Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, I believe that yes, there will be space available on April 1st in other residential treatment facilities to accommodate any of the needs arising from the Inuvik area, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as usual, I have a few questions today. I will start off today with a question to the Minister. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I questioned the Minister for the Power Corporation about fuel that had been infected with a fungus or bacterial growth. This fungus or bacterial growth was found to be present in the Iqaluit fuel system. Mr. Speaker, I would like to address some questions to the Minister responsible for petroleum services, Mr. Arlooktoo. Can the Minister inform this House that, on the tender call for fuels in the specs we had requested, and by we I mean the Government of the Northwest Territories, we had requested in those specs prior treatment of this fuel for high bacteria as part of the tender for the purchase of said fuel. The point being, Mr. Speaker, so that the Minister understands where I am coming from here, is that the fuel purchased, I am led to believe, is a cheaper grade fuel not on the world market, and this could result in contamination of all fuel that has come to the eastern Arctic on the past sea lift, which could result in the contamination and problems with not only the generators in the NTPC plant, as demonstrated, in people's home furnaces, and that could be a major problem. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation, Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, as the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation explained yesterday, the bacteria that is now manifesting itself in Iqaluit, at that particular plant, is present in all fuels. It is present in every fuel in Yellowknife, Iqaluit and everywhere. It is not a unique thing. What has happened, as I understand it, in this power plant there is a unique system of reheating or warming the fuel for the power plant. That has caused the bacteria to wake up from its dormancy and to multiply and cause problems. That is my understanding of it. Just to make sure, what we have done is taken samples from other tanks in Iqaluit, and we will be getting results next week. I can give that to the Member at the same time I give him details on what we require on the tender call.

Thank you. Just to correct myself, that was the Minister responsible for Public Works and Services. Oral questions. Mr. Picco, supplementary.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that was a recapitulation of everything that was said yesterday with the Minister for the Power Corporation. My question was, and I will repeat it again. Will, POL, tell me, tell the House, tell the people of the Northwest Territories, in the specs that we asked for the tender call, for the fuel that was purchased for the sea lift in the eastern Arctic, did we specify that there would be treatment for high bacteria as part of the spec, the bioside is the technical term, treated fuel in the spec? This seems to be the problem. I am trying to get this out here in the open for the people of the Northwest Territories and for the eastern Arctic to understand. My question was not answered. I am asking the same question again, and I just repeated it.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, as said, I will try to find out that information and give it to the Member. As Minister, we have fairly broad information on some of these contracts and not the specifics. This is one detail I will find out from the department and pass it on to the Member.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is getting to be deja vu. Mr. Speaker, in this instance where the fuel was found to be contaminated with this fungus, I understand from technical people who informed me that the fuel purchased for Iqaluit in this instance, has turned up in Iqaluit, I understand, that this could be in Coral Harbour, it could be in Rankin, it could be anywhere else in the eastern Arctic because of the same fuel purchase. So, my question again to the Minister now is, if this is the case, and we have already uncovered one instance, what is the liability to the Government of the Northwest Territories in respect to the purchase of this fungus-bacteria infected fuel?

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker. I think that a lot of that question is hypothetical. What I said earlier was the bacteria is in a dormant state in all fuels, but in Iqaluit, at this particular plant, at that particular generator, there is a unique system that preheats the fuel to be used on the generator. Because the fuel is heated, that is what we believe caused the bacteria to multiply. If that is the case, it would be an isolated matter, which we think it is. Just to make sure it is an isolated matter, we have taken samples from other tanks. Until we have that, I cannot answer any more of the Member's questions.

Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Minister has indicated in this instance, it is speculation right now on what caused the fungus growth. It could have been the reheating, it could be the allegation that I am trying to make here, that the fuel has been tainted because we purchased cheap fuel. My supplementary question then to the Minister would be, because of this instance, will the GNWT, on future purchases of fuel, specify in the specs that we request bioside treated fuel so that this does not happen again? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, I am unsure at this time whether the purchase or the quality of the fuel had anything to do with this problem. I cannot answer, negatively or affirmatively, that question.

Thank you. A point of privilege. Mr. Picco.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister answered the questions by saying that he could not answer the question. Do I take it from your reading, because you did not say, does that mean that the Minister was taking my last supplementary question as notice? He was not answering it.

Thank you. No, the question was not taken as notice, nor do you have a point of privilege. Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would be pleased to take this issue up with the Minister of Justice, and I will discuss it with him, and I will get back to the Member.

Oral questions. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.