Good afternoon, Members. Mr. Clerk, would you ascertain if Her Honour, the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, is prepared to address the Assembly at this time.

---O Canada

Commissioner's Opening Address

Please be seated. Mr. Speaker, Members of the Legislature, I am pleased to welcome you to the Second Session of the 13th Assembly.

First of all, I want to recognize the difficult work Members have been involved in since being elected last November and the hours you have spent away from your families and your homes while developing a plan to make sure our budget is balanced.

As the Second Session gets under way, it is appropriate to note that your work is on schedule and that the Premier will be presenting a statement on areas of agreement already reached between Cabinet and the committees. Much has already been accomplished in the development of business plans for departments and the government as a whole.

During the next few weeks, these plans will be completed and reviewed by the standing committees after which the budget will be finalized for presentation.

Mr. Speaker, I want to urge all residents to have a great deal of understanding about the financial circumstances and the difficult social and economic agenda facing the new Legislative Assembly.

As we begin the Second Session of the 13th Assembly, it is my belief that the government's vision of a Northwest Territories with a secure financial future and a healthier, better-educated and more self-sufficient population will be achieved.

And we will do that in a way that will result in the Northwest Territories becoming more established as a politically and economically viable unit of Canada where people will enjoy a good quality of life and where they will have access to more of the jobs they want and need.

Mr. Speaker, this won't happen by itself. It will take some difficult decisions, debate and hard choices to manage our projected deficit. And it will take many people working together to develop the plan on how to get the job done. But we will get there. Northern residents are a tough and resilient people.

While we will have to make some sacrifices and lower our expectations about what governments can do, our vision remains clear. Our belief in a northern Canada with new government institutions that respect cultural values and traditions, that will work towards social and economic stability and fair treatment regardless of race or sex is solid.

It is in support of this vision and this belief, Mr. Speaker, that our government is developing its budget for the 1996-97 fiscal year and an action plan that will return us to a balanced budget before division takes place in April of 1999.

Mr. Speaker, we may find ourselves in a difficult situation, but your government and this Assembly are not going to let it interfere with reaching the goals and objectives that all of us have been working so hard to achieve. We will have to slow down and shoulder a little more of the expense ourselves, but there are good reasons to believe that challenges can be met.

Mr. Speaker, in addition to your government's budget presentation, a legislative program that includes the Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96, and An Act to Amend the Public Service Act will be introduced for your consideration during this session. Your government considers these bills essential to the good conduct of government business and I recommend their passage.

Mr. Speaker, I now declare open the Second Session of the 13th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories.

---Applause

Good afternoon. Orders of the day. Item 3, Ministers' statements. Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to welcome Members back to the Legislative Assembly. For the past two months, Members of the Legislative Assembly and

committees have been discussing budget reform and other challenges facing the Northwest Territories.

In addition, Ministers spent two days last week reviewing the recommendations that came from a new budget development process that has all Members of the Assembly working together to find common ground.

Cabinet and Caucus have reached agreement in a number of areas. And there has been some disagreement that still has to be worked out. I want to outline some of our common ground this afternoon.

During our discussions, it has been clear to Cabinet and Caucus that the Northwest Territories needs a change of direction in order to build the kind of future our people want. Many of the old ways of doing things cost far too much money. We're going to change that. And out of that change, we are going to find opportunities by strengthening existing partnerships and building new ones.

Changing government so that it makes more sense at both the territorial and community levels is the only way to move into the future. It's the only way to make sure our children and grandchildren won't be buried in debt. As a result, we are moving towards a business plan that will eliminate our deficit situation within two years. Most of the reductions will be done in the first year. The rest will be done in the second year because of the social issues we are facing. People must have time to adjust. We understand that.

Mr. Speaker, eight years ago I ran for a seat in this Assembly to change government. So have other Members of this House. Some progress has been made, but now we have the opportunity to make major changes; to make the government serve the people of the Northwest Territories.

