Thank you, Mr. Roland. Good afternoon. Orders of the day, item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Charles Dent will be absent from the House today to attend a joint venture signing ceremony with the NWT Power Corporation and the Gwich'in Development Corporation in Fort McPherson. As well, the Honourable Manitok Thompson will be absent from the House for the remainder of the week to attend the Northwest Territories Association of Municipalities annual general meeting in Inuvik. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A part of Aboriginal Languages Month and Francophone Week in the Northwest Territories is the government's community language leader award program that recognizes individuals who promote the use of their languages.

The program recognizes a finalist from each official language except English. From these finalists, three award winners are chosen from Inuktitut, French and Dene/Cree.

Mr. Speaker, this is the first year of the program. A panel has completed its review of the nominations for this year's awards and I'm pleased to announce their names this afternoon: Bertha Francis of Fort McPherson, Gwich'in; Mary Wilson of Yellowknife, North Slavey; Andy Norwegian of Fort Simpson, South Slavey; Johnny Eyakfwo of Rae-Edzo, Dogrib; Jonas Adams of Fort Smith, Chipewyan; Suzanne Lefebvre of Iqaluit, French; Rosemary Meyok of Kugluktuk, Inuinnaqtun; Fred Wolki of Tuktoyaktuk, Inuvialuktun; and, Mariano Aupilardjuk of Rankin Inlet and Mark Kalluak from Arviat for Inuktitut.

The panel felt the contribution of these people to be significant. As a result, they, along with all other finalists, will receive a certificate recognizing their contributions to the promotion of their languages.

Mr. Speaker, the three award winners chosen from the finalists are: Mariano Aupilardjuk of Rankin for Inuktitut; Johnny Eyakfwo from Rae-Edzo for Dene/Cree; and, Suzanne Lefebvre of Iqaluit for French. I have a tough time with those names, Mr. Speaker, and the pronunciation; so I apologize to those people if I did not pronounce their names properly.

Each of these award winners will receive a plaque and $250. An additional $250 will be donated on their behalf to a community organization of their choice that is involved in language development work.

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask Members to join me in commending these individuals for their efforts in promoting the use of their language. Mahsi, thank you.

--- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to make the following statement on behalf of my colleague, the Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation, who is in Fort McPherson today to sign an important new energy agreement with the Gwich'in Development Corporation.

This afternoon, the Minister, along with the Member for Mackenzie Delta, representatives of the Power Corporation and the Gwich'in Tribal Council, are signing the papers which will set this in motion. It is hoped that the agreement will set the pattern for others like it across the North.

Customers on the new system will be able to buy the heat at rates competitive to what they now pay for heating fuel.

The direct advantage will be reduced heating costs and lower expenses for maintenance.

The Power Corporation will benefit from new revenues from a valuable resource which is a by-product of electrical generation. This will help stabilize power rates for customers.

Mr. Speaker, Members will recall the fire early this year that destroyed Fort McPherson's school. This new district heating system will cut replacement costs by avoiding the need for new boilers in the new school.

Those communities that already have power plants located close to larger buildings are especially well suited to take advantage of district heating systems. There are several communities which have been using the Power Corporation's heat, free of charge, since the late 1970s. But the Power Corporation recognizes that by treating this heat as a valuable resource rather than a by-product, considerable benefits can be created for more communities and for power users across the North.

Those benefits include recapturing more of the value of the fuel, thereby offsetting the corporation's operating expense and stabilizing rates for power customers. It means significantly reducing pollutants by reducing the burning of heating fuel and will create new local business opportunities.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the Power Corporation and the Gwich'in on the signing of their new joint venture.

It is an excellent combination of reducing costs, taking advantage of existing resources and benefitting the environment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Morin. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about my vision of when Nunavut comes in 1999, and about the dreams and aspirations of the people of Nunavut. Mr. Speaker, my vision of the Nunavut leadership is that it will be compassionate, whatever that means. I guess it means a leadership that is sympathetic to the concerns and suffering of others, that no one community, no one region, is excluded from programs and services by the Nunavut capital.

