Thank you Mrs. Thompson. Good afternoon. Welcome back Mr. Ng.

Mr. Speaker, the Premier spoke yesterday about the achievements members of this Legislative Assembly have made over the past twelve months in dealing with the fundamental challenges that it faced when it took office last November.

Primary amongst these challenges was the need to move quickly to put our fiscal house in order prior to division. Members of this Assembly were of the view that this was a priority, as we did not want to burden the two new territories with large accumulated deficits.

In September, I informed Members that we were on course to meet our targets of a $43 million deficit during the current year and a balanced budget in 1997/98.

Mr. Speaker, I remain confident that we will meet these targets, with the continued commitment of this Assembly to the budgetary reforms that we instituted at the beginning of our term. The Premier also noted in his Sessional Statement that the time remaining in the mandate of this Assembly is short and the challenges great. We must move to narrow the focus of our priorities to what we can realistically accomplish over the remaining 28 months of our mandate.

Mr. Speaker, the next and most pressing challenge for members of this Assembly is to move forward with the planning and implementation of division in the same decisive and conclusive manner. Simply put, division is only 28 months away, 854 days to be precise.

This Assembly has established a priority to have two fully functional governments on April 1, 1999. To accomplish this, decisions related to the implementation of two new governments must be made in the near term, and implementation must begin shortly thereafter.

These decisions are necessitated by the recent release of the Footprints 2, the second comprehensive report of the Nunavut Implementation Commission. This report addresses many of the major issues related to the establishment of Nunavut that were raised, or outstanding, after the release of the original NIC report.

Footprints 2 presents an updated organizational design and a more practical approach to staffing issues. It lays out, in much more detail, areas such as communications requirements, and addresses some previous gaps in program areas such as the administration of justice in Nunavut.

There remains, however, many fundamental issues that members will have to address in our preparation for division. The primary concern with the planning process is time. With just over two years to go until division, we must deal not only with the theory of division, but with the hard reality of establishing two new governments.

We need to conclude a comprehensive staff transition plan that will lessen the economic impact of division, encourage people to relocate, and allow for on-site training and preparation to occur.

We need to build headquarters and on-site capacity so that we can ensure that services and programs will continue to be delivered in a responsive fashion.

Mr. Speaker, there must also be a recognition that the transitional issue be revisited. There are a number of critical gaps in both the original funding for division, and the related scheduling. We cannot wait until April 1, 1998 to begin the hiring and the large amount of in-service training that is required.

The government of the Northwest Territories will be moving, in the near future, to begin the job of implementing the division of government functions that are required to have two fully functional territorial governments on April 1, 1999.

At the departmental level, division plans are now being prepared for incorporation into the business planning process over the next several months. It is important to note that members of this Legislative Assembly will have full opportunity to review these revised business plans through the committee process as soon as they become available.

Mr. Speaker, for a variety of reasons, Nunavut has proceeded at a quicker pace than the western arctic in the planning and preparation for division. The Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Political Accord establishes, in fairly clear terms, the process for the establishment of Nunavut and the role of the different parties to this process. No similar provisions exist for the Western Territory and, therefore, the process is less clear.

One of the primary concerns of this Assembly must be the timely development of a political process that ensures the people and key stakeholder groups in the western arctic are adequately represented in the division process. This is essential if the division process is to proceed effectively.

The development of this process is critical to resolution of issues that affect both new territories, such as the negotiation of financial arrangements, the negotiation of transitional and incremental costs of division and the division of assets and liabilities.

With respect to the negotiation of financial arrangements with the federal government, including the incremental and transitional costs of establishing two new territorial governments, it is vital that we move quickly if we are to conclude negotiations and provide the financial certainty that each new territory requires.

The federal Minister of Finance, the Honourable Paul Martin, has committed to developing a process by early 1997 that will ensure that the relevant issues are addressed in a timely manner.

Footprints 2 makes a number of recommendations on how negotiations should be structured with respect to these issues from a Nunavut perspective. We must move quickly to structure a similar process for the western arctic so that these discussions can begin in earnest.

Mr. Speaker, another issue of fundamental importance in this debate, and one that is directly related to the development of a process that will bring an east/west balance to the negotiation of the key financial issues, is the manner in which we deal with the issues of dispute.

