Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today, Mr. Art Sorensen was recognized by my colleague. His wife, Lynda Sorensen, is in the gallery today and I would like to recognize her as a Member of my constituency and also Mrs. Sorensen's mother, Christine Klotz. I would like to welcome her to Yellowknife and to the House.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 7, written questions. Item 8, returns to written questions. Mr. Clerk.

Mr. Speaker, Return to Written Question 5-13(3), asked by Mr. Barnabas.

The following replies are in response to the six written questions asked by Mr. Barnabas on May 16, 1996.

1. There are five communities in the Baffin which will have more than one school next year. Will the Department of Education provide the Baffin Divisional Board with funds to allow every community school to have a school counsellor?

In the past, school community counsellor positions were allocated to communities which had a trainee in the training program. This resulted in an unequal distribution of counsellors. The new funding formula is more equitable because funding for counselling is now based on enrolment. The changes in the contribution funding formula are intended to support the autonomy of boards and school districts, and to prepare for division of the Northwest Territories in 1999 by distributing resources equitably across the NWT.

Since the Baffin Divisional Board of Education had a higher ratio of counsellors to students than other boards and, as a result of the new funding formula, the number of counsellor positions within the Baffin board decreased while positions in some other jurisdictions increased. Funding for counsellors will increase with increases in enrolment.

In addition, the department has recently considered the results of the review of the school community counsellor program. The review recommends closer ties between school community counsellors and community wellness programs. It further recommends that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment work with Health and Social Services to integrate counsellor training. The department will be pursuing these recommendations with Health and Social Services.

2. Will school community counsellor positions be built into the funding provided to divisional boards of education for the community grade extensions?

The department is looking at the issue of grade extensions to see what is needed to improve support, which includes counselling, for high school programming.

Forced Growth

3. Is there a supplementary reserve built into the 1996-97 budget which will be available to provide formula funding increases to respond to the growth in the student enrolments?

During the past meetings with the board directors and superintendents, the idea of establishing a reserve fund to respond to extraordinary student enrolment increases was discussed. The boards did not want the department to hold back funds. Establishing a reserve fund meant adjusting the pupil/teacher ratio. As a result, no reserve was established for the 1996-97 school year.

4. If the department now only considers supplementary funding after increases of more than eight per cent, does that mean we must wait two years before the Baffin can receive supplementary funding for the number of students we have?

Funding is based on prior year enrolment. Therefore, student enrolment increases would be reflected in the following year's contribution. For 1995-96, the department requested supplementary funding to address the above-average enrolment increases on behalf of the boards. The department has indicated to the boards that the possibility of supplementary funding for 1996-97 is very limited.

McGill University Tuition Fees For TEP Students

5. Is it true that the Department of Education is refusing to pay for these fees for 1995-96?

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment did not pay McGill University tuition fees for 1995-96. In the summer of 1994, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment advised Nunavut Arctic College that it would not be responsible for the additional tuition fees for McGill courses, effective in the 1995-96 academic year. The department funds the college for all delivery costs of the teacher education program. The department advised the college to meet with McGill to resolve the issue of fees and to identify alternate institutions to deliver the required courses if necessary.

The college reviewed the agreement with McGill and the fee arrangements remained in place. Following notification from the college of this arrangement, the department advised the college that all costs associated with the agreement would be the responsibility of Nunavut Arctic College.

University transfer agreements between northern public colleges and universities provide accredited training for northerners. Generally, however, such arrangements do not include a cost to the northern colleges. For example, the current arrangement for teacher training provided at Aurora College is accredited through the University of Saskatchewan, at no cost to the college.

6. Will the Department of Education, Culture and Employment be paying the McGill tuition fees for TEP students at Nunavut Arctic College for 1996-97?

Nunavut Arctic College staff have had opportunity to review and resolve the matter. Their decision to review the agreement with McGill University has direct cost implications for which the college is being held accountable. The department will not pay the McGill tuition fees for TEP students at Nunavut Arctic College for the 1996-97 academic year.

Thank you. Item 9, replies to Opening Address. Mr. Miltenberger

Mr. Miltenberger's Reply

Thank you. Item 9, replies to Opening Address. Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Ootes's Reply

Hear! Hear!