This government is determined to do this despite our budget situation. For example, we are going to get out of government functions that can be handled better by the private sector. This will mean more money in the hands of the private sector and a far greater opportunity to develop permanent jobs. We've all heard the private sector say they could do things better. This government will give them the opportunity.

As a start, we will privatize the petroleum products division, property management, computer systems and services, community resupply operations and the Northwest Territories parks system.

The government will also consolidate departments and reduce administrative overhead. And we are going to assist in the development of those sectors of the economy that can provide new business and employment opportunities for the people who elected us to office. Many of these opportunities are going to be community driven in the fur industry, in the arts and crafts sector, in the production of meat and fish products, in the areas that our people do well.

To make this work, Cabinet and Members of the Legislative Assembly will be making some tough choices, but they will be quality choices and we will take time to make them properly.

You heard me on December 13th. Some key messages are worth repeating: We have been listening to the people; government will be made smaller; wages and benefits will be cut; and, program and service levels will be reduced without hurting those who need them the most. We can no longer afford to be spending nearly half of every dollar for administration costs.

We will create new opportunities by cutting back on government overhead and putting people at the community level to work in jobs that give them management and budget controls. We're talking about block funding, about turning over funds, program dollars, administration dollars and capital dollars to the community as well as infrastructure, buildings and ownership.

This will give elected community leaders exactly what they want; the opportunity to set priorities over programs and services, property management and capital projects delivered in their home communities. Government has to serve the people, not itself. It is not only necessary, it is right and we are going to do it.

This government, working with people across the North, has an opportunity to be different and unique in the way it responds to the needs of our constituencies. And let me assure you, when we are finished it will be unique.

To implement our plans, we have to work and learn together to make sure that government works to the benefit of all areas of the Northwest Territories. That means we will be making sure that aboriginal rights, treaty rights and aboriginal concerns and views are taken into account in the planning process and when we make decisions.

Mr. Speaker, a smaller and more effective government structure will be created to get more money out to communities where it is needed the most. We'll do that through consolidation of departments, by reducing administrative overhead and by cutting red tape.

Effective immediately, we will:

- consolidate the departments of Economic Development and Tourism, Renewable Resources and Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources into one department to save dollars and to create one-window shopping for resource-related development and economic activity;

- we will refocus Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs within the Executive department to make sure this area of importance has broader access and support from Cabinet;

- we will combine the Financial Management Board and the Department of Finance into one organizational unit;

- we will downsize and restructure the Housing Corporation to make it more community-development oriented;

- we will be transferring responsibility for community empowerment from Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs to the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs because that department has people at the community level throughout the Territories who are in a position to get the job done;

- in addition, the government will be fast-tracking legislation and changes to policy that will allow for block funding of communities so they can set their own spending and their own programs and services priorities;

- and finally, we will be moving the Personnel Secretariat into the Department of Executive and moving towards completing the transfer of occupational health and safety from the Department of Safety and Public Services to the Workers' Compensation Board where it fits better and can be more responsive to the needs of the workplace.

Consolidating departments and changing the way government programs and services are delivered is only one part of the plan. Within the next few weeks, we will begin working with employee associations to talk about salary and employee reductions and to develop a made-in-the-North approach to the benefits our employees receive.

This government is not prepared to maintain the same benefits package that was originally designed to attract a public service from southern Canada. But we will have a package that is affordable and that will allow our employees to enjoy the benefits of living in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, we will also be speaking with our partners operating health and education boards about funding reductions. And we're going to ask them to develop plans that will eliminate duplication and save money by entering into new arrangements that will result in reductions and sharing of administrative resources.

Everyone has a part to play. Alternatives North and its plan to come up with a socially responsible budget is an example. And so is the amount of public input we have received telling us that the way we work must be changed. We fully agree.