While I am confident that the vast majority of issues can and will be resolved through mutual agreement, some consideration must be given to the adoption of an independent dispute resolution mechanism that deals with problem areas in a fair, equitable, and timely manner. We welcome input from all Members on how this can or should be structured.

The next step in the division process is the formal response of this government to the "Footprints 2". Given the time pressures associated with implementing the division process, the GNWT is committed to providing their formal response to the other parties by the end of the calendar year.

Mr. Speaker, the views of all members of this Assembly will be considered before the formal response to Footprints 2 is finalized and transmitted. This will be done through the discussions we will have in Committee of the Whole, through input from the Western and Nunavut Caucus' and through the Standing Committee on Government Operations.

Mr. Speaker, the challenges ahead are difficult. The job of planning and implementing division will require the collective effort and commitment of all members of this Assembly and all stakeholders. I believe that if we remain committed to the principles we established a year ago and if we continue, all of us, to remember that division is about creating two viable territories, we will, as the Premier is fond of saying, make April 1, 1999 a day to celebrate. It is time for this Assembly to get on with the job.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you Mr. Todd. Ministers' Statements. Mr. Antoine.

Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Premier spoke yesterday about the need for all of us in this House to focus on three core priorities, and the need to work together in doing so. Leading off our priorities, where we must certainly work in unison, is the creation of two viable territories. Mr. Todd has just spoke about this challenge in terms of implementing Nunavut and the immediate task of responding to Footprints 2 and he has noted the need for attention to division issues in the west.

Mr. Speaker, I will talk today about the implementation of a new territory for the western Northwest Territories. First and foremost in the west, is our public effort to develop a constitution upon which we can build a new system of governance. This is an effort which has a long history. There is much previous work to build from and there is also much yet to be done.

One issue is central to crafting such a constitution. How do we meld elements of public government and aboriginal government into one system, so as to establish the inherent right of aboriginal self government as a fundamental part of that system, while also respecting the rights of all northerners?

Mr. Speaker, in my view, and in the view of many northerners over the years that I have worked with, most important to our success will be the search for balance and tolerance. We have had the benefit of extreme views from many sides in recent weeks. The goal now is to find reasonable and acceptable middle ground.

With the tabling of the Draft Constitutional Package for public consultation, the Constitutional Working Group has begun the most important phase of our work in the west. We have awakened public debate on establishing a new government system. From some reactions, the alarm bells were clear.

But it is not a rude awakening, Mr. Speaker. I am compelled to point out a few important facts for us to remember. This and previous governments of the Northwest Territories have consistently been the strongest proponents of the inherent right among all Canadian jurisdictions. The people of the Northwest Territories strongly supported the 1992 Charlottetown Accord, which provided for the constitutional recognition of aboriginal governments. And, Mr. Speaker, this government is a signatory to modern aboriginal treaties which contain constitutional guarantees regarding the negotiation of aboriginal self government.

Mr. Speaker, it is clear the job for all of us now is to ensure this public debate in the west is productive. We must ensure that each of our communities is part of the process. And, most important, we must build on existing foundations and achievements and not revisit essential principles that have been clearly established.

On many occasions, we have accepted that aboriginal governance should form an integral part of our government structure in the west. There is no question as to the importance of communities within this structure. There is no question as to the application of the Canadian Constitution. The Draft Constitution Package highlighted one model, but it also proposed two others. It will hopefully inspire many further variations.

This is the purpose of engaging public opinion. The Constitutional Working Group was not seeking comments on the one model only. It wanted to encourage full public discussion, to develop an approach which would have widespread support and could be put forth for consideration by all residents and the government of Canada.

Mr. Speaker, this brings me to an important point. We must turn our attention as well to engaging the federal government during the consultation process. It is absolutely necessary that we know what approaches will be acceptable to the federal government.

In doing this, we must rely on the guiding principles and objectives set out by the Constitutional Working Group and the draft package. These are parameters already acceptable to northerners regarding democratic principles, the inherent right and the structure of the territorial government.

Mr. Speaker, when we develop a final constitutional proposal for the west it must account, not only for what our residents tell us over the coming months, but, it must also account for what Canada's leaders are prepared to pass into law. April 1, 1999, that is two years and four months away, Mr. Speaker. This is the short period in which to complete the many crucial tasks we face from a western perspective. We must negotiate new funding arrangements, including incremental costs. We must agree on division of the Government of the Northwest Territories finance and operation, and we must secure federal legislation to replace the NWT Act in the west.

