working in Cabinet. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you.

(Microphone turned off)

I'm sorry, Mr. Patterson, I think you used your final supplementary. I've just been informed by the Clerk. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I, too, have a question for the Premier. The Premier is responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services and the major initiative in those departments has been an amalgamation which has taken a lot of time and requires attention not only from the Minister, but from the departmental staff. The next major step in this amalgamation is to deal within the regions. So can the Premier advise us the amount of time she spends on Health and Social Services issues? Can she give us a percentage of her time spent on the work she does dealing with issues relating to Health and Social Services?

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to say exactly what percentage of time one spends on a portfolio. It seems that, at different times, as the Premier, I spend time on Health. There are overall questions that are being deliberated across Canada. The Premiers and the Ministers of Health and the Ministers of Finance have to get together to see how collectively they can resolve some of the changes in the social programs and the social network that will affect the various jurisdictional areas. So it is very difficult to determine exactly how much time is spent on each portfolio, but I will take it as notice and try to do a calculation. Thank you.

Thank you. The question was taken as notice. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Premier, since the issue of recall is on our order paper, will Members of Cabinet be given a free vote as a matter of conscience on this issue?

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Good question.

Mr. Speaker, as the Member has indicated, one of our Members was gone from Cabinet and I suggested that if we had an extra day to discuss it as Cabinet, we would be discussing it. At this time, I cannot determine what the outcome of our discussions will be. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Lewis.

Since the Premier operates by consensus, by her own admission in response to another Member, does this mean that the decisions that you have made will not be based upon your own particular feeling about this bill, but the wisdom that you collectively get from other Members?

Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I don't believe that there is another way to do it, with the way we operate. We discuss it, and weigh the pros and cons. If it isn't a free vote, it is a decision that is made based on everybody's input. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.