The Territories can no longer afford expensive procedures and delivery systems, too many government departments, too many committees and too many boards and agencies. The money we have must be spent carefully to realize the opportunities that will flow from our budget reform process while continuing to provide programs and services to those who need them the most.

But we do have a $1 billion. And we can do a lot of good in the Northwest Territories with that much money. We will need to be clear, determined and united with our partners. That's important. And the economic and social well-being of our communities and the people who live there will be the starting point of all our decision-making.

That's why a priority of this government and Assembly is to work towards healthy communities and community-based problem solving by continuing the community wellness initiative. We will not only move to expand the jurisdiction of community governments, we will also

integrate services designed to help people get at the root causes of their problems.

Instead of three or four government-assisted organizations helping people at the community level, there will be a single, more cost-effective agency that can serve as the centre of community wellness initiatives within each community.

The concept of community wellness is linked closely to income reform and the community empowerment initiative. Communities will be able to use their block funding to set their priorities for programs such as education, health services, social assistance, employment and training, community justice and crisis intervention.

Taking this approach will allow communities to focus their resources on issues and activities where solutions are needed the most. Mr. Speaker, healthy communities are needed to take advantage of job opportunities that will be created through privatization and by seizing other economic development opportunities.

We have a young, capable and willing population who can benefit from any opportunities we can create and we will strengthen the capacity of the northern workforce to meet the demands of the job market.

We have exciting opportunities, particularly in the development of mineral resources as long as they proceed in a socially and environmentally-sound manner. The economic and employment benefits that will result from developments in the diamond area will be immense.

But make no mistake, we will have to be aggressive with mining companies so that northern workers replace southern workers and get the opportunity for wage employment in the land where they live.

As I stated earlier, this government and this Assembly are determined to turn budget reform into opportunity and to reduce the Territories' economic reliance on government spending. To help in this area, I intend to move quickly to establish a panel of independent advisors on the economy and employment and on how to improve the business climate to attract jobs, investment and capital to the Northwest Territories.

We have already started the process of building an aboriginal partnership. Cabinet and the Assembly understand the need for aboriginal organizations to play a part in the decisions we are making. I want to build on the strengths that already exist. We are scheduling regular meetings between Cabinet Ministers and aboriginal summits in the West, in Nunavut and in completing protocol agreements with both groups.

We have to move ahead and we have to do it in a way that respects the claims process and treaty land entitlements. Aboriginal organizations must be our partners. Together, we have to convince Ottawa to do what is right.

That means the federal government must come clean on where it stands regarding aboriginal self-government, incremental costs for division and continued support for a results-oriented approach to developing a constitution for the western Territories.

We need certainty in these two areas and we need it now. All the work necessary to have two new governments up and running by April 1, 1999 will and must be done. The political aspirations of the people in both new territories can't be denied.

Of primary interest is northern control over northern resources. We need to take control of the land and all of its resources. This is more significant to us than it is to Ottawa from a revenue perspective. The legislative authority is also important. It would let us manage the gas and oil exploration and mineral development that is currently taking place.

The land we occupy belongs to the people who live here. It's time for people in the Northwest Territories to control their own future. It's time for the federal government to let go. Mr. Speaker, when I stood before this House last December, I stated that no government in the history of the Northwest Territories has ever taken office faced with the number and degree of challenges facing the 13th Assembly.

I stated that our plan to address those challenges can be built on the foundation of hard work and input from aboriginal groups, interest groups and the people we represent. The participation of the people is a key part of building both the budget for this year and towards establishing an agenda for action that will guide our decisions through our term and into the future.

In closing, I want to leave you with three messages: Ministers and the Legislative Assembly will lead by example; the budget situation is tough but manageable and it will be managed in a fair and compassionate way; and, this will be done so our children and grandchildren may have aspirations and opportunities we have not had.

Mr. Speaker, change won't manage us. We will manage it. Mahsi cho. Thank you very much.

---Applause

Thank you. Mr. Ootes.