The last of these tasks, new federal legislation for the west, should be accomplished through constitutional consultation and revision process, and I reiterate, we must engage the federal government immediately to move ahead effectively.

The other tasks are division issues which the west must now deal with. As we know there is a formal and public mechanism in the east to undertake these tasks.

Mr. Speaker, in the west it is time to concentrate comparable efforts on these exercises. It is important for the division process as a whole, for east and west, for this current government, that this happens. The only way we can accomplish what we want is if we work together. The most important factor is that we keep talking through these issues to reach consensus in our actions. We have time to do what we want if we move thoughtfully and cooperatively. We can establish strong foundations to continue building from, and we can protect the fiscal and political interest of both territories and all their peoples.

We must insist that the federal government support the western process adequately, provide sufficient funding so that both territories can be implemented effectively and engagement with the west is spelt out, what a new constitution might look like. Just as the federal government supports the implementation of Nunavut, so, too, must it support the western process. Just as the increment of costs of a decentralized east is the key to implementing Nunavut, so, too, are the incremental costs of all elements of government a key to implementing a new system in the west.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot let Canada lose sight of these realities and we must not become distracted by turning this into an east/west competition. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to our coming discussions on these matters with great expectations. As the last legislature for the entire Northwest Territories, we have set a priority to create two new territories in 1999, and that job is the same for all of us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Minister's Statement, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Minister's Statement, Ms. Thompson.

Mr. Speaker, I take great pride in announcing that two employees of the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs have been honoured nationally for their outstanding achievements in saving the lives of many northerners. I think it is important to recognize the excellent work of our employees and I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge Mike Ferris of Iqaluit and Kathryn Youngblut of Yellowknife for the national recognition both have received.

I would like to seek unanimous consent to continue my statement.

The Member for Aivilik is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her Minister's Statement. Do we have any nays. There are no nays. You have unanimous consent, Mr. Thompson.

Mr. Ferris is the Department Superintendent for the Baffin Region and one of his responsibilities is emergency coordinator for the Baffin Regional Emergency Response Plan. For his work as emergency coordinator, Mr. Ferris was presented the national award for Outstanding Achievement in Search and Rescue.

The award was presented by the Executive Director of the National Search and Rescue Secretariat on October 18, during the National SARSCENE Conference held in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Mr. Ferris was recognized for his important contribution to the development of an effective search and rescue response system throughout the Baffin region. In particular, Mike's work with establishing a response and management system for personal locator beacon alerts was given high praise.

Mr. Speaker, Ms. Kathryn Youngblut of the Sport and Recreation Division in Yellowknife has been announced as a recipient of the Certificate of Thanks; and the Bronze Meritorious Medal by the Royal Life Saving Society of Canada. Ms. Youngblut will be presented with these awards by the Honourable Helen Maksagak, Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, in the Main Hall this Friday. I would like to invite the members of this House to attend.

Kathryn is being recognized for her drowning prevention work in the Northwest Territories. As the Sport and Recreation division's leadership programs officer, Kathryn manages an Aquatics Program and is responsible for implementing related water safety preparedness programs. Kathryn has worked with her colleagues in the Government of the Northwest Territories Department of Transportation and the Canadian Coast Guard to implement a successful Small Boat Safety Awareness Program.

I would ask Members to join me in congratulating Mr. Mike Ferris and Ms. Kathryn Youngblut for their excellent service to the safety of the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Member's Statement, Mrs. Groenewegen.

The Member for Hay River is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. You have unanimous consent Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member's Statement, Mr. Ootes.

You do not need unanimous consent, you may proceed with your motion.

Thank you. Your motion is in order. To the motion. Question is being called. All those in favour. All those opposed. Motion is carried. Accordingly, Minister's Statement 5-13(4) and 6-13(4) are both moved into Committee of the Whole.

Members' Statements. Mr. Enuaraq.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I stand today to talk in regard to Clyde River needing a hockey arena. As Members of the Legislative Assembly, we need to encourage sports in the community, and this helps when there are problems in the community, it gives time for the younger people to play activities. Clyde River has a population of 700 and I would like to inform the members that, with respect to this arena, I will be directing a question later on today to the appropriate minister, in regard to this item. Thank you.