Mr. Speaker, the dreams and aspirations of the people of Nunavut are that every community in every region will live in harmony with one another; and, that essential programs like health care education will be delivered and decentralized to respective communities, thereby ensuring easy access to the public and to cut travel costs in the regions.

Mr. Speaker, what is a winner in leadership? A true winner in leadership, Mr. Speaker, or collective leadership is that someone is willing to share his winnings with others. I

believe that holds true for the new capital to be and the leadership. Thank you.

--- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since our election in mid-October, we, at the Legislative Assembly, have been inundated with business plans, deficit reduction options and cost-cutting measures. The pace has been hurried and has not always provided an opportunity for consultation or input. A prime example of this is the proposed transfer of occupational health and safety to the Workers' Compensation Board. There has been no consultation or input on this transfer from the parties most involved; no consultation with the chamber of mines, the chamber of commerce or workers in industry.

Mr. Speaker, this move will have a major impact on a number of companies currently operating in the NWT, as well as those companies thinking of setting up shop in the Territories. We talk of bolstering investment in the Northwest Territories, investment which will undoubtedly come from business and, at the same time, we're increasing the cost of doing business. This does not make sense.

The Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board, Mr. Todd, has identified and I believe stated in this House that moving occupational health and safety to the Workers' Compensation Board will bring us more in line with other Canadian jurisdictions. This simply is not the case, Mr. Speaker. A few quick telephone calls identified that, in fact, only four of the other 11 jurisdictions have combined the two offices. The Minister of Finance has also stated that these plans of which this transfer is part have been developed in consultation with the standing committees. My honourable colleague from Yellowknife Centre pointed out yesterday in this House that the Standing Committee on Resource Management and Development had recommended that the GNWT not proceed with the proposed transfer until further information, rationalization and justification had been provided back to the committee. This information has not yet found its way to committee Members.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, the NWT Supreme Court is currently reviewing a case in which the WCB has named the mine safety inspector in a law suit. Given all these factors, Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to understand why the government is pressing forward in this issue. I would strongly urge the government and the standing committees to revisit this option. The government must take the necessary steps and provide the required information so that a decision on the proposed transfer can be made in a true and consensus fashion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Henry. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have received several letters concerning the amalgamation of the Northwest Territories Workers' Compensation Board and the GNWT's department of occupational health and safety. One such letter reads, "The Workers' Compensation Board is a no-fault insurance program funded by employers, in which the money is held in trust for injured workers and families. As the principal stakeholders of the Northwest Territories Workers' Compensation Board, the undersigned are on record as being totally opposed to the process of the proposed transfer of the GNWT department of occupational health and safety to the Workers' Compensation Board and demand that it be stopped immediately. A thorough public review seeking input from the stakeholders, combined with an in-depth actuarial review are essential to the implementation of such a significant change in the WCB mandate." This letter is signed by the president of the NWT Federation of Labour, the president of the NWT Chamber of Commerce, first vice-president of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, regional vice-president of the Union of Northern Workers, president of the NWT Construction Association, president of the NWT Association of Municipalities, president of the NWT Chamber of Mines, vice-president of CAW Local 2304 and the president of the NWT Steelworkers Area Council.

In addition to this letter, I understand that there's a legal matter between the amalgamation of the two parties in question that still needs to be resolved. Mr. Speaker, I agree we need to reduce our costs and amalgamation is one way of doing that; however, we do need to do things properly and we cannot have all the stakeholders in this process against amalgamation. As such, I am asking the Minister of Finance to do a thorough public review seeking input from the stakeholders combined with an in-depth actuarial review before implementing such a significant change. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Erasmus. Item 3, Mr. Picco.

