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

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and good afternoon to Members of the Legislative Assembly. Last week, I was at St. Patrick's High School to present an award to a volunteer group; Students Against Drinking and Driving. They are part of a national organization of Canadian youth dedicated to solving their own problems. The students at St. Patrick's High School formed their chapter of Students Against Drinking and Driving in November 1994. The group is not so much opposed to drinking as they believe that people can enjoy themselves at parties and social gatherings without having to drink. They care about their friends and want to protect them from dangerous situations, especially where vehicles are involved. They get their message out to students through school assemblies, red ribbon campaigns, dry graduations and controlled parties.

They were recognized for their achievements earlier this year when they received an award at the national conference of Canadian Youth Against Impaired Driving in Regina. I want to commend their work and thank them for their helpful participation in the strategy to reduce impaired driving, with the Department of Transportation. With their cooperation, a chapter of Students Against Drinking and Driving has been formed at Sir John Franklin High School in Yellowknife. I think Students Against Drinking and Driving is a positive example of students giving of their time and energy for the betterment of their communities. I would like to see more students at other high schools across the Northwest Territories get involved in preventing the needless deaths and injuries that so often result from drinking and driving. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

--- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since 1988, National Action Awareness Week has been challenging Canadians in the communities where they live, to take collective action to eradicate the barriers faced by people with disabilities. Participation in the Canadian labour force for those who are between the ages of 15 and 64 years of age is 80 per cent. Among Canadians with disabilities, it is 50 per cent.

Active employment seekers in the disabled community are unemployed at a rate of 30 per cent, compared to the national figure of 10 per cent in the non-disabled population. In 1990, the average income from all sources for working age adults with disabilities was $20,710. The average income for adults without disabilities for this period was higher, at $26,210.

The GNWT affirmative action policy identifies four target groups: aboriginal people, women in management or non-traditional jobs, indigenous non-aboriginal people and people with disabilities. While aboriginal people have the first priority under the current policy, it is important to bear in mind that all four target groups are underrepresented in the workforce. We must implement strategies to include all members of our communities in employment. Affirmative action for people with disabilities means making accommodations for the disabled. This includes setting goals and timetables for increasing the representation of people with disabilities in the workplace; consulting with representatives of the disabled community; developing training initiatives that are suitable to the target population; making special efforts to contact suitable prospective employees who are disabled...

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

Thank you. The Member for Natilikmiot is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Conclude your statement, Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. ...developing training initiatives that are suitable for the target population; making special efforts to contact suitable prospective employees who are disabled; providing physical access to buildings and access technology, and so on.

Eighty per cent of job accommodations for people with disabilities cost less than $1,000. With careful planning, measures such as ramps, railings, convenient parking, lower reception and service counters, accessible placement of merchandise, wider entrances and exits, and larger and more easy-to-read signs and advertising need not involve great expense. Without such improvements, though, people with disabilities are prevented from offering businesses their patronage as consumers, or their services as employees.

Figures from the International Association of Machinists Centre for Administering Rehabilitation and Employment Services, a federally and privately-funded program in Canada and the United States, shows that employing people with disabilities can considerably reduce social assistance payments and public welfare costs. American figures, for example, indicated that employing people with disabilities saved American taxpayers about $12 million for each $1.5 million invested. Employing people with disabilities, then, Mr. Speaker, can reduce the cost of public services and thereby reduce taxation levels. Money spent on education and training is an investment.

At a recent community meeting held in Gjoa Haven and hosted by the NWT Council for Disabled Persons, members of QuIlik Society of People with Disabilities voiced their concern about the transition from school to community living for young adults. In that community, Mr. Speaker, there are a number of young adults who are "finished school, but not finished learning," according to Mary Kikoak, the president of Gullik Society.

A day program that would offer both work skills and daily living skills to benefit these young adults is considered suitable by the members of Qullik Society in Gjoa Haven. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ningark. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Arlooktoo.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to make a few comments regarding the proposed make-up of the Nunavut government. I am very unhappy because I am becoming more and more convinced that there has been a lie told to communities in Nunavut.

During the capital campaign that occurred last year, people were told that their new government would be highly decentralized. This would see Cape Dorset benefit from 67 new jobs; Igloolik, 93.5 jobs; Pangnirtung, 80 jobs; Pond Inlet, 77 jobs, and so on. These promises were made on a model conceived by the Nunavut Implementation Commission and widely used by the Iqaluit Campaign Committee.

Mr. Speaker, that is the reason my constituents voted for Iqaluit. If the Rankin Inlet model would have had more benefits for my communities, then we would have voted for Rankin Inlet.

Mr. Speaker, a grave disservice has been done to my constituents due to recent announcements by the federal government to fund the incremental costs at a lower level than required. I have tried to bring this matter up with NTI, but I have been answered with accusations of trying to unravel their special deal with the federal government to own and construct all the incremental infrastructure required.

Mr. Speaker, where NTI came up with this logic escapes me. My children and I, as beneficiaries, are shareholders in these institutions. (Translation ends)

Mr. Arlooktoo, your time is up.