Member's Statement, Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently a committee was struck to, once again, review the Business Incentive Policy, or BIP as most people refer to it. Mr. Speaker, in this committee it is not our intention to reinvent the wheel, but more so, to review and analyze the existing data that was compiled by the previous committee.

I have had the opportunity to speak with various beneficiaries of the BIP, and also the NWT Construction Association in order to gauge the most recent views and opinions of this program. The committee has met once to review the overall history concerns associated with the policy. We will be having a final meeting on Sunday, December 1, to formalize our recommendations to this government. It is regrettable that the committee could not bring closure to this review before the commencement of this session, but this was unfortunately due to the extremely tight work schedules of the Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Member's Statement. Mr. Barnabas.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Proposed cuts to CBC and especially our northern part of the National broadcast. Broadcasters CBC North. My colleagues, the Hon. Member for Iqaluit and Hon. Minister for Municipal and Community Affairs are to be commended for taking our concerns to the president of CBC in Ottawa. I understand they were treated properly and no promises were made to reduce a drastic cut planned for the CBC North.

Mr. Speaker, CBC North is looking at cuts of at least 30% from a total staff of about 160. That means at least 48 northerners will be losing their jobs. Inuvik has already been cut from 20 to 13 staff, Rankin Inlet has gone from 8 to 6, Iqaluit has already lost at least 3 positions, Yellowknife, close to 10 positions, and this is all in the last 4 years. Any more cuts are too much. This is bad news for CBC staff, it is bad news for all northerners. We have depended for 35 years on CBC Radio, and more recently, on CBC Television, to inform and entertain us in the north. It has been one of the constant factors in our world, whether in Resolute Bay, Fort McPherson or Baker Lake.

Many of the earliest native role models for us to follow have been broadcasters with the CBC North. The late Elijah M......, the late Joe Tobie, Erik Cornoyea, Joseph K......, Jonah Kelly, these are names familiar to the people of the north, in some cases, throughout Canada. How else could Charlie Paneguak, become known to Arthur Black and Peter Kozowski? How else could a first generation of northern performers get a chance to record their music in professional studios, and hear their work on the air? Ask Susan Aglukark, ask......., ask Charlie....... of Northern Quebec. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

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.

(Translator) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I stated earlier on, Clyde River is asking for a hockey arena in Clyde River. The hamlet has written a letter to the Minister of MACA. I have also written a letter to the Minister of MACA concerning the Clyde River Hockey Arena. Mr. Speaker, I am asking the Minister of MACA if she has been preparing for this hockey arena in Clyde River? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Ms. Thompson.

(Translator) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Concerning the hockey arena in Clyde River, it was to be completed by the year 2000. I did receive those letters from the hamlet and I have discussed them with the member. We will be looking at this in the very near future. It will be completed in 1999. Right now they are making the blue prints for the hockey arena. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Enuaraq.

(Translator) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Minister of MACA for the answer that she has given. We do realize that in Clyde River - I do not know if they are willing to wait that long for the hockey arena. I wonder if there is any possibility of getting this sooner? Is it because there is a lack of funding for this? If it is not possible to get the hockey arena sooner, I would like her to tell me the reason. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Ms. Thompson.

(Translator) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It takes about two years to prepare such things as hockey arenas. This is the reason why it is taking that long. It will be completed by 1999. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Oral questions, Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, who is also responsible, I believe, for communication matters. Earlier today Mr. Barnabas expressed concerns, that I also share, about the impact of the coming drastic cuts to CBC North. If these cuts are not reduced all residents of the north will suffer a long term loss of essential broadcasting services. A meeting was held in Ottawa, November 18th between representatives of this government and the president of CBC, Mr. Perrin Beatty. My question, will the minister please outline what further initiatives this government has taken to reduce cuts to CBC North since this meeting in November in Ottawa? Thank you.

Thank you. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Oral questions, Mr. Roland.

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will try to choose my words carefully because it seems that every time that I speak to an issue with respect to organized labour everybody gets a copy of their missile. So, I would like to try and avoid that because I would really appreciate if they talk about somebody else. I spoke to my constituencies, as I am sure others have, with respect to the fact that our unionized workers are going to have five days with no pay cheques because of the arrangements that was made through the collective agreement.

