Mr. Speaker, as I told the member yesterday, the transfer of the two positions from Rankin to Arviat has been planned and has been a commitment by the previous Assembly and it was, and is still, my intention to follow through. The letter that was sent to the MLAs said that the transfer would take place on April 1st.

I did say yesterday, however, that because of the pending amalgamation of the departments of Public Works and Services, Transportation and the Housing Corporation, that there is some uncertainty about the structure of these departments, so, until that is clarified in the next few weeks, I cannot say for sure how and when these transfers will happen.

Thank you. Oral questions, Mrs. Groenewegen.

The Minister Responsible for Public Works and Services, Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, the service of this telephone switchboard operation for Yellowknife was privatized and yes, NorthwesTel was the company that won the contract.

Thank you. Oral question supplementary, Ms. Groenewegen.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, I am not aware of the process that was used, so I will find out and advise the member.

Thank you. Oral questions, Mr. Picco.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Public Works. Can the Minister inform me if contracts and Medevac flights issued by this government and borrowed in agency of this government have to adhere to the Article 24 of the Nunavut settlement area. Thank you Mr. Speaker.

The Minister Responsible for Public Works and Services, Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, medevac flights and medical services are managed by the Baffin Regional Health Board in Baffin Region and the members constituency, and I do believe that they do have to adhere the provisions of the articles 24 interim measures.

Oral question supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. So I guess, I take that in that indeed they do have to adhere to the Article 24 because they are funded by this government. Can the Minister inform this House what rules and regulations are in place to ensure that there is no circumvention of Article 24 in the Nunavut settlement area?

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, as the member may recall, the GNWT issued interim measures for living up to its obligations under Article 24, and these included the participation of Inuit firms in government contracting, Inuit employment and ownership. There is a monitoring process that is in place that is administered by the Department of Public Works in corporation with NTI.

Thank you. Oral question supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister inform this house what penalties are in place to impose on boards, agencies, and departments of this government that actually circumvent Article 24 in the Nunavut settlement region?

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, as far as I am aware, there are no penalties, there are provisions for damages to be assessed against contractors that have done projects and have promised to include participation but have not lived up to those commitments. The actual contract that the member is speaking about does come under the Baffin Regional Health Board, so I will say I can get some further details on that and get it to the member.

Thank you. Oral questions, Mr. Ootes.

The Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board, Mr. Todd.