The Speaker Samuel Gargan

The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Ng.

Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Supplementary, Mr. Zoe.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Mr. Ng.

Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have been planning a tour of Mr. Zoe's constituency and a number of others right after the end of this session. The tentative plan is to undertake that trip next week, possibly. Thank you.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

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

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Nerysoo.

Richard Nerysoo Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What I want to indicate to the honourable Member is what I said before; the work that was being done primarily by these individuals was a matter of terminology development. We have other terminologists who were in the government and we needed to put together a group who dealt with terminology. I did not indicate that these individuals did not interpret, I said their prime responsibility was terminology development. We had a number of other departments involved and we needed to coordinate our approach to terminology development. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister also stated, at that time, that the development of legal and medical terminology for Dene languages and in Cree would go back to the language bureau in an effort to consolidate these activities under one department. The Minister must be aware that the language bureau has received a $294,000 cut in funding under the Canada/NWT language agreement in 1995-96, more than a 50 per cent reduction in their funding under vote 4; and that other departments, boards and agencies of the GNWT, as well as other groups, have expressed concern that they cannot obtain services from the language bureau because the interpreters and translators are usually busy with other assignments. The Minister must also be aware that the Task Force on Aboriginal Languages in 1985 recommended that specialized medical and legal interpreter/translator training be developed because the language bureau had not been able to devote adequate time to training and terminology development in these specialized areas. I would like to ask the Minister were the language bureau's Dene interpreter/translators consulted on whether or not they would be able to handle these additional duties which originally rested with them, but which were transferred to the departments of Justice and Health after the task force made its recommendation? Thank you.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Mr. Nerysoo.