Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Good afternoon. Orders of the day, item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Honourable Members will already know that the House of Commons is considering proposed legislation which, if enacted, would amend the Canada Food and Drugs Act to require that health warning labels are placed on alcohol beverage containers sold in Canada. I wish to assure the House today that the Government of the Northwest Territories will be taking a leadership role in encouraging the passage of this bill.

Since 1992, Mr. Speaker, our NWT Liquor Commission has had a policy which requires health warning labels to be placed on products sold in liquor stores within our jurisdiction. We have found warning labels effective in raising awareness of the risks associated with alcohol consumption, and they have become a key component of our broader health promotion strategy.

There are only two Canadian jurisdictions to establish a warning label program for liquor products. We are one, the Yukon is the other.

Bill C-222 would require similar labels to be placed on alcohol beverage containers sold all across Canada. The warning would advise consumers that alcohol consumption impairs their ability to operate machinery or to drive. It would also indicate that alcohol consumption may cause health problems or cause birth defects during pregnancy.

Mr. Speaker, Bill C-222 has now received second reading in the House of Commons and has been referred to the Standing Committee on Health for public hearings.

Frankly, we have been shocked and dismayed by some of the arguments that opponents of this bill have raised at public hearings to date. The industry lobby has suggested that warning labels are ineffective and costly. Our experience in the Northwest Territories has been the exact opposite.

I am pleased to confirm that we will be sharing that experience with the Members of Parliament who are now reviewing Bill C-222. On Thursday, May 9th, my honourable colleague from Inuvik, Mr. Floyd Roland, will be leading a three-person delegation to Ottawa to appear at public hearings on Parliament Hill.

Mr. Roland and the officials accompanying him, will tell the standing committee that the Northwest Territories fully supports the passage of Bill C-222 and they will be taking direct aim at some of the misinformation that has been provided by lobby groups who claim that liquor product labelling is ineffective and unimportant.

Mr. Speaker, this is an issue that has implications for people and the Government of the Northwest Territories. Passage of Bill C-222 will not only provide consistency in the message given to Canadians about the risks of alcohol abuse, but it will also shift the onus for funding the costs of liquor labelling to the industry, where many northerners feel it belongs.

Mr. Speaker, when the Premier gave his opening statement, he indicated that this government will ensure that northerners' views are fully represented at the national levels. On the matter of health warning labels and the review of Bill C-222, I can assure you that we will be heard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--- Applause

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

Mr. Speaker, Members will recall that last week I was able to travel to Ottawa and speak with the federal Minister. In addition, at that time, the president of the NWT Housing Corporation was able to meet with senior officials from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to discuss major issues.

--- Applause ... and possibly as much as $15 million to be used for housing in remote communities with a population of 2,500 or fewer people.

Mr. Speaker, this money must be cost shared by the NWT Housing Corporation on a 75/25 basis. That is, for every $75 the federal government provides, the NWT Housing Corporation must provide $25. Because this is one-time money, it is conditional that the money can only be used for work that is completed within the 1996-97 fiscal year. As I speak, the NWT Housing Corporation is working out plans of how this new money can be used on existing home ownership projects that can be delivered and completed this year without any requirement for additional grants from the Government of the Northwest Territories.

I am very pleased that we have been able to reach an agreement on this new federal funding for housing at a time when cutbacks and decreases seem to be affecting us all. This new money is much needed and will, in a small way, help alleviate the housing crisis we have in our remote, offroad communities.

As well, Mr. Speaker, these new housing dollars mean jobs in the North and needed support to suppliers and manufacturers. It is estimated that the $10 million will build 50 to 70 additional houses and will create the equivalent of 500 to 700 jobs during construction.

I must emphasize that this new money is only one-time capital dollars which must be used for home ownership in remote communities. While it is greatly appreciated and needed, it does not replace the proposed CMHC reductions in operations and maintenance of social housing which I informed Members about earlier. The NWT Housing Corporation will be facing these challenges in the next few weeks when other meetings are held with CMHC officials.

--- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise the Members of the House and their constituents that, through the month of May, local law enforcement officers will be conducting seatbelt checks on the highways and roads in communities across the Northwest Territories. The failure to wear seatbelts is the leading cause of death and injury in motor vehicle collisions in the Northwest Territories.

Checkstops will be set up to see that drivers and passengers are wearing seatbelts and young children are properly secured in child restraint seats. According to Transport

Canada's last seatbelt survey in October 1994, the seatbelt usage rate in the Northwest Territories was 78 per cent. This is considerably lower than the national average of 92 per cent.

The seatbelt checks coincide with Transport Canada's national seatbelt survey this year all across Canada. For the first time, the survey will include all the people in a vehicle. The Northwest Territories aims to achieve the national occupant restraint program goal of 95 per cent usage for everyone in a vehicle by the year 2001. While past efforts have improved the usage in the Northwest Territories, there are still 20 to 25 per cent of drivers and passengers who fail to wear their seatbelts.

The use of child restraint seats is especially poor. Only 35 per cent of children travelling as passengers are safely secured in restraint seats. The Yellowknife and Hay River fire departments will offer child seat clinics to help parents make sure that their child restraint seats are securely installed and properly used.