Motion To Move Minister's Statement 1-13(2), Sessional Statement, To Committee Of The Whole, Carried

Thank you. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Item 3, Ministers' statements. Item 4, Members' statements. Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Item 4, Members' statements. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to say that over the past two weeks back home in Iqaluit, I held several meetings with constituents, union members and senior employees of the government. Mr. Speaker, many of my constituents are concerned about the fiscal situation of the government and await word of reductions and job losses.

Mr. Speaker, while I was in Iqaluit, the Minister of Education released a communique about the transfer of Nunavut College programs from Iqaluit. Mr. Speaker, I will table, later in this House, a petition signed by over 130 students, instructors and people in Iqaluit who are attending the college there. Many of these people, Mr. Speaker, are also from outside of the community of Iqaluit.

Mr. Speaker, these students are asking the Minister and the government to reconsider this relocation, and I will be asking questions of the Minister on this topic later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 4, Members' statements. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 4, Members' statements. Mr. Enuaraq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to pay tribute to a man from Pangnirtung who was respected throughout the North, but was known elsewhere as well.

Mr. Speaker, I speak of Etuangat Aksayuk who died at his home in Pangnirtung, surrounded by his adoring family on Tuesday, January 16, 1996. Etuangat was elevated to the Order of Canada in November 1995 and made his first and only journey to southern Canada to receive an award from the Governor General.

Mr. Speaker, Etuangat's very long life was remarkable in many ways. Those who knew him, knew he was a man who was remarkable for his spirit, love and compassion for his fellow human beings. Etuangat was a true Inuk: an able hunter, a loving parent and a respectful, humble man. He dedicated most of his life to working with people who needed help, and with the many doctors who have served in Pangnirtung since the early 1930s. He also worked as a guide, translator, hunter; he also hunted for families who were too old to hunt for themselves during the many periods of sickness and epidemic that swept the area.

As Mr. Pearson noted, he was paid very little money for his work, but money never bothered him. He saved many lives. Etuangat made a video tape in which he told stories of his memories of the early whaling days in Cumberland Sound.

I'm sorry, Mr. Enuaraq.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member for Baffin Central is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any

nays? There are no nays. Conclude your statement, Mr. Enuaraq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these amazing interviews can be seen at the Angmarlik Visitors' Centre in Pangnirtung. I am very happy that Etuangat received such a high honour as the Order of Canada for his public service, in the last year of his life. He had an extraordinary visit to Ottawa. The visit gave him a chance to visit two dear friends who he hadn't seen for many years. He also visited a farm and witnessed the birth of a cow which was named in his honour. He also saw a tree for the first time. Etuangat was also given a tour of the Senate and House of Commons by Senator Willie Adams. He enjoyed the visit, but was anxious to return to his lifelong home after it was all over.

I think that Mr. Pearson, one of his many friends and admirers, wrote very well in a recent tribute to Etuangat published in Nunatsiaq News. Etuangat will be missed, but he would not want us to be sad and mourn his passing. His life was a great one, Mr. Speaker, and in its final chapter he was thanked and honoured by the country that he served and loved as we knew him and also loved him. Mr. Speaker, thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Enuaraq. Perhaps on behalf of the Assembly, we will ask the Clerk to send out our condolences to his family, his relatives and his friends. Mahsi cho.

Item 4, Members' statements. Mr. Barnabas.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I wish to speak about the need for a new airport terminal in Resolute

Bay. The replacement of this aging passenger terminal in my constituency is a very high priority for me and the community I represent. Our airport is very important to us in several ways. It is a vital facility for our growing tourism industry. Tourists and other visitors to Resolute Bay and the High Arctic must have a good impression when they arrive.

Resolute Bay is the gateway to the Arctic Islands, the new national park on Ellesmere Island, it is also the hub for the polar scientific activities. It is also the hub for employees' rotations and supplies for the Polaris Mine. It is also the terminal through which we receive the supplies we require from the South. There have been times, in the recent past, when Resolute Bay Airport was one of the busiest in Canada. It is my belief that in some time in the future when world-wide demand for natural gas and oil pick-up, this airport will once again become a very busy stage ground for oil and gas activities.