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Item 9, replies to Opening Address. Mr. Roland.

Mr. Roland's Reply

Thank you. Item 9, replies to Opening Address. Mr. Antoine.

Hon. Jim Antoine's Reply

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be speaking to you for a while in my language today. Today, it seems like the Legislative Assembly will be proroguing, so I would like to leave a brief message with you. We, sitting here in the Northwest Territories, are from a lot of different places. Some people have been born here in the Northwest Territories; some are Inuit, some are Dene, some are Metis and some are from up north, Inuvialuit, and other people from other places in Canada and others from other foreign countries. But we are sitting here together and working together. For that, I would like to thank you.

This is the message I would like to talk to you about. Today, I would like to talk to you about the perspective of Dene. I grew up as a Dene and so I would like to talk to you in the perspective of a Dene. Dene people are born in the North. In my case, I grew up in the country with my relatives. A lot of Dene people grew up that way. From the first time I can remember, we had a lot of white people starting to live on our land.

In 1921, when there was a treaty, it was only a peace treaty. On the side of government, there were a lot of arrangements that had been agreed to, such as housing, education, rations and social assistance. These were the items that were promised at the time. So all our relatives were told that at the time. Since then, it seems like it was changing every year. In our communities, a lot of things were changing; on our land, our region and all over the North.

When things started changing here in the North, it seemed to be without the involvement of the Dene people. They didn't have any involvement. When there was a government that we didn't agree to, we had some input but we hadn't been taken seriously. Since the beginning of the Government of the Northwest Territories, it seems that they are becoming more prominent. So we know how the Government of the Northwest Territories is now.

We have names for the features on our land, such as rivers and mountains. We named all these land features in our language; but when the white people came on our land, all the places that we had names for, they gave different names to. So when you say "Deh Cho," they have renamed it to "Mackenzie River." There is a mountain close to Fort Simpson that is called "Beaver Hills." That was renamed to "Abbot Hills." The Horn Plateau we called "Horn Mountain." The Liard River we called " Nachahdeh." Since ancient times, we have had names for these places. Our community of Fort Simpson was called "Liidlii Kue." Fort Wrigley was called "Tthedzeh Kue," Fort Providence was called, "Zhahti Kue," Trout Lake was called "Sombaa K'e" and Fort Liard was called "Lateke" and Hay River was called "Katlodehe," and Jean Marie River was called "Tlhek'ehdel." We had names for communities and land features on our land. What I'm saying is that we, as Dene, have names for our land.

First, when the government started coming up this way, they did not listen to us. This was kind of classified as colonial mentality. When they came up here, they governed the land as they did in their land. So Fort Franklin was renamed to Deline; and Fort Norman is Tulita; Snowdrift went back to the Dene name of Lutsel K'e. So the Dene people have renamed some of their communities to their original name.

When we first started calling ourselves the way we call ourselves, "Dene," it was hard. When the white people first came up here, we were called Indians. The organization, the Indian Brotherhood, was renamed the Dene Nation, as well. So when you change things, it's hard. The word that we used to classify ourselves was Dene, and we expressed that it would be good if they called us Dene. When that was done, we used the letterhead of Dene. At the time, the Indian Brotherhood was in existence.

There are other lands that have started recognizing us. Now when people hear the term "Dene Nation" they know what it is about. In that way, when we changed the name to Dene people, they saw us as constructive. When the English word of NWT is used, a lot of Dene people do not understand what it means.

When the Northwest Territories came into existence, it was part of the other provinces, such as Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon and Northwest Territories. Therefore, when the older Dene people heard the term "Northwest Territories" they did not know what it meant. Now we will have another piece chopped off:

Nunavut; and we are the leftovers. When you say Nunavut in the Inuit language, it means "our land," and I'm thankful that they named it that way. When we are searching for a name, I don't think we should be called "NWT." What I would like to say is, when the Dene people hear the word "NWT," they don't know what it means.