Most of the deaths and injuries resulting from motor vehicle accidents could be avoided if only people would get in the habit of wearing their seatbelts. My message is simple. I urge everyone in the Northwest Territories to buckle up. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

--- Applause

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

The Member for Hay River is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Conclude your statement, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statement. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, there is a public outcry from my area about the current justice system of this government; in particular, from the community of Gjoa Haven and the Gjoa Haven Justice Committee. The Gjoa Haven Justice Committee wants the community to have more control over the justice system in

that community. It has seen a justice system that has failed to meet real meaningful resolutions in some areas of justice.

Mr. Speaker, I have a statement from the Gjoa Haven Justice Committee, and I quote, "We want to make clear that the western justice system is still necessary, but reform is needed as a result of its many inadequacies. It is an adversarial system where one person wins and another loses. This system is ineffective because it relies on lawyers who are not from the communities and are the only ones who know the legal procedures of the system. It is a serious matter that the western justice system will continue to be necessary. However, more referrals are needed to a community-based justice system because it can deal with some problems better than any court can. It is clear that jails are not the answer. We want our people to be on the land, and not in jail, where they can learn how to survive."

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will be asking how quickly this government is prepared to give more responsibilities of the justice program to communities. Thank you.

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

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are experiencing a severe housing shortage in my constituency, as well as across the NWT. These are the main roads to our ongoing social problems and continuing health-related problems which, in turn, affect the very lives of people in the communities in a detrimental manner. Many people are struggling to make a living at a time of high unemployment, fiscal restraint and job cuts. The social and health problems, in turn, place a higher demand on services and a budget that has already been cut to well below what is really needed.

I realize that the government's staff housing units are being transferred to the authority of the local housing associations through the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation programs, and I applaud the Minister for this endeavour in allowing housing associations to have more involvement and more decision-making powers at the community level, in keep with the GNWT's initiative of empowering communities. It is important that we continue to look at housing issues and problems at the community level. I hope this will result in more flexibility in the allocation of staff housing units and social housing under one umbrella, which will free up more units to local people as needs arise.

As the Member representing the Amittuq riding, I will have more specific questions concerning these programs to the appropriate Minister during question period. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Evaloarjuk. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Enuaraq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Honourable Jim Antoine, Minister of Transportation, for the visit he made to my constituency on January 30 and 31, 1996. The visit began with a very happy evening, celebrating the opening of the new Pangnirtung air terminal; a splendid building which cost over $1 million. I know that the people of Pangnirtung are very happy with this much-needed new facility for their very busy airport.

The next day, Mr. Speaker, we went to Broughton Island. The hamlet council expressed their concerns about their airstrip. The strip is pretty well worn down to bedrock and the hamlet would like it lengthened.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to learn from the Baffin regional office that this project is to go to tender later this month and that there are plans to resurface the runway over three years, beginning with gravel crushing this fall. I understand that this contract is valued at approximately $800,000 for each of the next three years.

Later that day, we went to my home community of Clyde River. There, the hamlet council talked about the need to improve access to a prime hunting area called "Tupiqtaalik." Mr. Speaker, the Minister made a commitment to help the community, and I am very pleased to learn that the sum of $50,000 will be spent this summer and in each of the following three years. Mr. Speaker, this will be a great help to hunters in Clyde River.

The hamlet also talked about the need for renovating the air terminal in Clyde River. Since then, I am pleased to learn that the hamlet has been contracted to perform renovations to improve the situation until a new terminal can be built.

The mayor and hamlet council also discussed the need for a new breakwater and harbour improvements. Once again, I am pleased to learn from Mr. Kunuk, the regional superintendent, that a study of the Clyde River harbour has just been completed by Ferguson, Simek and Clark, which should lead to detailed plans for improving the harbour.

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

The Member for Baffin Central is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Conclude your statement, Mr. Enuaraq.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Honourable Jim Antoine, Minister of Transportation; his assistant deputy minister, Jason Brown; and, Mr. John Graham, manager of community airports, for coming to my constituency and for the good responses they have made to our concerns.

For all these projects, I am pleased that the regional staff plan to visit the communities soon to go over the detailed plans with them. Mr. Speaker, I like the way this Minister and his officials work.

--- Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Miltenberger.

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

Community Empowerment

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't know if I can top that, Michael. A job well done.

This government has outlined the course of action it will take over the next four years, in a document titled Northwest Territories Agenda for Change. Of the 10 priorities the government listed, improving social and economic conditions ranked two and three effectively; community empowerment ranked fourth; and, control of our future is ranked in the ninth position.

The govern ment-stated vision includes a healthier and "better educated and self-reliant northerner able to enjoy a good quality of life, access to more jobs and more jobs they want and need." Mr. Speaker, I believe we will have to settle for a more practical vision of helping northerners.

A pragmatist viewing our current plans would wonder how the government can hope to improve social and economic conditions when they are reducing or withdrawing funds put in place to ease social realities and raise the level of our education and training programs.

The communities have already questioned the real meaning of empowerment, asking how the level of the children's education can be raised when school boards are being forced to lay off numerous teachers. The Kivallivik region alone will lose six teaching positions this year: one in Baker Lake and five from my own community of Arviat.

Mr. Speaker, this is a prime example of an issue that will not only have a direct negative impact on our children, but will indirectly impede our progress in preparing for a sound foundation for Nunavut. When we tie the critical issue of education with the decreased incremental dollars, some of which are for training, with the sum recently announced by Mr. Irwin, I believe we will all agree that our deep concerns over education and training are more than justified. Mr. Speaker, when we consider the reduction in our federal funding of approximately $100 million and the incremental funding for division as proposed by Mr. Irwin, the net gain is shameful. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Matna. Mahsi cho.

--- Applause