Thank YOU, Mr. Speaker. I would like to begin by thanking Mr. Ningark of Nunavut; it is also my dream and my fellow colleagues', I'm sure. Over the past few days, I have been a very vocal critic of the way this government has been implementing the deficit reduction plans. I said in this House yesterday that constructive criticism is a needed part of government. However, if you are going to criticize, you also have to offer solutions.

--- Applause

Mr. Speaker, I am announcing today in this House that I will be seeking solutions to help this government manage economic change. Economic renewal has to be first and foremost for a government that is faced with the major hurdles the 13th Assembly is faced with. Mr. Speaker, when I return to Iqaluit, I will be meeting with business, labour and the public at large to get solutions for our situation. I will hold a focus group meeting to thrash out

ideas and possible economic renewal opportunities that I will pass on to this government.

Mr. Speaker, my friend, the Honourable John Todd, as Finance Minister of this government, has been given a very thankless task. He has to manage a way out of the overspending days of the past GNWT governments. However, Mr. Todd will still need to hear Edward Picco's and other MLAs' challenges, as well as solutions to this fiscal reality.

Mr. Speaker, I will continue to give constructive criticism to this government. I will also be giving constructive proposals to help Mr. Todd and this Assembly manage the change needed to take the 13th Assembly to division and beyond. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--- Applause

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

Just to caution Members regarding quoting from Cabinet documents. If Members wish to do that, they should be prepared to table the documents. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before I start my statement, I asked yesterday in the House if we could get a piece of plywood to divide myself and Mr. Picco. I would settle for a pair of blinders. Mr. Picco has stolen my thunder in the statement I was going to make today. Thank you, buddy.

--- Laughter

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the pending salary and benefits reductions to northern workers. Mr. Speaker, I want to qualify the following remarks by stating that I recognize that the Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd, has, in the famous words of my honourable colleague, Mr. Miltenberger, .'a huge" task and responsibility that must be managed; the deficit. Mr. Speaker, this is a job I would not even wish on my honourable friend, Mr. Picco.

In all seriousness, Mr. Speaker, I have some strong reservations regarding some of the reductions in general in the across-the-board equity on others. Mr. Speaker, it is difficult enough for the residents of Kivallivik to face these reductions, but to add to this the appearance of disparity.

Mr. Speaker, when this Assembly addressed and voted on the amendment to the Public Service Act, I spoke to this amendment. The gist of my statement was that I was not pleased with the amendment nor with the speed at which it was brought forward and processed. I also indicated that I was fearful that if we did not pass this amendment, these reductions would come on the backs of the unemployed, the poor and the less fortunate.

It was also my understanding that this move would greatly bring about an end to our embarrassing financial situation. Mr. Speaker, it is not my intent to criticize the Minister of Finance; I merely state my feelings on the mess that we find ourselves in. Mr. Speaker, a number of my honourable colleagues have spoken about the need to carry out these extreme measures in a caring, fair and compassionate way. Mr. Speaker, it is also not my intention to question the honourable Minister's definition of "caring, fair and compassionate" because I am sure it would be reasonable.

Mr. Speaker, I will add my voice to the issue of equity. Mr. Speaker, along with a number of my honourable colleagues, we have serious concerns about the reductions to the VTA, settlement allowance and ultimate removal, especially the impact that they will have in the off-road communities. Mr. Speaker, I seek consent to conclude my statement.

Thank you. The Member for Kivallivik is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do

we have any nays? There are no nays. Conclude your statement, Mr. O'Brien.

The concern that we have on these proposals, especially the impact that they will have on the off-road communities. Mr. Speaker, having lived in some of the off-road communities like Tuktoyaktuk and Arviat, I can tell you that it is tough enough to get along with the present benefits. The cost of living is much greater then in the larger centres. For example, in Arviat, a large bottle of Coke is $8. In Baker Lake, it is $12. Mr. Speaker, these are dry communities, so I am sure you can understand that people drink a lot of pop there.