I grew up along the Mackenzie in the area called Rabbit Skin River. When I was growing up, my relatives didn't know what the word "NWT" meant. When we talked about our land, it was the way it meant, in our language, "our land." This way it was recognized by the Dene people. When the Dene people started getting involved in politics, it seemed like the NWT was imposed on us as well as the government system. So when we say the Northwest Territories, in Dene we are saying it; interpreted back it would mean "cold land" or "cold place." This is how you would say the Northwest Territories to the Dene people, in my language. So I didn't feel the word "Northwest Territories" was relevant to Dene people and that is why I am saying this. Also, the Dene languages such as Chipewyan, Dogrib and the Sahtu, all say the words "cold land" or "cold place" in their language. They don't say "Northwest Territories."

So when the Chipewyan people talk about the Northwest Territories, the way they say it is translated back as "cold land." I would just like to express that. There are many people who are Metis, Dene, Inuvialuit and when they stay within their community, maybe if we talked about this to them, they would probably agree with what I said. That is why I am saying this to you in my language today.

Many of the MLAs probably understand their language. If they are going to rename the western NWT, it would be good to listen to the Dene people's suggestions. I am just saying to continue using the name "NWT" doesn't sound suitable to me. This is why I am saying this in my language. This is what I would like to say at the moment. Thank you.

---Applause

Mahsi, Mr. Antoine. Item 9, replies to Opening Address, Mr. Barnabas.

Mr. Barnabas's Reply

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation ends) ...my reply to Opening Address with some good news. I am referring to outstanding achievements of my constituents.

My first credit goes to Tudjaat, an outstanding new musical group, composed of Madeline Allakariallak and Phoebe Atagotaaluk.

What happened was, in the winter of 1994, Susan Aglukark was in Resolute Bay to do some recording for her hit album, "This Child." Susan was looking for some back-up for the new recording and asked her producer, Randall Prescott, to come to Resolute to see what they could find. Madeline Allakariallak was then part of the local theatre group of about 20 people, called "Takiualuk" and they recorded pisiq -- which is traditional Inuit singing --for the producer.

As Mr. Prescott said in an interview in a recent issue of Above and Beyond: "One voice in my headphones stood out. Who is this angel, I asked myself." That was Madeline. Madeline, who is 20, grew up in Resolute Bay, cared for mainly by her grandmother, Minnie, who is now 80. "She's put so much into me," said Madeline in the article, "I love my grandmother so much." It was Minnie who taught her granddaughter throat-singing. Madeline's cousin, Phoebe Atagotaaluk, from Inukjuak was also in the theatre group. She and Madeline teamed up and learned throat-singing from Minnie.

Soon after that visit, Randall Prescott invited Madeline to participate in the concert he was helping to organize in Whitehorse. Phoebe was very excited because Tom Jackson, the singer and the television star of North of 60, was going to be there. Madeline and Phoebe opened the show with some throat-singing and then Madeline sang her translation of "You are My Sunshine" and an old pisiq, called "Qiugaviit." The crowd loved it. Phoebe was thrilled when someone asked for her autograph.

Madeline says she will always remember Tom Jackson's advice to her: "Don't let this go to your head."

Tudjaat has just had their first album released by Sony Canada. Recently, they performed for the Canadian Aboriginal Achievement Awards, televised right across Canada. But there is no sign that success has gone to their heads, They are having fun, keeping everything in perspective and hoping their example somehow helps others. Mr. Speaker, I am sure it will.

"We just want people to enjoy our music." Taking Tom Jackson's advice to heart, the girls say they aren't expecting anything big out of their music.

However, the music and the message is getting big. One song that has everyone's attention is the heart-rending story of Minnie's relocation in 1953, along with 84 other Inuit; from Inukjuak in Northern Quebec, to the High Arctic. Madeline says she wants all of Canada and the world to know what her grandmother went through.

It seems the world may soon know the story. The video of the album, which is called "My Ship Comes In"' was released with great fanfare in early February on the New Country Network, which attracts four million in Canada alone and reaches most of the globe by satellite.

Even though it talks about the great hardship of those people, the song has a hopeful message. It was called "Kajusita," which means to keep looking forward, to sail on. The song is about taking the pain from the relocation and going forward stronger.

These hit tunes are quite extraordinary because they incorporate traditional Inuit forms of music, throat-singing and pisiq. When this is mixed with pop music, the mix of traditional and pop is very different and pleasing. Madeline's grandmother is very happy that throat-singing is being heard.

