Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker almost 30 years ago the Government of the Northwest Territories moved north from Ottawa.

At that time, it was common practice to hire from the south. Beginning in the mid-1980s this government made a commitment to the people of the Northwest Territories to support the hiring of northerners through the Affirmative Action Policy.

Mr. Speaker, despite this policy being in place for a number of years, the statistics are still abysmal. While there has been some success at the lower levels of the government, the number of aboriginal people and long-term northerners in our ranks is still very small.

We talked a good story about commitment to employ northern people, however actions speak louder than words. Our deputy minster level positions and other senior management level positions are our highest profile positions. Surely the government should demonstrate its support of homegrown talent by starting to appoint some of the very qualified aboriginal people and long-term Northerners to these positions when they come open.

How long will we ask the people of the Northwest Territories to continue to be the hewers of wood and drawers of water while we continue to bring people in with little or no northern background to fill most of our senior positions? When will this government start recognizing the talents, abilities and fresh ideas of those right here? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have seen a number of dramatic changes introduced in the last year, in the way the government does business.

New initiatives such as the consolidation of departments, privatization of government services and infrastructure and community empowerment are all fundamental changes to the way this government works.

But I, Mr. Speaker, have serious questions about the implementation of these initiatives. Plans are being put into place before they have been extensively debated and while internal reviews are still in progress.

The major initiatives of this government must be subject to a rationalization test. That is, the Minister or department responsible for a new initiative should be able to make a concise presentation covering the purpose of the change, the benefits, the risks, the savings, the costs, the up side and the down side.

Using the example of community empowerment, it seems that there is no middle ground between the portrayal of the status quo as a dictatorship by a central far away government, with no communication with the communities and the image of community empowerment as a wholesale offloading of responsibility to communities.

Yet, there is a perception that to question the implementation of community empowerment is to speak against the principle of community consultation, respect and attentiveness to the needs of our constituents.

There must be middle ground where community empowerment really is the best of both worlds. With important decisions being made at the community level but with adequate monitoring by a central government.

This government has not convinced me of that. I have not heard a clear explanation of how the government will maintain responsibility for the health, welfare and safety of our citizens if community transfer initiatives fail.

I have not heard a clear explanation of the rationale for the amalgamation and consolidations of departments that have taken place and are planned for the future.

I have not heard a clear explanation regarding hardship through such things as the privatization of the petroleum products division in a marketplace where competition is not a viable safeguard. I would like to hear Members speak out to delay or oppose such initiatives until Members are satisfied that the rationales make sense and are in the best long term interest of the people we represent. Let us make sure that the road we are charging down takes us where we actually want to go. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was visited yesterday by Meril Faulkner, a friend and a constituent of mine. A few years ago Meril was diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately, the tumour was detected early and Meril was treated successfully. Yesterday she told me of two of her friends who were less fortunate. One died from this awful

disease and the other is undergoing painful chemotherapy. As some of you may know, the Canadian Cancer Society has declared October breast cancer month. That is why Meril stopped by my office. She wanted to talk about the steps the Government of Canada and the Northwest Territories have taken to ensure people are informed and have access to programs designed to detect cancers before they become life-threatening.

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry to report that the NWT has been slow to respond to federal initiatives to launch screening and information programs and campaigns. We have the stationary mammography clinic at the Stanton Regional Hospital. Residents of the western Arctic make appointments when they travel to Yellowknife. This arrangement looks okay on paper, but Meril raised a good question when she asked how many people know they can, can not, or should make use of this service.

A brief look at some statistics suggests the message is not getting out to the people who need to know. For example, records show that Dene and Metis women make far less use of the mammography clinic than non-native women.

Mr. Speaker, 82 northern women were diagnosed with breast cancer between 1980 and 1993. Thirty-three have died. We may not be able to do much to prevent the incidents of breast cancer, however, I agree with Meril when she says we can do a lot to prevent deaths from breast cancer. Screening is the key. In Saskatchewan, doctors have a portable mammography unit. They use it to run screening clinics in the province's remote aboriginal communities. We may not have the money to buy such a machine right now, but we do have the ability to ensure northerners are aware of the important role screening and regular examinations play in early diagnosis and successful treatment of breast cancer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement today is in regards to the whole question of the government's initiative in regards to community empowerment. The government has pledged to improve social conditions and to empower communities and to work towards community wellness, and also the idea of being fair and equitable to all communities and regions in the Northwest Territories. Yet my constituency, Mackenzie Delta has the lowest cost per capita expenditure on projects in the whole Northwest Territories compared to any other riding in the Northwest Territories. Projects designated for my constituency have been cut, have been moved. For example, the aquatic project to establish a camp dealing with the Department of Justice, and also core funding to the Gwich'in Healing Camp. And also now we are hearing the cuts to the Inuvik hospital which have been signed, sealed, and delivered to agreement between this government and the Government of Canada to transfer and build health facilities in the Northwest Territories.

This government talks about community empowerment, but when a community or region wants to take initiatives to establish facilities to help in the area of empowering their communities to deal with community wellness and also to deal with the whole problem, social problems that arise in these communities where we do not have an economic base, like most communities, and also the expenditures that this government spends in southern institutions, with no blink of an eye which are still sending people to southern facilities and paying a lot more than what has presently been allocated to Gwich'in Healing Society. The Government can talk about fairness and being equitable to all regions, I would like to see them practice it in my riding as soon as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a constituent from Hay River today, a respected elder in Hay River, Mrs. Florence Larocque.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker I would like to recognize Helene Usherwood today, who I spoke about earlier in my Minister's Statement. She will also receive a literacy recognition award this afternoon and, although I think she may have just stepped out of the Chambers, she has with her the entire Tree of Peace adult education class, so I would like to recognize both Helene Usherwood and the Tree of Peace adult education class, Mr. Speaker.