Thank you, Mr. Roland. Members' statements. Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the major policy thrusts of this government is the twin towers of pain, community empowerment and the community transfer initiative. Mr. Speaker, in many respects the details of implementing this policy have not been well thought out. I personally believe there is a way for the government to save money, by downloading programs and services to the communities. Community empowerment is being marketed as a motherhood, an apple pie issue.

Give communities responsibility, let them run it, they know what communities want. Mr. Speaker, in these fiscally challenged times, what communities want is more resources, more money and more training, without adequate resources to back them up. If communities take on more operations and maintenance, infrastructure and program delivery, I fear, we will be setting these communities up to fail.

Yes, we should empower communities, Mr. Speaker, to make decisions for themselves, but empowerment is not just handing over the reigns and then abandoning all responsibility. Is it empowering our children to let them drive, if we just give them the car keys and tell them to go at it. That is not empowerment, to empower is to endow with the ability or power required for a purpose or task. We do not let anyone sit behind the wheel without training and testing. If community empowerment is to live up to its name, we have to remember the dictionary definition I have just quoted.

We must ensure that our communities have the ability to carry out the task that would be assigned to them. I am concerned that we are rushing too quickly to give the task to communities without empowering them with the ability to perform those tasks. I know the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs and the departmental staff are working on training programs, monitoring systems and so on, but these have to come before the transfer of responsibility, not afterwards. While I applaud the government's efforts to empower our communities, I want to see it done right. I want community empowerment to work. I am sure all of us want to see community empowerment work, but it will not work if we put the cart before the horse. We had to do the right things in the right order.

That is why I suggest that no further responsibilities be transferred to communities before the Members of this House, and the people of the North, are assured that the appropriate preparation has been completed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Picco. Member's statement from North Slave, Mr. Rabesca.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the course of a few months the community of Rae Lakes has developed a proposal that will take care of capital needs of the community.

This proposal has taken into account all projects currently in five year capital plan under the Department of MACA will combine community office buildings, the outdoor recreation facility and arena project. It is intended to work this project on a block funding basis, and also save the Government approximately 11 percent of the current total projected budget. With the support of the community, Department of Resources and Wildlife Economic Development and Treaty 11 Council the community is proposing to deliver a community hall, office complex, golf course, a playground, and an arena which will better reflect the community's needs and aspirations.

This proposal is based on partnership with the government, First Nations Band Council, MACA, Resources Wildlife Economic Development and contribution expected from all parties.

If this project is given the green light to proceed we will save the government approximately over $269,000. In our mind this seems to be the perfect example of community empowerment and fiscal responsibility at the community level. This project, however, may not get off the ground simply because of the latest controversy that has risen regarding the capital project here in the House.

It is imperative this project proceed. Too much work at the community level has been done not to allow it to go ahead. As always time is the essence of this to proceed and I fear it will be all wasted if Rae Lakes cannot get the ministerial approval it needs. This would be a real letdown considering this Assembly continually states its support for community empowerment and fiscal responsibilities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Rabesca. Member's statements, Mr. Henry. Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Henry.

Mr. Speaker, recently the Standing Committee of this Assembly took the opportunity to review the mid-year progress of the government departments in meeting their objectives. Community empowerment is arguably the single government initiative that will have the biggest impact on how northerners relate to

their governments, territorial and municipal.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my support for the principle of community empowerment. Yes, it will result in a further downsizing of territorial government presence in Yellowknife, as more responsibilities transferred to municipal governments, but I do not believe that will hurt Yellowknife significantly. Yellowknife will continue to prosper thanks to the industriousness and resourcefulness of the citizens.

Yellowknife already pays almost half the income tax collected from the N.W.T. and the Yellowknife business community is going to get healthier thanks to such initiatives as the BHP Project. I say this to make it clear that I do not see community empowerment as a Yellowknife against other communities issue.

