Please be seated. Thank you, Mr. Barnabas. Orders of the day, item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently, CBC North Radio broadcasting from lqaluit celebrated its 35th year on the air. Mr. Speaker, CBC Radio was and still is the major communication vehicle for many residents of the Eastern Arctic. Mr. Jonah Kelly by broadcasting in Inuktitut way back then, helped strengthen and preserve the Inuktitut language. Mr. Kelly has been broadcasting for CBC North for the past 30 years and is be to congratulated.

Mr. Speaker, in 1987, my wife and I were travelling to Ottawa. When we arrived at the Ottawa airport, a gentleman come over to us and asked where we were going. My wife and I did not recognize the gentlemen at first, but we certainly knew his voice; it was Mr. Jonah Kelly. This is just a simple example of how well-known the voice of CBC North has become in Nunavut and the Eastern Arctic, northern Quebec and Labrador. Mr. Speaker, the CBC Radio program Tausunni is recognized and listened to all over Nunavut and is picked up in northern offices in the South, including the MP for Nunatsiaq, Mr. Anawak's office in Ottawa. CBC North Radio is an integral part of life in Nunavut, northern Quebec and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this time to congratulate CBC Radio Eastern Arctic on its 35 years of broadcasting, and wish them another 35. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Levi Barnabas, Member for High Arctic.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation) I wish to speak today in support of the Arctic Winter Games. (Translation ends)

...support of the Arctic Winter Games. It has recently been suggested by another honourable Member that the games are too costly. For example, mentioned was the cost of the preselection of dogteams.

Mr. Speaker, I have found that about 2,400 athletes from 52 communities participated in regional trials. They tried out for the games. In January of this year, another 1,400 athletes from 44 communities competed in the territorial trials. The 370 athletes who will go to Alaska represent only a small number of people from many small communities, like the one I represent, who have a chance to participate in the goal of participating in the games. I believe that these regional and territorial trials encourage people at the community level to compete and train all year round.

As for the cost, I would like to point out that the Arctic Winter Games are run by volunteers. Most of the budget is spent on travel. Most of the money comes from lottery revenues, registration fees paid by the athletes, fund-raising and donations. In fact, if you add up the total number of athletes in Baffin at each of the regional and territorial games themselves and divide that into the total Arctic Winter Games budget of $1.5 million, that works out to a cost of only about $360 per athlete. Most of the money is spent on regional and territorial costs. When I look at the value of sending an athlete from one of the small communities, experiencing not just the value of the healthy competition

Sorry, Mr. Speaker, can I ask for unanimous consent?

The honourable Member is asking for unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Proceed, Mr. Barnabas.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. ...not just the value of the healthy competition, but the social and cultural exchange and the opportunity to see other parts of the Territories and the North. I think this is a very good value for a small amount spent per athlete. Members should also be aware, Mr. Speaker, that our government only contributes $300,000 in direct funding to the cost. That works out to a cost for our government of only about $70 per athlete. The rest is raised privately and by volunteer efforts.

I would like to say, Mr. Speaker, that for my constituents, including the dogteam which came all the way from Arctic Bay to demonstrate the tradition going back thousands of years, I believe the Arctic Winter Games are good value for our money. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Qujannamiik, Mr. Barnabas. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Tommy Enuaraq, Member for Baffin Central.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before I start my Members' statement, I would like to make an honourable mention at this financially difficult time. The honourable Premier, Donnie Morin, was kind enough to give me this nice, beautiful tie.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, my concern today is about housing. Last year, a new social housing rent scale was put in place. This followed extensive consultation with communities and representatives in each district at the Housing Corporation in the Northwest Territories. When the new rent scale was put into place by the previous Assembly, the Minister who was then in charge of the Housing Corporation, the honourable Don Morin, stated that ongoing consultation would happen in every community and every region in the following year.

Many of my constituents are hurting because of this new rent scale. I am not sure it has worked out in the way it was intended to. In all cases, Mr. Speaker, I strongly believe that now is the time the new rent scale has to be put into place. We need to consult with the communities and find out how it has been working.

We need to consider whether the new rent scale should be modified where it has caused undue hardships. Communities should also have the opportunity to consider other issues such as housing design; the effectiveness of new home ownership programs should both be done in the community and at the regional level as it was done when the rent scale was being put in place.

