Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have had the opportunity to review the GNWT staff training courses calendar for 1996. I discovered that 88 courses will be available over a period of five months. Mr. Speaker, after reviewing this list of courses, I strongly question priorities set by our government.

Mr. Speaker, courses that are offered in high schools and in the first year of college and university -- such as working with basic IBM, Wordperfect 6.1 for Windows and Lotus 1, 2 and 3 -- will be offered to the employees this year. There are courses listed for employees who are interested in entering the enforcement area. I wonder if this is being offered so the government can recruit its own employees into the enforcement areas. I understand that this course was offered by Sir John Franklin High School to a student in 1994. I became more baffled when I noticed that communication courses would be available to senior managers. This alone gives the impression that senior managers are hired without the necessary communication skills to perform their duties.

This government has never met its target of 50 per cent aboriginal hire. Based on that, anyone can assume that 50 per cent of public service employees taking any list of courses over the years could have been aboriginal employees. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance stated in the last session that the deficit was due in large part to higher social program costs than budgeted for. According to the list of courses, social programs are also available to government employees. Courses are available to help employees break out of their comfort zones and unworthy habits as well as for those wishing to live with increasing fulfilment and those who wish to feel more productive and less pressured. Mr. Speaker, I trust those who have contributed largely to the deficit may be the poor on social programs who use those courses that have been available to them.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, for courses to be delivered, the government has to pay costs for newspaper advertisements of tenders for instructors, travel from destination points for employees and instructors alike, pay for accommodation costs and expenses...