The issue is whether our communities are ready for community empowerment. Municipal government, both in concept, and actual implementation, is still very new and relatively undeveloped. I do not mean to pick on the constituency of my honourable colleague from Iqaluit, but the fiscal crisis by the town of Iqaluit a few years ago serves to prove my point.

Many of our communities are not yet at a stage where I at least am confident of their ability to manage greater responsibilities. I do not want to see assets transferred to communities before they are ready to properly maintain them. I do not want to see non-tax based communities given the power to borrow money before seeing assurances that they are capable of repaying the loans that they take out.

I recognize that we have many fine people serving on municipal councils and serving this House it should be responded to in a dignified manner with every effort made to provide adequate information. When this is not done, there is a perception of avoidance and then this House is brought into question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Henry. Members' statements, the honourable Member for Kivalliviq, Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when a Member puts forth a question or statement in this House, it is a serious question or statement and should be treated in a respectful manner. Too often, Mr. Speaker, we receive curt or flippant responses from certain Ministers. I would once again remind my honourable colleagues across the floor that this is still a consensus government. Mr. Speaker, every question asked in this Chamber should be answered if the information is available, unless a legal issue is at stake.

Mr. Speaker, as a Member of this House, this Assembly, it is not my intention to become one of the Brady Bunch. Therefore, if my constituents raise certain issues with me, whether is it popular or not, my honourable friends across the floor, I will ask that question because that is why I am here. As I mentioned earlier, Mr. Speaker, when Members pose a question, he or she has the right to expect a serious answer. These are not personal questions, and they should not be treated, as they are in some cases, with such disdain. Mr. Speaker, I will close by saying when a question or concern is raised by an Ordinary Member in this House, it should be responded to in a dignified manner, with every effort made to provide adequate information. When this is not done, there is a perception of avoidance, and then this House is brought into question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. O'Brien. Members' statements, honourable member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Ootes, your allotted time has expired.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. You have unanimous consent.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Members' Statement, Members' Statement, Mr. Morin.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. I rise today on behalf of the riding of Tu Nedhe, which I represent, that is Fort Resolution and Lutselk'e. Nine years ago, approximately nine years ago, October 5, I believe it was, the people elected me to represent those communities and the clear mandate the people in those communities gave to me back nine years ago was that they wanted to make the decisions at the community level. They were tired of decisions being made in Yellowknife, that was the bottom line.

People never elected members to this legislative assembly to come here to keep the status quo, to come here to only protect government jobs and not turn over some responsibility and authority to communities. People elected me as their MLA to come here to make sure that we move the decision making back to our communities where it rightfully belongs.

Our communities are willing and able, Mr. Speaker, to make decisions on their own, they are willing and able to take on that task. And let me make it clear to my communities as well as other people in the Northwest Territories, it is not downloading or offloading as some think it may be.

Back in the early seventies I can remember when I was sitting on the Deninoo community council back in Fort Resolution, we happen to get one or two members on that council. In those days those councils, the communities councils were made up of nurses, or teachers or RCMP officers that were all transient to the community. Those were the people that made the decisions in our communities.

Now, I remember very clearly sitting in the Slave River saw mill office where one of these transients who was making it very clear to me, and excuse my language, Mr. Speaker, but he says "You Indians are not capable of running your own community. You are not capable of picking up your own garbage, you are not capable of cleaning your streets." We do that today, that was 20 years ago.

But we are now capable not only of picking up our garbage, cleaning our own streets, we are capable of running our own businesses, running our own programs in the community and running our own communities.

And the communities fully know there is going to be less dollars. My community knows that. But they would prefer to make the decision where the cuts happen in their own community, not let Yellowknife make it, so that is what community empowerment means to my communities, Mr. Speaker, and let me assure everybody here, Fort Resolution, Lutsel K'e are ready to move ahead and make decisions on their own. Thank you.

Thank you, Honourable Mr. Morin. Members' Statements.

Item number 4, returns to oral questions.

Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Returns to oral questions. Returns to oral question.

Mr. Henry.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Dave Talbot, he is a regional vice-president for Yellowknife for Union of Northern Workers.

---Applause