Later today, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister of Housing if he intends to carry on with the commitments for the consultations promised by the previous Housing Minister, Mr. Morin. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Enuaraq. Item 3, Members' statements. Are there further Members' statements? Mr. Roland.

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. O'Brien, Member for Kivallivik.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on numerous occasions government has referred to its commitment to buy northern and hire northern through such initiatives as the business incentive policy, the architect and engineering policy with DPW and the affirmative action policy and, Mr. Speaker, in more generic terms, the northern preference policy.

Mr. Speaker, the community transfer initiative, CTI, has been established for a number of reasons, but its primary purpose was to turn over more responsibilities to the hamlets so the communities could have more say in the running of their community.

Mr. Speaker, the overall goal is to empower the communities. I applaud the previously mentioned initiatives, but they cannot be effective if there isn't open and honest dialogue. Mr. Speaker, I believe that this government must take the time to listen more attentively to the concerns and recommendations from each community. Mr. Speaker, I have some serious concerns in my riding of Kivallivik regarding how committed some government departments are in terms of the concerns and recommendations, for example, from Arviat and Baker Lake.

Mr. Speaker, a case in point was the recent awarding of a contract for the running of the group home in Baker Lake. Mr. Speaker, prior to the contract being awarded, I approached the Minister of Health and Social Services on a number of occasions regarding the community's wish to have the group home run by local people as opposed to outsiders. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, my request was not honoured as the contract was awarded without my knowledge and I found out after the fact by one of our local community members.

Mr. Speaker, the real concern here is that the contract was awarded to an outside or southern company without much thought or consideration for the other local groups that applied. Mr. Speaker, the local bids may not have been perfect, but Mr. Speaker, I seek consent to continue my statement.

The honourable Member for Kivallivik is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Mr. O'Brien, please conclude your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The other local bids may not have been perfect, but surely some accommodation could have been made to allow local people to run this particular group home. Mr. Speaker, another equally disturbing fact is that the party that won the award was not the low bidder, but was higher by approximately $60,000. Mr. Speaker, in times of fiscal restraint with a looming deficit of $150 million and a commitment by this government for community empowerment, how could this contract be awarded and justified? Mr. Speaker, I will ask further questions during question period regarding this issue. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. O'Brien. Item 3, Members' statements. Are there any further Members' statements? Item 4, returns to oral questions. Minister Thompson.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This question was relayed to me by Mr. Enuaraq, MLA for Baffin Central, on February 15, 1996, concerning the 1996-97 capital plan for the hamlet of Pangnirtung.

Regarding the specific request to consider advancing the upgrading of the maintenance garage from the 1998-99 fiscal year to the 1996-97 fiscal year (Translation ends).

...department officials advised that as the department's 1996-97 capital budget would soon be under review as part of the government's business planning process, it would be difficult to make this change at such a late date. If the maintenance garage project for Pangnirtung were to be advanced, then another project would need to be set back.

I am advised, however, that after the discussion had concluded on this particular item, the hamlet council advised my department officials that they would accept where this project was scheduled in the capital forecasting plan at present. The council further reconfirmed that their highest priority is to proceed with construction of the new sewage treatment facility and the solid waste site.

I am open to discussing this matter with the Member. If the hamlet has reassessed its priorities and wishes to still pursue advancing the maintenance garage, we could consider a deferral of a project of equal value, within the department's capital forecasting plan for the community. I am also open to discussing the scheduling of capital projects planned by other government departments for Pangnirtung during the 1996-97 fiscal year with the Minister responsible.

I wish to assure the Member that I am prepared to work with him to ensure that to the degree possible, the capital plan for Pangnirtung reflects the priorities of the hamlet council. However, given the limited capital budget that is available to allocate in the coming fiscal year to the many pressing there is very little flexibility to make further budget adjustments between communities without discussion and cooperation from other community councils. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, honourable Minister. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services and the Housing Corporation, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked February 15th by the honourable Member for Hay River with respect to how much money is owed by public housing tenants to this government at this point in time.

Mr. Speaker, currently there is $5 million owed to the local housing organizations in tenant arrears. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item, returns to oral questions. Mr. Dent.

Release Of Report On Nunavut Arctic College Program Transfers