Mr. Speaker, in comparing the figures that relate to the proposed cuts for our northern workforce, I find myself increasingly concerned and disillusioned regarding these cuts. To take it a step further, I find myself questioning my rationale when I supported this amendment; the rationale being to protect the less fortunate.

Mr. Speaker, if a review of the equity of the proposed reductions is not initiated, unfortunately, it will force me to question my judgement regarding the amendment that was passed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. O'Brien. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Rabesca.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a statement regarding my absence in the House yesterday. I had to go home because of a great-uncle's death yesterday. I had to attend a funeral of the uncle of Chief Joe Rabesca. As one of the elders in the community had put it, regarding how my great-uncle lived during his life, he happened to live to 91 years old. According to what one of the elders said about his life, he was a great teacher of how to live off the land and hunt, fish and trap. Most of my family were happy with the amount of people who attended the funeral, especially from the outlying communities and most of the people from Ndilo, Yellowknife and Dettah came out to show their respect at his funeral, including people from Meander River.

I would like to thank the people who took part and tried to comfort us as the family. I would just like to thank the people who came down for his last days and for his funeral.

--- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Rabesca. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have several returns to oral questions, if I may. One was asked by Mr. Barnabas on March 22nd, with respect to the income effect of the changes to wages and benefits.

The following information will be tabled in the Legislative Assembly today:

Examples of the effect in changes in wages and cost of living allowances for an excluded employee in several communities. These examples will show that the value of the total compensation for the same job under the new structure remains constant except for cost of living differences between the communities.

Comparisons of northern allowance with average VTA by constituency and community. These comparisons show that the new structure provides a better tax advantage on average than under the old system.

Comparisons of northern allowance with combined average VTA and settlement allowance by constituency and community. These comparisons show a consistent reduction in the allowance.

The information shows a simpler and fairer wage structure that no longer has a major focus on travel to the South. The wage structure with the northern allowances provides a reasonable and competitive rate of pay for the job that allows employees to meet their basic and recreational needs.

I have another return to a question asked by Mr. Erasmus on March 21st, with respect to the date of introduction of the new northern benefits package.

The northern allowance will be introduced on April 1, 1996, for non-unionized employees. The introduction of the northern allowance for unionized employees is the subject of negotiations with the employees' unions. While the effective date for the elimination of the accommodation allowance is August 31, 1996 for teachers and March 31, 1996 for all other employees, the intention at this time is to delay the implementation for unionized employees if negotiations are not concluded by these dates.

I have a third one, Mr. Speaker, regarding rationale used in calculating northern allowance, asked by Mr. Picco on March 26th; my good friend.

The detailed description of how the northern allowance is calculated will be tabled in the Legislative Assembly later today. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Welcome to the Assembly. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to recognize Lydia Bardak from Yellowknife. Also in the gallery are some family members: my sister-in-law, Renee Stevens from Huntsville; sister-in-law, Helen Zimmerman from Palm Springs; and, brother-in-law, Frank Stevens from Vancouver. I was informed my wife is in the gallery too, but I don't see her now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the past few months, my family and I have had some very tense moments of concern with regard to TB. Through all of this, the overworked staff of the Baffin Regional Hospital and community health have been very caring and professional, especially since I've had to spend so much time here in Yellowknife and my wife and children are alone in Iqaluit. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health. Can the Minister update this House on the status of TB throughout the NWT?

Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. TB continues to be a problem throughout the Northwest Territories, but we are taking measures to address the issue. During the past year, tuberculosis programs and strategies have been reviewed and updated in all regions of the Northwest Territories. Our medical health officers of the department have provided in-service education to nurses and physicians, and have been proactive in enlisting support from other community groups and agencies. Vaccinations programs for at-risk newborns have been reinforced; school screening programs have been reinstated in the Baffin, Keewatin and Mackenzie regions; and, liaison with the Department of Justice in facilitating a review and updating of surveillance practices in correctional centres has been undertaken.

