Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, Tabled Document 101-13(3), copy of the letter from the Village of Fort Simpson regarding the Fort Simpson Community Centre. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Thompson. Tabling of documents. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, Tabled Document 102-13(3). It is a package of letters from Transport Canada, the Government of the Northwest Territories, Department of Transportation regarding the Resolute Bay Air Terminal building. Thank you Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Tabling of documents. Mr. Krutko

Tabling of documents. Tabling of documents. Notices of motion. Notices of motion. Notices of motion for first reading of bills. Notices of motion for first reading of bills. Motions. Mr. Henry.

Thank you. Mr. Henry, your motion is in order. To the motion. Questions being called. All listen. Mr. Morin.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. This motion that the member raised in the House today has, for myself, some significant concerns. Everybody should be quite clear that difficult decisions are unavoidable. We have to make some hard choices and there will be more in the future of this Legislative Assembly. Members have raised many times in this Legislative Assembly the whole issue of cost cutting to social programs or teaching/pupil ratio in our communities, as well as many other issues that affect our communities. One of the things that make common sense is the things that are good government and good management. What management would do, is get rid of duplication in this government. The amalgamation of departments that have similar responsibilities and mandates should be amalgamated. That makes good government sense, Mr. Speaker. But the major concern for me is that we have passed legislation in this assembly on the Deficit Elimination Act, and by this motion here, members have basically, not only tying our hands but you are tying your own hands and what options are available to you to eliminate the deficit according to the law that we passed in this Assembly? So think clearly about that when you vote on this motion. I also need, Mr. Speaker, clarification on this motion, because this Motion reads to me that the Executive Council not proceed with this amalgamation until a Sessional discussion paper on the proposed amalgamation is tabled and approved by this Legislative Assembly. Mr.

Speaker, how can we not proceed to develop that discussion paper, how can we not proceed to develop a work plan to put before the Committees of the Legislative Assembly that are responsible to review that work plan? Then it would come to the Legislative Assembly. I have already stood earlier in this Session, Mr. Speaker, speaking exactly of that. That was the plan of the Government. We have already directed the Departments to work on a work plan so it can be presented to Cabinet, then come to the Committee, then to the Legislative Assembly. Mr. Speaker, that is the right way to do business, I do believe. It is the proper way to do business in this day and age. It is giving Members of this Legislative Assembly every opportunity to debate and discuss that issue, as well as the Committees, as well as Cabinet. So we are all agreed on a course from when we set out in this Legislative Assembly on consultation and working together. We are committed to that, but I do have concerns, Mr. Speaker, about this motion. So if the Member who put this motion on the floor could clarify to me what he means by Executive Council not proceed with this amalgamation. Thank you.

Thank you. I will allow the Member to respond only after the rest of the Members have spoken to the motion. Mr. Krutko.

Okay, just to .. All the Members do have a copy of the motion, and it is in your binders, on the left hand side of your desk. And it is also translated.

There was no point of order there. To the motion. Mr. Barnabas.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be speaking in Inuktitut. Mr. Speaker, I am in support of this Motion. There have been a lot of jobs lost in the Baffin region and if these departments are amalgamated, more jobs will be lost due to the amalgamation of the departments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. To the motion. To the motion. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would speak in favour of the motion also. I think the amalgamation of these three major departments need to be addressed in the public forum, as requested by the motion. I also would suggest to you that the amalgamation of the departments is one thing, but the amalgamation of a Crown corporation of this government is another thing. I do not know how well that had been thought out. In my riding, I have three superintendents for three different departments and a number of civil servants are affected who want to see this public debate go forward, and thus I would support the motion in its entirety, Mr. Speaker.

To the Motion. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it is important to point out here that there is a process in place for amalgamation and for presenting the case. Cabinet will, as it been assigned by the Premier, choose a lead Minister, to take a look at the amalgamation of the 3 Departments. A document then will have to come to Cabinet. Cabinet will have to sanction or not sanction it. That document will then go towards the Government Operations Committee. The Premier made that commitment earlier last week. The Government Operations Committee would have full opportunity to review it and make recommendations, etc., and find if there is a public or legislative support for this amalgamation. That is not what this resolution says. This resolution says that, in fact, the process that we set in place, collectively, is not adequate for this, that we want a public debate in the House, and that can take place, but it can take place after it goes through the normal process that has been established by all Members in this House. There is no intent here to avoid any public debate, there is no intent here to avoid any changes to recommendations that are necessarily required. But it is still very early in the process,

because the Minister Mr. Arlooktoo has been assigned to lead on this issue, has still to bring the document forward for cabinet's approval. So, I would suggest, Mr. Speaker, that while this motion is well intentioned it in fact circumvents the process that we set up early in the House. Thank you.

Thank you. To the motion, Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will also be supporting this motion, as I have indicated many times in this House, I have very serious reservations about some of the pending amalgamations, the possible job loss especially in the Eastern Arctic, that is all Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. To the motion. Mr. Henry do you wish to make closing remarks? No. To the motion, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you. Yes, there has been a point of clarification requested and I wonder if the move of the motion might provide that clarification? Closing remarks. Members that wish to speak to the motion. Mr. Henry, you have the final words.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. I think the Premier, last week went quite a ways in alleviating concerns of the ordinary members in how he proposed this would be handled. It was felt that in moving this motion it would confirm and ensure that there was full debate on this particular item. The Premier has described a committee process and he had suggested it would go through that process and recommendations could be made, as this is probably the last large initiative of the Government and certainly from amalgamation point of view it was felt that it would be important that this be handled well and it be clearly understood and well debated and all implications are as many as possible of the implications of this amalgamation would be made known through that debate. And also, that it was of an important issue that all members of the legislature should have input and approve it. Thank you Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Questions being called. All those in favour, all those opposed, all those abstaining. Thank you, the motion is carried.

Motions. First reading of bills, Mr. Todd.