This winter, just after their video, CD and cassette package was being released in North America, they flew to Europe for a series of performances. Then a person working in the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo presented the album to Japanese government officials who liked it so much that they have invited the two young women to come to Japan later this year.

I am very proud of these two young constituents of mine who are doing well and so far have not let their success go to their heads. They are an example for people who are rooted in Inuit culture and are strong and self-assured because of that. I believe that, as we move towards Nunavut, we must hold strong to our culture and values and the wisdom of our elders like Minnie Allakariallak. They have much to teach us if we are willing to learn.

Another musical group in my constituency has taken Baffin by storm. They are called Tuniit. They are from my home town and I am very proud of them. There is Lucas Attagutsiak, band leader; Harry lyerak, manager/singer; Noah Qaqqasiq, vocals and instruments; and, Lucy Qaqqasiq, singer. With help from Economic Development and Tourism and Canadian Airlines, they have produced their first CD, called "Ikajunga." Qimiuksiqti is a favourite song in Kuujuaq, where they are the favourite performers at events like lqaluit's Toonik Tyme.

I also want to salute Peter Flaherty for his outstanding achievement in being made NWT volunteer of the year.

---Applause

As I said earlier, Peter is the kind of person you would love to have as your neighbour; always looking for ways to help and be useful. Peter Flaherty, who was born and grew up with very hard times with the people who were relocated near Grise Fiord in 1953, is an example of what Madeline's song told about: a person who has become generous and kind, not angry, in spite of great hardship as a child. This is a great tribute to his parents.

I would like to thank the Minister of MACA for assisting Peter's mother and sister to be here with him when he receives the great honour, and Members of this Assembly for showing their respect to this very humble constituent of mine. I know he will be a good example for all of us. Thank you for letting me tell these good things about my wonderful constituents from Resolute Bay, Arctic Bay and Grise Fiord.

Now I want to talk about some of my constituents' concerns. I have spoken about this already in length in this Assembly in my reply to Budget Address, so I will not go over that detail again. However, I do believe that many of our most unfortunate constituents are hurting. I speak about elders and those who must be on social assistance.

I would like to give my full support to the efforts of my colleague, Mr. Enuaraq, who introduced a motion to review the monthly territorial old-age supplement. I also spoke on the need of a review on social assistance rates, especially the food allowance. If we are to support families in need, they must have enough money to feed their families properly. The food allowance should reflect the actual cost of living in each community. Where I live, food is very expensive.

I am looking forward to the results of the review which Mr. Dent has promised to undertake on this issue. I am very encouraged that it was Mr. Dent, as the chairman of the Special Committee on Health and Social Services, who introduced the motion in the previous Assembly very similar to the one introduced in Committee of the Whole during this session. In fact, I believe the wording is almost identical. Mr. Dent knows what it is like to be an ordinary Member to make a motion and then hope that it is acted upon by Cabinet. I know he will do his best to see that these needs are addressed in the future.

I also mentioned that I see two different points of view which exist, even amongst the federal government departments, about the issue of new national parks and land use by Cominco on Bathurst Island. Since I made the statement about that in this House, I learned that one of my constituents have been working hard on this issue. I am anxious to learn of his views and am looking forward to getting a briefing from the Honourable Stephen Kakfwi, who is involved with this issue through several of his present portfolios; Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources and Renewable Resources. I am looking forward to learning more about the important issues in the future.

I also want to repeat my earlier open invitation to the Honourable Jim Antoine to visit my constituency to meet the mayor, the council and the community leaders in Resolute Bay. We are anxious to learn more about the exciting plans for the new airport terminal and to find out how the community might benefit from this project. I believe there are quite a number of economic opportunities which could create new jobs for northern residents. I look forward to working with Mr. Antoine and His Worship Mayor George Eckalook, and take advantage of these new business and employment opportunities. I believe that if you are involved in planning from the beginning, the project will be a great success.

I also want to thank the Minister for his very informative statement about NavCan, made yesterday. Mr. Speaker, I mentioned earlier in this session my concern that our Government should be fully involved in the transfer of responsibility of all Arctic flight service stations to NavCan this year. I was therefore very pleased to hear Mr. Antoine's statement yesterday; first that, to its credit, Transport Canada has conducted extensive consultations with the many parties who have an interest in commercialization.