The current airport terminal was built in the early 1950s. One end is owned by Kenn Borek Air and the other end has an addition which was built by Pacific Western Airlines. The building is small and worn out. Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Government of the Northwest Territories took over responsibility for the Resolute Bay Airport and other A airports last year. I also understand that funding was built into the transfer agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories to allow the construction of the new terminal.

Mr. Speaker, I'm also looking forward to working with the Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Jim Antoine, and other Members of the Assembly to ensure that this very important, long-awaited project which has been built into the funding for the transfer of Arctic A airports proceed in a timely manner. Since the new Nunavut government is due to be established on April 1, 1999...

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude.

Thank you. Mr. Barnabas is seeking unanimous consent. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Barnabas, complete your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since the new Nunavut government is due to be established on April 1, 1999, I believe that it is important this project be concluded well in advance of the establishment of the Nunavut government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Item 4, Members' statements. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 4, Members' statements, Mr. Roland.

Thank you. Item 4, Members' statements. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 4, Members' statements. Are there any further Members' statements? Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a well-known Yellowknife resident and union activist, Brother Ben McDonald from the Union of Northern Workers.

---Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Welcome to the Assembly. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education. Mr. Speaker, since September of 1995, and during my election campaign and continuing until now, there have been several concerns regarding the transfer of several programs from the Nunavut Arctic College campus in Iqaluit to other centres. Mr. Speaker, several groups, including the Iqaluit Chamber of Commerce and the Baffin leaders' summit have written or passed motions asking the Minister to carefully consider the proposed transfers as well as submissions from staff and students of Nunatta Campus against this transfer.

Mr. Speaker, through a letter and a communique, the Minister has stated that he is in favour of and has approved in principle, the transfer of four programs from Nunatta Campus to other centres. Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister is, in light of the severe economic pressures facing the GNWT, why is the Minister continuing with this exercise which could cost this government in excess of $2 million when the program, infrastructure, administration, and logistics are already in place at Nunatta

Campus.

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

Item 6, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm glad that I have some support over in the Cabinet today. Mr. Speaker, supplemental: Will the Minister release the public consultation report that was submitted to the college board of governors concerning the proposed transfer?

Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in a letter dated January 25th to the president of the Iqaluit Chamber of Commerce, the Minister states that, and I quote, "That the transfer of base-funded programs must not result in a requirement for additional financial resources." Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister is how can additional costs not be included when you and I realize that additional staff housing will have to be found in other transferred communities, that married accommodations for students will have to be found, and that the GNWT will have to honour its responsibility to the transferred staff and purchase their houses. Which, from my information at the present time, are five instructors at approximately $150,000 a house; at the very least, an additional cost to this government of $750,000 alone in buying the transferred employees' homes.

Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my final supplemental: Although the Cabinet may not believe this, I want to point out that I'm not against decentralization of college programs if it makes logistic, administrative, and financial sense to do so. Mr. Speaker, why would the Minister recommend the transfer of the community alcohol and drug treatment counsellor program, for example, when he, I, and most of the Members in this House know the only alcohol and drug treatment centre is located in Iqaluit? Mr. Speaker, this does not make any sense. We're talking about financial restraints and yet we can do one thing and say another. Mr. Speaker, my supplemental question to the Minister is has he thought about that?

Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Evaloarjuk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was informed by one of my constituents so I'm going to raise a question but I'm not too certain which Minister I should direct it to; maybe to the Premier. When we're constantly talking about fiscal restraint -- I'm not sure whether this is true or not -- they've heard that the territorial government donated $70 million to other countries. Was that the case? Can one of the Ministers respond to my question? Is this true? Can somebody respond whether this is true or not?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We do not have any dollars to donate to other countries. Perhaps your constituents were talking about the federal government. The federal government has some programs where they help out some Third World countries. We, as the Northwest Territories, do not have dollars to donate to any other countries and we have not donated any. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Barnabas.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Health, the Honourable Kelvin Ng. Mr. Speaker, the Baffin leaders' summit passed a motion in January asking for meetings between the federal Health Minister and the chair of the Baffin Regional Health Board, with the MLA for Iqaluit. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister update this House on discussions to date concerning this meeting and the situation regarding funds for the new hospitals in Iqaluit and Inuvik? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, departmental officials of our government and Health Canada are currently negotiating terms of reference under which the funding arrangements for the new capital construction in Inuvik and the Baffin hospitals will be undertaken over the next few years. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Enuaraq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to notify the Ministers that I will be frequently raising questions to the Ministers with regard to residents of Pangnirtung, Broughton Island and Clyde River. I will be asking questions with regard to those communities and residents. I would like to ask a question to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Regarding the adult education centre that was planned for 1996, is it going to be constructed in 1996 or has it been delayed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Enuaraq.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In speaking with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, we agreed that the adult education centre would cost $800,000. This hasn't reduced the size of the building in the capital plans, has it? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Enuaraq.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My other question is directed to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. I have written some correspondence...

I will allow other Members the opportunity to ask questions. If there are no other Members, I will go back to you, Mr. Enuaraq. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon and Happy Valentine's Day to all my colleagues.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Transportation. Mr. Speaker, the problem of runway airport lighting systems has been ongoing since the airport was established in Gjoa Haven. I have communicated with the hamlet council regarding the same problem. The hamlet of Pelly Bay has communicated with the honourable Minister for Transportation. The problem with the airport lighting system, Mr. Speaker, in my mind is a serious and critical problem. The travelling public safety is at risk. The crew of the airline coming into the community of Gjoa Haven is at risk. Is the honourable Minister willing to address the serious problem that we have with the airport runway system in Gjoa Haven? Will the Minister address the problem as soon as possible?

Thank you. The Minister of Transportation is not here, so I will redirect the question to the Premier. Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will take that question as notice on behalf of the Minister and he will get back in touch with the Member tomorrow. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Enuaraq.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier I raised a question to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. As of this date, I have written two letters to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs concerning the skating rink and arena in Clyde River that has been planned. I would like to know the status of the arena, if possible, and whether or not it is planned to be included in the 1996-97 fiscal year plan. I would like a response to that, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mrs. Thompson.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have already responded to the Member for Clyde River, as well as to the mayor of Clyde River. I have included details in the correspondence. I don't have the letter in front of me at this time, but I can say that the letter I wrote to the Member for Clyde River already entails that question. Thank you.

Thank you. I would like to remind the Minister that Members do ask questions in this House for the record. Making reference to that letter doesn't say anything regarding the question he has asked. Are you taking the question as notice?

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I shall take it as notice and get back to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also first like to wish a very Happy Valentine's Day to all the elders and children in Arviat and Baker Lake; especially to my daughter, Kelsey. My question is to the Minister of Finance. I believe this is the appropriate Minister. This is regarding the issue of incremental funding for division. I am requesting an update as to what the present status is on discussions. Thank you.

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The issue of incremental funding with respect to division is a top priority in the Cabinet with the Premier and myself, as the Finance Minister. Discussions are under way right now with the federal government and also with our partners in this issue, NIC and NTI. My understanding is that some time next week, we will be in a position to make a clearer statement as to whether we believe there is adequate incremental funding in place or not. At the current time, there are significant discussions under way between the Premier's office, my office, the federal government and our partners in this issue, NTI and NIC. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister responsible for recreation. We have recently learned that there are a couple of young skaters whose residency in the Northwest Territories is in question. The two young skaters are apparently living in Alberta and from the information that I have received, they have competed in the trials for the Arctic Winter Games and were successful in winning. The problem is that their residency is in question. From the information I have, they have never been residents of the Northwest Territories, but they've managed to acquire NWT health care cards.