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

The Member for Baffin South is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Conclude your statement, Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said last week, the health of the Nunavut economy will be better with a larger number and broader base of individual businesses, rather than the economy relying on four large corporations, regardless of who the owners are.

This is a straightforward and logical argument for me, especially if we put in controls to ensure that the Inuit population will get its fair and proportionate share. I understand that the president of NTI has been invited to the Baffin Leaders' Summit next month, and I look forward to discussing this further with him at that time.

I would also like to note, Mr. Speaker, that it appears that the largest newspaper in Nunavut, which is also the local paper for Iqaluit, appears to be actively discouraging discussions on the low level of incremental funding through means available to it. I hope that is not the case and I look forward to seeing much more debate on this matter in future editions.

I must say that I could not blame them for trying to limit debate since, as the funding stands now, Iqaluit will get most of the positions, most of the buildings and so on. Nunatsiaq News has a vested interest in making sure that the jobs do not go out to other communities and obviously a larger population and more government jobs would be very good for that paper.

Mr. Speaker, there was also a popular argument recently that the GNWT did this to itself by not responding to the NIC report. I will concede that there has been no formal written document issued until recently, entitled "Response to the NIC Report." However, I do know that the GNWT has made a tremendous effort, through correspondence and face-to-face meetings, to influence the federal Cabinet submission on the funding needed for incremental costs for the Nunavut government.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I must advise all residents of Nunavut that I will not stay quiet on these issues, despite the pathetic tactics by those trying to protect their own interests in the building of our new government. I look forward to meeting and dealing with these challenges head on in the next 33 months leading up to Nunavut. I especially welcome the opportunity to work with the NTI Board of Directors to build the best future we can for all the people of Nunavut. Thank you.

--- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to bring some good news and some not-so-good news. A former Government Leader of this Assembly had the opportunity to witness the marriage of his daughter. Mr. Speaker, that leader was Mr. Nick Sibbeston.

--- Applause

Nick and Karen Sibbeston's daughter, Janice, was joined in marriage in Fort Simpson to Timothy McClelland, son of Nelson and Marjorie McClelland; long-time Yellowknifers. The ceremony and festivities were somewhat overshadowed by an aircraft accident of guests flying in to join the wedding celebrations at Fort Simpson.

Mr. Speaker, CBC reported this morning and gave a lot of credit to myself for finding the downed aircraft near Fort Simpson on Saturday. While this is true, credit should go to the skill and ability of another passenger: Brook Mattick, who is a flight instructor and pilot with Air Tindi in Yellowknife.

Mr. Speaker, Brook had the knowledge, skill, ability and experience to fly our aircraft at lower speeds and altitudes and in the vicinity of other traffic, which gave Pat Scott -who is a CBC news reporter who was on the job -- and myself total freedom to give full time and attention to look for the downed aircraft which we found. From my perspective, full credit should go to Brook for a job well done.

I am pleased to report that both Lee Penney, the pilot, and Marie Benoit, the passenger of the downed aircraft, are in critical condition but are recovering in an Edmonton hospital. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--- Applause

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The last six months have been trying times for us as legislators. We have struggled since November with the threat of an enormous deficit. At times, it seems that everything we have done has been driven by this dark shadow. With the limited time available to us, we have had to rely on the kind of difficult, painful solutions that have been employed elsewhere in Canada: job cuts; public service wage reductions; cuts and benefits to those in need; and, cuts to needed programs to serve northerners.

We have incorporated all of these into the budget we are reviewing this month. We have at least pushed most of the shadow back. Now, as we wind down the session and as government departments start planning their budgets for next year, it is time we looked at other ways of managing the resources available to us. We have to find solutions which do not hurt northerners. This will take a lot of effort and creativity on the part of all northerners. We have to look at creative ways of attracting financial resources to the North. We have to encourage responsible development in the North, but do so in a way that keeps as much of the money and benefits in the North as possible. For example, if diamond miners live in Yellowknife, rather than flying in and out of the South, more personal income tax will come into our coffers instead of the provinces. We could use our tax rate, the lowest personal income tax rate in the country, as a selling point to potential employees in new mines.

We also have to consider creative ways to keep corporate benefits from new development in the North. Some suggest raising corporate tax rates and others suggest lowering them in the hopes of attracting more corporate income to flow into the North and to generate more of our revenue to pay for the programs we need. We have to work with the federal government to finalize the northern accord and ensure that a reasonable portion of mineral royalties from new mines and existing ones stay in the North.

Since the federal deficit is a driving force behind our deficit, we have to encourage the federal government to be more creative in generating revenue. The Auditor General suggests that every dollar spent on tax auditing generates many more dollars in additional revenues from tax evaders. Some economists suggest using a very small tax on currency transactions to generate revenue and to stabilize global currency markets. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member for Yellowknife North is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do we have

any nays? There are no nays. Conclude your statement, Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. All of these ideas have good points and bad points. Most need a great deal of careful analysis before they are implemented. We need to look at new and creative solutions and give them careful analysis so we can solve our financial problems with less pain and suffering for our citizens. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--- Applause

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