Secondly, the GNWT Department of Transportation participated fully in consultations representing our interests. I am very happy that the bill now before Parliament includes special provisions for northern or remote services. If NavCan should propose to reduce northern or remote services, the bill spells out the very strict consultation process, which includes the provincial and territorial government of the affected area. Also, if there is an objection to the reduction in service from our government, the Minister of Transportation can veto the change. The bill also says the fee charges for northern remote services must not be any higher than comparable fees in other parts of Canada.

I was also encouraged to hear Mr. Antoine say that it is possible that we may have even better air navigation services with NavCan than before. They are more likely to use the latest technology. I believe we have a great interest in having the most modern, reliable and accurate air navigation services where we live in Nunavut. We have no choice but to fly. There are no highways from southern Canada in parts of Nunavut.

I am pleased that the Minister will be watching carefully for our interests and I am very much looking forward to being present when he explains what is happening to my constituents in Resolute Bay. I would like to thank Mr. Antoine for responding to the concern raised by the hamlet of Resolute Bay. The hamlet of Resolute Bay expressed their concern to me that sometimes they have trouble clearing the road to the airport, especially after bad weather. Even if the airport runway is clear, they said it isn't much use for us if we can't move goods from the town to the airport. They asked the airport manager about using one of the airport's snowblowers, but they were told it can't be done.

Meanwhile, I found out that MACA's capital standards don't include snowblowers, for hamlets, so I asked Mr. Antoine if he could help. I just got his written reply yesterday and, in that reply, Mr. Antoine explained to me that the two snowblowers, located in the Resolute Bay airport are very ancient Idaho Norland snowblowers, The models are no longer made and spare parts are very expensive and hard to get. Both are still working, but the Minister explained to me that the eventual plan is for the older machine of the two to be used for spare parts for the newer machine. The department believes that, by carefully looking after the maintenance of these old machines, there is another five to 10 years of life left. So Mr. Antoine explained, because these machines are old, it would be best to use them only for emergency situations where the airport snowblower is the only way of dealing with the problem. Mr. Antoine asks that the community otherwise use their own equipment for routine clearing of snow. This is a reasonable solution, Mr. Speaker. I also want to thank the Minister for his very informative Mr. Speaker, I know that the mayor was very happy to receive Mr. Antoine's response; so was I. Government should be fully involved in the transfer of I believe that the transfer of our airports to the GNWT last year, the new terminal building and the establishment of NavCan all represent opportunities for our communities. We expect to have new training and employment opportunities, especially for our young people. We hope to have more involvement in what goes on at the airport. This will be the major project for my constituency in the life of this Assembly, and I will hope to be fully involved in making sure the new terminal is built according to its schedule.

I want to mention another very important capital project which was voted money during this past session, and thank Members for their support; that is, the Baffin Regional Hospital for my constituents. Even though they are many miles away, the Baffin Regional Hospital in lqaluit is the nearest major medical facility. For example, Grise Fiord is 900 miles away from lqaluit. My constituents depend very much on that hospital and on hospitals in Montreal. This hospital is old, and it is not appropriate to the needs of our very large region. We have the largest geographical area and the largest population of any of the regions, and our population is growing fast. The new hospital will meet our present and future needs and should allow us to take care of more of our sick people in the North, rather than having to send them far away to Montreal. This trend will save us money as well, as Stanton Regional Hospital has shown. I believe the same needs exist in the Inuvik region, as well.

Now that we are getting so close to Nunavut, I want to mention a point that I have been making in this session to Mr. Dent, the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I am pleased that Mr. Dent agrees with me that our government, through Arctic College and divisional boards of education, should be given responsibility to provide the training for Nunavut, using our existing schools and community learning centres. Mr. Speaker, I believe that everyone agrees that training is the key to the success of getting northern residents involved in the government of Nunavut. I am confident that, when we discuss this issue, the Nunavut Implementation Commission --which has recommended this already in Footprints in the New Snow -- and Nunavut Tungavik will agree that this is the fastest way of getting much-needed training started as soon as possible. In that connection, I would urge Mr. Dent to make sure that the human resources development plan, which is now well under way, is completed on time and is put in place as soon as possible.