I am unable to speak directly to the employees as we deal directly with the executive. If my honourable colleague is suggesting, would we be prepared to initiate discussions with the UNW to see if they would reconsider their position and to put into place some reasonable and fair system that would ensure that our employees are not without pay in 1997, during the Christmas and New Year period, the answer is yes.

Hear. Hear.

-- Applause

Thank you. Oral question, supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Todd.

Well, you know, if I can go back a little, it was our intention -- at least the way I understand it and what I have read - it was our intention to try to do exactly that, to ensure that some small sum was taken from our employees pay cheques on a regular basis to ensure continuity of pay. Frankly, pay cheque reduction at that time of the year is going to be difficult at the best of times and some of our employees, as you know, have also got additional deductions with the 20% deduction with the reclaim of the VTA. I am very much aware of the difficulties that our employees are having. I have them in my own riding. I used to have them in my own family. I am prepared to have my staff draft a letter to the UNW, indicate that this issue is being discussed in the House, that there is a growing concern and ask them if they would reconsider their position. Now, I understand that they are in the process of grieving a portion or a part of it but, in the meantime, our people are going to be without - the people we all represent - are going to be without a pay cheque. I am not sure, at this late juncture, even though it is admirable what my colleague asks, that we would be able to do it for this coming year. We have less than 30 days left unless, of course, we had the cooperation of everybody. I could have my staff call the UNW, I suppose, and take a look at that but, at this late juncture, I firmly doubt it.

What I would be prepared to definitely commit to would be to communicate through the staff, through Mr. Voytilla or Mr. Hunt, to the UNW to ask them if they would be prepared to sit down and see if we could put in place a system that would avoid the situation we have this year, for next year. I will commit to my honourable colleague to discuss this matter of whether it is possible to do it this year but it is going to require everybody's cooperation. I am certainly willing; the door is open. However, I do not know what facts you will get tomorrow, but I want to make it clear that I am prepared to do that for the coming year and I will take a look at what we can do in this last 30 or 40 days that are left in this year. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education and I have to note that he looks quite dapper over there with that wonderful shirt on. Yesterday, Mr. Miltenberger had one on - there was no uproar like the day I wore mine. That tells me something, I guess.

This past month a crisis was averted when we were able to extend leases for the current school year for student housing in Iqaluit. I congratulate the Finance Minister, Mr. Todd, and Education Minister, Mr. Dent, for their expedient reaction to the dilemma we found ourselves in.

Mr. Speaker, this was a short-term, stop-gap solution. Can the minister inform this House, the people of the NWT, because there are other areas affected by this, what is being planned to ensure suitable and long-term housing for these Arctic College students? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

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

Mr. Speaker, a goal without a strategy is just a slogan and I would like to ask the minister on this plan that is being worked out, will there be input from the students with their housing needs, because, it is one thing to be able to rent a space but it is another thing to rent accommodations that are suitable? In some cases in Iqaluit, we have 5 and 6 people living in 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom apartments which is not acceptable. So my question to the minister is, will he be seeking input from the students affected by the housing other than talking to Mr. Todd about the situation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Dent.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am quite aware of the letter that was sent and, as Mr. Dent has said earlier, this concern is not just with the people of Iqaluit. I am sure that letter did not go to the other MLAs in this House. So my question is try to bring forward to the people of the Northwest Territories and, as a member of the legislature representing the people of the Northwest Territories, is the reason for my question.

So my supplementary question would be, what is the process that you are going to put in place to secure this housing accommodation? For example, if there are no units to lease, as this problem came from the leasing which this government was dropping, will the government commit to build houses, extra student accommodations, or are we looking at leasing more student accommodations because the process of this government was to get out of leasing? So that is what I am trying to get at, Mr. Speaker. That is my question - what is the process he is talking about?

Thank you. Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that was my point. As Mr. Dent just said, the process is just starting. The plan of this government to get out of leases has been ongoing for several months, and I think we should have anticipated this coming up. The accommodations for students for next year, for example, will increase twofold because of the Nunavut Implementation Commission's training plans in the east, and I am sure for the west. So my final supplementary question would be, he is going to be consulting with the colleges, will he be consulting with the students for their needs, for example, with the chairman of the student group in Iqaluit, and Fort Smith, and other regions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Oral questions, Mr. Evaloarjuk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to direct this question to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. In Pond Inlet, when we had a meeting with the Education Committee, the new school that was allotted to Pond Inlet was going to be postponed. Are they going to make it smaller? They do not want to have it postponed again, even though they do not mind that they made it smaller than the previous plan. As well as the gymnasium in the school, the school is too old, and it is not efficient and it could be closed down because it does not meet the standards any more, because of the age of the school. Maybe the minister can inform me as to what has been happening so far, as to the plans for the school. Thank you.

