The Member for the High Arctic is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays, conclude your statement.

It all started with CBC North, Mr. Speaker. With the loss of staff on this scale, it will be impossible for CBC to continue to broadcast with the high quality we have come to expect. It will become impossible to hire and keep the dedicated and talented native language speaking staff and it will become impossible to keep local radio transmitters on the air.

Today CBC North operates production centres for 4 communities in the Northwest Territories. It maintains and operates 31 transmitters. It is now being asked to maintain an additional 28 transmitters, which our government can no longer afford to take care of. The organization is already cut below the effective size. This government must do something more than state the danger of these cuts. It must make innovative suggestions that can be used to preserve this essential service. I hope that this government can find a time and willingness to make some concrete suggestions to the President of CBC and the minister responsible for CBC, the Hon. Sheila Copps. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Barnabas. Member's Statement, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with the downturn in the territorial Treasury we have to be pro-active and find alternatives to the GNWT as a way of financing and creating employment. We have to attract new dollars and capitalize on our strengths and community infrastructure.

Over the past several months in Iqaluit, we have been doing just that. In conjunction with the Town of Iqaluit, the Iqaluit and Baffin Chambers of Commerce, we have been working on a plan to market our community. We are now in the process of setting up a trade and promotion office.

The Iqaluit Trade and Promotion Office will focus on expanding and promoting our community's economic base. Last week I was in Ottawa meeting with federal officials about this office, one of the things that we are working on, is the development of Iqaluit as a cold weather testing facility for multi-national corporations. Last year, for example, Boeing airlines used Iqaluit as the cold weather testing site for their new Boeing 777 jet. Over a 5 week period, that corporation alone spent 750,000 dollars in our community. Air France has also used our airport to cold weather test a new executive jet.

The Iqaluit Trade and Promotion Office will try and capitalize on this. Iqaluit has also been the site for several major motion pictures, including Map of the Human Heart, White Dawn, ????, and Trial at Frobisher Bay, to name a few. There is now, in the works, plans to shoot a new movie in Iqaluit with a major Hollywood star. Our new office will try to promote Iqaluit as the true Hollywood North.

Mr. Speaker, I had an opportunity to meet with the previous defence minister, Mr. Collenette about our plans and accessing the FOL site. I hope to followup on these discussions with the new Defence minister, Mr. Young. These are just some of the things we are working on to help expand and enhance our community's economic viability and diversify away from government. We realize that Iqaluit Trade and Promotion Office will not solve all of our economic problems, but, Mr. Speaker, it is a step in the right direction. Thank you.

Thank you. Member's statement, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Member's Statement, Mr. Evaloarjuk.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of MACA, when she was speaking, I would like to say that, I am also very glad with recognitions that she talked about. I am glad that we are able to recognize them while they are still alive. We need to recognize people when they are still alive, because a lot of time we tend to recognize people for the work that they have done only after they have passed. I am very glad that we are able to do this today. We have to show our appreciation to people that do work to benefit the north and I think we have to look for people today, look at people and show our appreciation for what they do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Members' Statements. Member's Statement, Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to raise the matter of the significant need in this

community, Our capital city, to replace sewer lines, which have been rotted away over the past 30 - 40 years that they have been in place.

Just over ten years ago a former member of this Assembly brought a section of pipe into the Legislative Assembly chambers to show evidence of the desperate need which the municipality had for financial help with the costs of the major capital infrastructure replacement. When the city of Yellowknife negotiated its block funding agreement in 1993, it settled for a substantially lower level of funding than it historically had been receiving, in exchange for the certainty of funding over a number of years. A block funding agreement between the city and the GNWT was renewed just over one year ago. This government committed to providing financial assistance to the city and recognized the need the city still has to replace aging sewer infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, in keeping with the tradition of the MLAs from Yellowknife North, I have with me here today another piece of pipe.

-- Laughter

As members can see for themselves, you can actually stick a pen right through it. As you can see, the situation that exists for the city continues to be quite serious. It is critical that the city continue to replace sections of pipe which are deteriorated as this sample illustrates. I am told by my constituents and by members of the local municipal council that the city intends to continue with its 15 year program of sewer line replacement until all of the corrugated metal pipe sewers are replaced.

They are being replaced with an insulated ductile iron material which has a much longer life than the 30 or so years which the present pipes have lasted. You can only imagine what damage is happening in the ground where sewer is running through tunnels in the ground where the pipe is in such a condition as this. The risk of a critical collapse can only be managed by encouraging the city to replace those lines which are in a terrible and rusted state as this sample pipe illustrates. I am making these remarks today, Mr. Speaker, so that all members of this Assembly will understand the importance of honour the block funding commitment to the city of Yellowknife.

I must stress again that the commitment that this government has made to the city of Yellowknife through the Block Funding agreement must be honoured so that the city can be assured that it can continue to replace and repair its sewer infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, I intend to table this and a picture of a full length pipe at the appropriate time. Thank you.

-- Applause

Are there further Members' statements? Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognise a former constituent of mine from Fort Resolution, now living in Hay River, Dawna O'Brien, former staff member of the Legislative Assembly as well.

-- Applause

Good to see you. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Oral questions, Mr. Miltenberger.

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When the original RFP went out the successful proponent was the joint venture called Ardicom, of which NorthwesTel is a major equity partner in the issue. We are still working at the present time with that consortium to develop a plan of action, if you want, as it relates to how they are going to implement this new digital communications system. I believe it is our intention to utilize as many regional and local based companies as are active in the communications business in the operation of this new digital communications system.

With specific reference to my honourable colleague's constituency, I will discuss the matter with Mr. Voytilla and get more clarification as to what is taking place in Fort Smith. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions, supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Todd.

I do not know the details of the implementation of this communications system, but philosophically I am in sync with my honourable colleague and I do recognise that this issue is broader based than Fort Smith. I will talk to my deputy minister, determine what the status of discussions are with respect to implementation, and try to reassure all members across the framework that ample provision will be made for the active participation of those in the communication business in the larger centres and towns like Fort Smith, Inuvik, Rankin Inlet and, of course, who could forget Iqaluit.

Thank you. Oral questions, Mr. Enuaraq.