Since we are seeing some existing Arctic College programs, moving out of one of the regions into another, I would hope that these new monies could be used to make sure that every region of Nunavut has available to it important college programs like human resource services and management training, as soon as possible. This is a very important program. Those graduates, I am sure, will be very much needed in Nunavut.

The benefits to government --through such activities as delivery of education programs to many communities from a single location; remote diagnosis and treatment of patients through telemedicine; and, the reduction of travel costs through the use of video conferencing --will result in considerable savings, as well as improving the quality of service and the program delivery. People in the communities, for instance, could take university courses at home without having to go south, and northern people could teach aboriginal language and traditional language courses to southern students. Treatment and diagnosis through telemedicine could reduce medical travel costs and speed patient recovery by allowing people to remain in their home communities.

Maybe MLAs could even participate in Caucus or committee meetings from their home communities. I know I sometimes have to wait over the weekend in lqaluit to get home to Arctic Bay, or leave on Friday to attend a Monday meeting in Yellowknife. I would certainly welcome the opportunity to participate by video conference, especially if it was a way to hold a short meeting.

The GNWT and municipal governments could market themselves as a tourist destination through the simple use of Home Pages on the Internet, which is currently being done by many governments around the world.

Mr. Speaker, these are just a few of the opportunities to access from the information highway state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure can provide. A broadband telecommunications system, once it is in place, can also benefit the private business sector and private organizations, and the individual, in both public and private sectors, could use the same system at a little extra cost. All that is required is a satellite dish of the right size connected to the computers in each community. With such a system, businesses would be able to communicate effectively with businesses in other communities. Private citizens would be able to work for territorial and federal government and the private sector from their home communities; saving relocation and workspace dollars as well as the pain associated with relocation. Aboriginal organizations would be able to hold meetings through the use of video conferencing. This would save some money associated with travel costs which, in turn, could be put into pursuing economic development opportunities in their home communities. ahead with a 384-kilobauds-per-second broadband However, making sure that the private businesses, aboriginal organizations and individuals have access to the modern day telecommunications first requires overcoming a number of barriers. In the first place, as Mr. Todd knows, the broadband system is required. Without one, none of these activities are possible. In the second place, the copper wire used in telephone connections to individual homes and businesses, in many cases, is not good enough to allow access to the information highway. Upgrading the copper wire in all the communities to fibre-optic wire would cost too much money, even if the copper wire were to be upgraded. The services necessary to access the Internet do not exist, except in the larger centres. Even if all the infrastructure and services were to exist, a lot of our people could not benefit from this because they are not familiar with the computers. Even if they did know how to use the system, many people could not afford to buy computers or pay the long-distance charges. Also, some people cannot write in English.

The Nunavut Implementation Commission has advocated the construction of what they call "community teleservice centres" as a means of overcoming these barriers. They will require a broadband telecommunications system, which Mr. Todd has announced will be put to a proposal call. The centres will be staffed by bilingual employees and they could be used to meet the needs of both the public and private sectors. These community teleservice centres could be the perfect way to train public servants and private sector individuals in the use of computer and information technology. As well, they could serve as locations for video conferences for anyone. These teleservice centres could be placed in existing facilities such as schools, hamlet offices, recreational centres or community learning centres. In the case of Nunavut, a space could be allocated for them in a new or existing government building.

If teleservice centres were equipped with child care facilities, single parents could take training and use them as places of work. Teleservice centres could serve as locations where people could find out information about government programs and services, apply for a new driver's licence, get birth certificates, et cetera. The teleservice centres could serve as electronic polling stations. Residents could take computer training and operate a small business using these facilities. In other words, Mr. Speaker, community teleservice centres could assist in creating new jobs and business opportunities in our smaller and more remote communities.

In my opinion, these community teleservice centres could be the key to making community transfer and community empowerment work better, by giving our communities the tools for the very best and most cost-effective communications system available today. This could mean that a lot of business and work could be done at the community level. Government public servants would not have to visit us as much and we would not have to travel to a regional centre or Yellowknife to talk about and solve problems.