The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Supplementary, Mr. Evaloarjuk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the same minister, even if it is going to be postponed, maybe he can use his authority as a minister, could he make sure that the postponement will not be used for that excuse? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Dent.

Oral questions. Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Finance. Mr. Speaker, I know that there are significant job cuts proposed, as confirmed by the Minister of Finance in the previous statement in this House last session. Will the minister, even realizing that the draft budget plans have not been presented to the committees, advise this House, and the employees of the Government of the Northwest Territories as to the numbers of job cuts this government is proposing, so as to give all parties, employees, businesses, et cetera, a chance to make plans and adjustments accordingly? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause.

I would like to ask the Member for Yellowknife South if he could rephrase his question. The Members in this House do not have in their possession the operation and maintenance budget. You have made reference to the budget that is coming up, the O & M document. Perhaps you would like to rephrase your question so that it does not make reference to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last year, I believe there was approximately 450 positions lost to the Government of the Northwest Territories. The Minister of Finance, towards the end of last session asked, and I quote, "I think it would be fair to say that there is still going to be significant cuts in government that will include positions." Mr. Speaker, I want to know if the Minister of Finance will give some information to government employees and to businesses across the Northwest Territories, so that they can at least have some indication of what this government is doing as opposed to cuts. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I have indicated ever since I got this position, I want to be as open and as frank and as candid and as direct as possible to our employees and to the constituency at large as it relates to some of the cuts and the reorganization of this government. However, I would like today to be able to answer my honourable colleague's question, and I want to be clear that I am not trying to avoid it. I think at this time, it is my understanding in discussions with the staff, that I would be pre-empting the budget and I would be unable, at this time, to respond to my honourable colleague. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, again to the Honourable Minister of Finance, in this present year, my community of Yellowknife, lost 211 P.Y.s. Would the Minister of Finance tell me if we are looking at the same, less or more, for the following year? Thank you.

Mr. Todd

I recognize that, Mr. Speaker, my honourable colleague wants to give advance notice to his constituency and is representing it well in his questions. However, I feel that I would be unable to respond at this time because the budget has not been approved by my colleagues. It is in committee at this time. I would suggest to my honourable colleague, even though his questions are well intended, and represent his community well, that during the budget address in January, we will be able to be very specific as to where we intend to head with the second year strategy to balance the budget in 1997-98. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a member of this legislature, I am supposed to represent the people of Yellowknife South. If there are items that are being discussed especially in the budget that affect my constituents, the same as they would other members of this House, how can I get feedback from other members, as to directions and positions I should be taking in this House, if they do not know about some of the major implications in the upcoming year? Thank you. Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Todd.

I am not trying to avoid answering the question. Politics, as I have said to my honourable colleague many times, is timing. The reality of parliamentary tradition is that no details of a budget are made public before the speech. We are one of those unique constituencies in the Canadian mosaic that actually provides committees with the budgets and seeks committee input and direction on the budgets. I cannot, with all due respect, unfortunately, at this time, answer that question. It is not my choice to avoid answering it, it will be part of the budgetary process in which the committees are actively involved and, unfortunately, today I am unable to answer my honourable colleague's very important and critical issue as it relates to his riding. I have acknowledged that. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions, Mr. Ootes.

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the deficit elimination strategy, it was clear there was 115-116 million in last year, or this current year, and in our renewal of the fiscal requirement for the 1997, it provided that to the government ops committee, I believe it was 97 million dollars, thank you.

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

Mr. Todd.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am sorry, maybe my honourable colleague misunderstood me. I was not suggesting that the anticipated deficit would be 97 million dollars this year, I was suggesting to him, for us to meet the Deficit Elimination Act and the compromise that was reached 6 or 7 months ago, it would be a requirement to reduce government expenditures to the total of 97 million dollars, which would then leave us with, as I stated in my speech earlier today, and the Premier said yesterday, with our anticipated deficit of 43 million dollars. Thank you.