As well, medical health officers have also recently reviewed the assessment criteria of new clients being admitted to treatment centres and young offenders' facilities. Similarly, they have started initial discussions and contact with Aurora and Arctic College to ensure that students living in dormitory facilities are also being screened for tuberculosis. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question will be to the Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board, the Honourable John Todd. In this House yesterday, the Minister stated in a response to a question asked by Mr. Ootes, "I want to say, in all fairness to my colleague, that I am moving forward on this important initiative, and I intend, unless there is some major reason not to, to proceed with the transfer." My question to the Minister is: Would the Minister consider elected leaders of the NWT Federation of Labour, the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce the NWT Construction Association, the NWT Chamber of Mines, NWT Steelworkers Area Council, NWT Chamber of Commerce, the Union of Northern Workers, NWT Association of Municipalities and CAW Local 2304 requesting formal input and information into restructuring of an organization which, at the end of the day, belongs to the employers and employees of the NWT, to be a major reason for the Minister to set a formal committee that could receive input into this proposed transfer?

Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I made that comment yesterday, I was not aware of the letter with everybody's names on it. As my honourable colleague has indicated today, I would be prepared and am prepared to discuss with the concerned stakeholders some of the changes that we want to make. I'm not prepared to go with a major review across the Territories at this time. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance, in reference to my earlier Member's statement regarding the disparity on the noted reductions. Would the Minister agree to take a second look at this issue? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me try to answer the question this way. We have a $150 million problem out there. We have a forced growth problem of $40 million a year, primarily in the social envelope. Steps have to be taken to be fair and reasonable across the Territories as we move forward in our deficit elimination strategy. We are not going to balance the budget on the backs of the unionized and non-unionized employees, but the unionized and non-unionized employees must carry their share as

others have to. I believe, as I've said consistently in this House, that the strategy that we've taken is a caring and compassionate strategy. The reworking of the northern allowance into an income support/cost-of -living allowance is fair. We have taken into consideration the concerns that have been addressed by my honourable colleague and others out there. It has to be recognized in this House that everyone has to take -- and Mr. Henry said it on a number of occasions -- their fair burden of this strategy. I want to remind everyone in this House that the target set in the wages and benefits package was set collectively by the majority of us and we are endeavouring to do this in a way in which minimizes the pain to our employees, whether they be union or non-union. That is the way I would like to answer it, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I hear what the honourable Minister is saying. I listened to his comments yesterday and on a number of occasions; I agree with what the Minister is saying. I am asking if the Minister would at least have a second look at this. I am not asking for a commitment to make a major change. I just want him to have a second look. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Todd.

Mr. Speaker, given these volatile times and a deficit we all face, we are taking a second look at everything we do and I will do the best I can. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Finance. Earlier, the Minister replied to an oral question I had asked a few days back. He indicated that the effective date for the elimination of the accommodation allowance is March 31, 1996, for all employees except for teachers, who have a date of August 31, 1996.

They aren't going to implement the northern allowance for these people until negotiations are finalized. Does this mean, Mr. Speaker, that we are going to be deducting $200 off of our employees' pay cheques every two weeks, but we aren't going to do it without providing them with the northern allowance?

Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wonder if I could get further clarification, so I could respond to my colleague.

Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is $5,400 a year, divided by 26 payments is $208 every two weeks. If we are not going to be giving our employees the housing allowance -- that means that is $208 less on their pay cheques or their gross income -are we going to be deducting that without giving them a northern allowance come April 1st?

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are attempting to roll the housing allowance into the base salary, take the 6.25 per cent from it, take the northern allowance and the VTA, roll it into a cost-of-living allowance and then put it back into the wage package. So there isn't a $200 per pay cheque deduction taken from the employee.

Supplementary, Mr. Erasmus.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance has indicated that they aren't going to implement the northern allowance for these employees until negotiations are over. Now he is telling me that he is going to implement it. He can't have it both ways. He is either going to implement it or he is going to wait until negotiations are over...