The best thing about these teleservice centres is that they would allow people to work through the computer without having to leave their home community. I believe that when these teleservice centres are put into our communities, they could create new job opportunities throughout Nunavut in all of our smaller communities.

Mr. Speaker, I know that in the province of New Brunswick, the Premier of New Brunswick, through his vision, established the necessary technological support and properly trained bilingual workforce to have many national and even international companies establish teleservice centres for their customers. When you can call to do your banking or pay your bills by telephone, as you can do from most parts of the NWT, you may be speaking to a person on the other end of the line who is from a rural community in New Brunswick.

I believe we can do the same in Nunavut. With some basic training in computer literacy, I believe that there are a lot of routine government functions that could be done in our small communities by local people, where many people are fluent in both English and lnuktitut.

In this reply, I am hoping to draw the attention of all MLAs to these exciting potentials in Nunavut because, if we make it work in Nunavut, I think it could be made to work in the Western Arctic as well. I will be asking our government if it has a view of the proposed telecommunications; and, whether, working with NIC, NTI and the Government of Canada, Nunavut implementation funds could be applied to setting up the basic community infrastructure to establish telecommunications in Nunavut.

I know that there are costs to all of this, as outlined in the NIC report; however, in today's society where knowledge is power, the NWT will be left behind without a broadband telecommunication system and access to the information highway. I know, just because you have access to information technology, that will not automatically create jobs and economic opportunities but they will be necessary for the economic development and growth.

Two recent papers have been prepared by the Nunavut Implementation Commission. One is about the social and economic benefits of the community teleservice centres. The other paper explains how they could be designed and what they would cost. The papers are very useful. I understand they have been given to our government and I will table one paper, the Nunavut Telecommunication Needs: Community Teleservice Centres, later today.

Mr. Speaker, one of the main reasons I am supporting the Finance Minister's initiative to establish a new wider broadband for telecommunications and the NIC report for the community teleservice centres is that I believe in community transfer and community empowerment. However, our communities will need lots of support, advice and assistance when they are taking on new responsibilities. I would like to see more government programs delivered at the local level; however, Mr. Speaker, if my constituents are going to apply for their birth certificate, health care card or driver's licence, they must be connected to the department of the territorial government. If they are managing construction projects, delivering other programs --like housing, health and social services, for example --they need close communication with the department on whose behalf they are providing these services.

I'm committed to community transfer and community empowerment, but the most modern communication system must be in place soon if it is going to work well. I also believe that if we are to have a decentralized government in Nunavut, the community teleservice centres will be the most effective way of setting up the new government services, as well.

If local people can do their jobs in the community teleservice centres or on their home terminal, then there may be a lesser need for costly new office facilities. I believe that these modern facilities, along with the new approach to how work is done in Nunavut, will make it possible to create jobs in the new Nunavut government. In my communities, outside the regional centres, perhaps even in a very small communities like those I represent, it wouldn't require a lot of workspace to do certain jobs. With training in computer skills, local people could do these jobs instead of having to move out of their community to find work. Perhaps some people could even work on their own time and at their own convenience. Whenever it is convenient for them to get access to the teleservice centres, most people might be able to even work at home.

Mr. Speaker, I know that this has been a long reply to the Commissioner's Address, but I have been looking for the opportunity to discuss the important subject of the community teleservice centres. I do not believe that it has to cost a lot of money to establish jobs in our small communities, especially if we can use the latest technology and if we look at different ways in which people can work in the 1990s. The workplace is changing everywhere else. With Nunavut and the new Western Territory, we have great opportunity to modernize and do things differently. It might just cost less money than the old ways, as well.

I wish to commend Mr. Todd for his initiative and urge him to take the next step and find a way to build community teleservice centres in our communities once the critical broadband width has been in place. I will also be working to encourage the federal government, NIC and NTI to recognize that our smaller communities will greatly benefit from this new technology. It will be good for business, employment and successful operation of the local and territorial levels of the government.