At this time, it appears that nobody in the family is living in the Northwest Territories, although the father does have a business in Iqaluit. The Arctic Winter Games, from what I understand, is to help develop our youth, and I don't believe in times of restraint that we should be transporting southern people to the Arctic Winter Games when we're having a hard enough time transporting our own youth and participants. I would like to know if there is anything we can do. If these people do not qualify as residents, if there is any way that we can stop them from representing us? Thank you.

Minister responsible for sports and recreation, Mrs. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The athletes in question were registered as being residents of Iqaluit, although they train in Edmonton most of the year. The information provided to the Arctic Winter Games International Committee by Team Canada included the following. These are the reasons we think these athletes are residents of the Northwest Territories: The parents are residents of Iqaluit; the father was a business person in that community; the father held an NWT driver's licence and health care card; the children, who are minors, were in full legal custody of the parents; the children held NWT health care cards. Those are the reasons that they are residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm well aware that the father has been a resident of Iqaluit for a while; however, it is my information that there was no application made for health care cards until October, which was three months ago. The father indicated that they were residents as of September 10th, which would mean that they have not been residents for the required six months. I don't know, I suppose it's not up to the Minister to question the decision of the governing body; however, I feel that I have to make that statement.

Thank you. Mrs. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Member for the additional information, and I will have it reviewed by my staff. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Enuaraq.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first of all before I express my question, I would like to thank the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Jim Antoine, for being able to travel with him to Baffin Central on January 30, 1996.

Mr. Speaker, my question will be directed to the Minister of Transportation. During our meeting with the hamlet of Broughton Island, they had asked if they would build a wharf in Broughton Island and whether or not the wharf could be built in the 1996-97 fiscal year. Has the Minister checked with his staff about the plans for the fiscal year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Minister of Transportation, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Transportation's and Broughton Island's breakwater and wharf is a capital expenditure. This is being reviewed right now. The department is finalizing the budgets on this. As you know, we won't be ready with the budget until May. We have time to go through the planning process. At the present time, I cannot give the Member an answer, so I'm going to have to get back to him on this one here as the budget develops. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of DPW. I would like to know what the status is on the discussions between the government and the NTI working group regarding article 24 of the final agreement. Thank you.

The Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The status of the discussions between the working groups of the Government of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated is that they're ongoing, progress is being made and they will be continuing.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Roland.,

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department is working on some plans with respect to consolidation, not only at the regional level but also at the community level. I will be ready to report back to the committees and back to this House once the business plans come forward with the budget on how we're going to proceed with the amalgamation. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is again directed to the Minister responsible for recreation. On further contemplation of the information that we received, it seems that the qualifications for residency of the Northwest Territories are a bit convoluted, and perhaps are not as stringent and concise as they should be. For instance, if a person moves here from Alberta today, they can walk in and get a driver's licence from the Northwest Territories. So that really has no bearing on whether a person is a resident of the

Northwest Territories or not. I would ask that...Assuming that Mr. Miltenberger is not successful in shutting down the Winter Games, can we get a change in the regulations so that the people have some very good things to follow when they're trying to determine if a person is a resident of the Northwest Territories, please?

Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mrs. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll look into the Members' request. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Krutko.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess the issue would depend on why that individual was down south to begin with. If it was an individual who was there for medical treatment or who passed away while they were down south for that treatment, then we would be obligated, of course, to bring that individual back to the Territories. If the individual were down there on their own; decided to move down outside of the Territories and were to pass away, then I would not feel there would be an obligation of this government to bring that person's remains if they were to be deceased, no matter where they originated from.

Having said that though, Mr. Speaker, I will look into what's in the policy right now and go over the issue with the Member. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you. Mr. Ng.