Mr. Todd.

Perhaps my honourable colleague could clarify who we are talking about; unionized employees, nonunionized employees or the NWT Teachers' Association. Once I get that clarified, I will be able to answer his question succinctly, clearly and concisely

Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is in reference to his answer to my oral question, which was in relation to the unionized workers. We are talking about unionized workers.

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's our intention to go back to the table with the UNW on April 9th. We're optimistic we can conclude an arrangement very, very

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, in the meantime, until such a decision is made and negotiations are concluded, the people in the union will be receiving $208 less on their gross pay. Is that correct?

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a hearing problem, Mr. Speaker. If my honourable colleague is enquiring whether on April 1st there is going to be a reduction of the northern allowance for unionized employees, the answer is no; until such time as we conclude the arrangements with the union, the current arrangement we have will stay in place. Thank you.

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

Thank you. Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me start off by talking briefly on how previous assemblies worked. We did have standing committees of this House. Previously, regarding the process of developing budgets, it was Cabinet and FMB that developed the budget and then we put it forward to the Finance committee and then it came to the House. So the Members only saw the budgets and any amalgamation or business plans once they were completed. Then they had the opportunity or the ability to remove things, cut from any capital or O and M budget that we did present to this House. They did not have the ability to put anything in their budgets.

In the 13th Legislative Assembly, which we all sit in today, we all agreed that all Members of this Legislative Assembly would have input in developing those budgets. So we have adopted some of the principles of the previous government and we have presented draft budgets and draft business plans of the departments to ordinary Members' committees. Members have had the opportunity to have input into not only taking things out of that budget, but putting things in. So now this time when we come up with a budget and we come up with business plans for this government for the direction we are going, it is going to be the first time in history of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories that all Members have had the opportunity to have input into the development of that budget.

So in the new way of doing business, Members have had the opportunity to have input, as well as to remove things and put things in. So I feel it is a better way to operate and I look forward to continuing to operate like that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Minister of Safety and Public Services, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Resource Management and Development was briefed on the transfer during the meetings to review departmental business plans on a number of occasions; on January 19th, January 26th and again on February 24th. Mr. Speaker, at the January 26th meeting, the deputy minister provided quite a lengthy summary of the justification and rationale for transferring these programs and services. In addition, I wrote to the committee chairman on February 29th to forward a three-page summary of key elements in the transfer strategy. I also indicated that the department would be pleased to provide another briefing. Although this was referenced in the standing committee's recommendation, no one has contacted my office or the department to follow this up. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you. Two questions, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like I indicated earlier, I did send a letter to the chairman of the respective standing committee and offered that a complete briefing is available to the Members of the standing committee. For the second question, Mr. Speaker, the schedule of transfer to take place is April 1, 1996. This is for the transfer of the program. The staff will be completely transferred by June or July. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given the talk in this House over the past few days, centring on our fiscal situation, I still note that many GNWT employees continue to be brought into Yellowknife for meetings. Mr. Speaker, several of my constituents have called me to voice their concern about this. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister of Finance direct departments to ensure that all travel be a priority and, where possible, when meetings are to be held, be it conference call or other means, to send the signal that this government is taking our deficit reduction plan seriously, not only on wage reductions, but on all aspects of the government?

Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Yes, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's a nice answer. Mr. Speaker, when will and how will the Minister direct this most important message?

Mr. Todd.

Mr. Speaker, I was just asked ... (Microphone turned off) ... honourable Member, since he has given me this direction, when would he like me to send the direction out to the government on the question he asked?