Mr. Speaker, establishing community teleservice centres will be the means of helping our people overcome barriers to economic growth and job creation. This development is especially important for the smaller, more remote communities like the ones I represent. Mr. Speaker, the information highway is our future, especially in our remote communities, and we must invest in it.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I hope all the Members will have a well-deserved rest from a long meeting in this building in favour of being with families and constituents at home. It has been a very long session and I am looking forward to being out on the land with my family and visiting my constituents. I would like to express my very great thanks to the interpreters for the very good job they have done for us all; to the pages from the schools around here; to the very capable Clerk and his staff at the Legislative Assembly; our committee clerks, especially Mr. Schauerte; our faithful executive secretary, Ms. Betty Low, who, I know, always has a challenging time with my travel arrangements; and all the other good people who worked so hard with us in this Assembly. Finally, I wish to thank you, Mr. Speaker, and our very kind chairs of Committee of the Whole who helped us in this House to do its work in a fair and respectable manner. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Have a good summer. Have a good rest.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Barnabas. We will take a 15-minute break.

---SHORT RECESS

The House will come back to order. We are on item 9, replies to Opening Address. Mr. Erasmus.

Mr. Erasmus's Reply

Mr. Speaker, I haven't had time to work on a stirring and passionate speech like some of our other Members here. The last couple of weeks, I have been busy working on amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act, trying to get my research and the rest of that in place. As a matter of fact, I have had to work so much on it that I've been dreaming about headlights on our roads for the last couple of weeks.

I have also been working from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m. every night. We leave here about that time, go home, spend a little bit of time with our families and then try to deal with constituents' problems. So I haven't really had much time to prepare, but I do have a few brief comments.

I also appreciate the hard work and dedication of the staff of the Legislative Assembly.

---Applause

I would like to thank the staff for all their assistance and, particularly, those who helped me with my work on the amendment to the headlights bill. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to comment a little bit about comments made by my fellow MLA, Mr. Ootes, indicating how much work the MLAs do. In the last little while, we've been getting here at 9:00 a.m.; sometimes 8:00 a.m., depending on how much work has to be done. From there, it's one meeting after another all day. You go from one meeting to another, and even during lunch time you have a meeting. We meet all day and, at supper time, it's another meeting. We've been finishing here at 8:30 at night, but I usually try to answer letters and the rest of that, so I am here until 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m.

Mr. Speaker, I wanted to indicate that I am still learning, and I look forward to coming back in the fall with this new experience under my belt. We have now gone through one budget. We will be looking at another budget in the tall, and I hope that my past experience will help me and the other new MLAs to do a better job. We will now know what questions to ask and what to look for, rather than it just being a learning experience.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to close be reiterating Mr. Roland's words: "We are all hard-working people here; MLAs. We all want what's best for our constituents, but it's now time to forget our petty differences. It's now time to concentrate on what's best for our constituents. It's now time to look at what's best for the NWT and to work hard for that. " Mahsi.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Erasmus. Item 9, replies to Opening Address. Item 10, petitions. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Again, I would like to remind the Members that the rules are very clear with regard to petitions. You don't make general comments on them. You don't try to debate on the petition. The purpose of a petition is to send a message through the government, and you read that petition as such and then you give the amount of signatures on the petition. I would like to ask the Members not to make comments on a petition. Item 10, petitions. Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have three petitions. The first one: I would like to present a petition dealing with the matter of the naming of the new western territory after division. Mr. Speaker, Petition 52-13(3) contains three signatures, and it alleges that the Government of the Northwest Territories retain the Northwest Territories as a name when two separate territories are formed in 1999.

The second petition, Mr. Speaker, deals with funding for community wellness youth programs in the city of Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, Petition 53-13(3) contains 18 signatures and the petitioners request that the Minister of Health and Social Services grant funding for community wellness programs to the city of Yellowknife in 1996; however, place a condition on the funding that 50 per cent of the allocated funds be designated for youth programs.

Mr. Speaker, the third petition is from the citizens of the city of Yellowknife concerning the matter of funding for community wellness programs. The petitioners request that the Minister of Health and Social Services grant funding for community wellness programs to the city of Yellowknife in 1996; however, place a condition on the funding that 50 per cent of the allocated funds be designated for youth programs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Petition 54-13(3) has been signed by 144 people.

Thank you. Item 10, petitions. Mr. Erasmus.