Mr. Todd, there was a question directed to you by the Member for Iqaluit. The Minister is supposed to respond, not ask questions. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I apologize for my flippant response to the very serious question asked by Mr. Picco. I will endeavour to communicate Mr. Picco's concerns to the staff and to the GNWT employees across the Territories, posthaste. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

I enjoy question period, but I didn't think it would be 20 questions. I appreciate the fact that the Minister will do that posthaste; but how will the Minister do that? Will it be a directive of the government? What happened before, Mr. Speaker, and my reason for saying this is that when the deficit reduction came about at Christmas, and when I went back to my constituency, I heard the talk, as did other people from their constituencies, that people didn't take seriously the letter that we had sent out earlier. So my question to the Minster of Finance is how will he direct this message. Will it be a directive of this government to put this in place at the most opportune time? He said, posthaste, but I want to know how he will do this. Will it be a directive from him?

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We will advise the deputies through a directive that we would like this course of action taken. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the honourable Minister of Transportation. The previous government was committed to construct access roads in the Eastern Arctic to facilitate hunting, fishing, tourism and recreation. The access roads, in this case, are a very essential part of the economy in the Eastern Arctic communities. Will the honourable Minister honour the previous commitment of this government to complete those roads that are already under construction? Thank you.

Minister of Transportation, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the community access road program within the Department of Transportation has become a very popular program. As I have travelled in the central Baffin and in the Keewatin recently, this was always a topic that came up, so I'm aware of what the honourable Member is talking about. The honourable Member knows that we're still going through our budgeting process. We won't have the complete budget done until May. But if everything works out okay, at the end of the day, in May, we hope to maintain the budget that is in place for the community access road. If that's the case, I'll honour the commitments made by the previous government towards the community access roads. Thank you.

Thank you. Again, just to remind the ordinary Members, I realize that a lot of Members like to get a second turn at asking questions, but I also would like the other Members who haven't asked questions to have an opportunity to ask. So just be patient with me, for the Members who wish to ask a second question. I like to give all the Members the same opportunity. Mr. Steen.

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

Mr. Speaker, I've asked the Department of Public Works to look into this matter. Two days ago, I did ask the Member to provide me with a contact name; however, when I did not get that, I asked the department to conduct an investigation to see what we could do. At this point in time, I do not have any information to pass on.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Finance. Mr. Speaker, many of our civil servants are facing lay-offs similar to those in other governments across Canada. The federal government, in particular, has set a target of reducing their workforce by 45,000 positions over a three-year period. As part of these reductions, the federal government has offered employees an

early retirement and an early departure package. Eligible employees are able to retire earlier than planned with no penalties for early retirement. Similarly, some employees would be able to voluntarily terminate their positions. There were a number of incentives offered for each of these programs. The result, Mr. Speaker, is that positions were freed up for other employees who would otherwise have to be laid off. Can the Minister advise this House whether this government would give the same consideration to our employees in the Northwest Territories?

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If I can go back to an earlier statement, when we looked at the lay-offs that were prepared by the departments and the Ministers, we took the time to try and manage our way, as I've said consistently, out of this fiscal mess that we're in. I believe that we were able to save a number of jobs by careful management of the lay-offs. We are looking at, and do have in place, a variety of options, as my honourable colleague says; whether it's early retirement, retraining and some other options. In short, Mr. Speaker, we're doing some of the things that my honourable colleague is talking about. I think we demonstrated clearly -- I hope we did anyway -- to this House in the previous discussions that we're trying to manage as carefully as possible the job loss. We'll continue to do that and we'll certainly look at other options that have been suggested by my honourable colleague from Arviat. Thank you.

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

Thank you. Mr. Premier, two questions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me assure the Member that we'll look at any proposal that is presented to this government on privatization. We do, as far as I'm concerned, have to look at our present employees and, as my honourable colleague, Mr. Todd, has said, we have to look at all our employees and try to minimize any lay-offs that we have to do. Then, through privatization, if the employees can continue to work and continue to gain

meaningful employment in the Northwest Territories, then we should try our best to accommodate them because they are the ones who have worked for many years for this government and we do, I believe, owe them something.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't know the answer to that question. I'll take it as notice and get the information back to the honourable Member. Thank you.

Thank you. The question is taken as notice. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Ootes.