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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Manitok Thompson is ill and will be absent from the House today.

As well, Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Stephen Kakfwi will be late for Session today. He is returning from a meeting in Edmonton with the federal Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development regarding the Canada Endangered Species Protection Act.

The Honourable Jim Antoine will also be late for Session today. He is returning from Deh Cho Leaders Assembly in Fort Providence, I believe. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Mr. Ng

Mr. Speaker, this past September the federal government discontinued its funding of the Adolescent Solvent Abuse Treatment Program, placing the operation of the program in jeopardy. The Department of Health and Social Services stepped in to allow the program to operate until the end of this fiscal year.

Today, I am pleased to announce that the Department of Health and Social Services will provide the necessary funding to continue to keep the Adolescent Solvent Abuse Treatment Program running. Not only will the program stay open, Mr. Speaker, but its scope can be broadened. Federal funding restrictions meant that the program had to target aboriginal youth with solvent abuse problems. Now, with the commitment of territorial government funding, Northern Addiction Services, who operate the program here in Yellowknife, will have the flexibility to include treatment of alcohol and drug abuse for aboriginal and non-aboriginal youth.

-- Applause

Mr. Speaker, it is a sad truth that far too many of our northern youth abuse alcohol, drugs, and solvents. A recent survey found that over a third of northern youth aged 15 to 24 were heavy drinkers, over a third had used marijuana or hashish, and an alarming 13 percent had sniffed solvents. Our future is in our young people, Mr. Speaker. Successful early intervention in the lives of young drug and alcohol abusers will mean fewer addicted adults in the future.

The Department of Health and Social Services is working very hard to find better ways to meet the health and social needs of northerners. Supporting this valuable program is an important part of our effort to keep our young people healthy and work towards eliminating the root causes of health and social problems. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. While I am pleased by the attempts on the part of the present government to live within an increasingly bleak revenue picture, I am very concerned that the lack of focus on how we implement our budget will bring far more pain than need to our population. Especially for the most vulnerable, those with little, or unemployment, or other options. Until we can improve our decision making system, waste may be the order of the day. The arbitrariness of cuts for some programs recently issued demonstrates this point. It seems to be some type of Ouija board government happening here, which takes more direction from touchy-feely current instincts.

At the root of this problem is the lack of on-going evaluation of programs, systematic evaluation providing us with comparisons of value for many more program wishes than we can completely fund.

Mr. Speaker, today I had a call from a single mother with two small children. The mother explained to me that she pays $580 every two weeks for day care. Mr. Speaker, this working mother takes home a net pay of $987 every two weeks. By the time she buys groceries and pays taxi fares, she has $30 left. She has to pay the power bill and her phone bill, et cetera. Mr. Speaker, the gross salary of this individual is $35,000 a year. She is a member of the working poor. I have tried to refer this lady to various departments for help, but, Mr. Speaker, she makes too much money. Can you believe that? She makes too much money. The mother said that by going on social assistance, she would be better off financially. We have to address this, Mr. Speaker. The point here is that yes, we have to balance the budget. Yes, we have to cut back. Yes, we have to reduce, but we also have to maintain the less fortunate in our society that Mr. Todd talked about the other day, which Mr. Miltenberger mentioned yesterday. If we do not do this, it will all have been for nothing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Picco. Members' statements, Mr. Roland.

Say hello to your wife?

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Members' statements, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Members' statements, Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you. Mr. Erasmus. Members' statements. Item 4, Returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me pleasure today to recognize John Hicks who is the newly elected mayor of Rankin Inlet, and with him is Antonie Masone, who is the administrative officer for the centre of the universe, the growing metropolis, the constituency that stands above all the rest, my home town, Rankin Inlet. Thank you.

-- Applause

Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the past few days I have been trying to get some information from the Minister of Education on the librarian's position. In the Department of Education's capital standards, regional librarians are described as having a specific purpose. They are established to support a specific designated region. The standards indicated regional libraries are designed for joint use with the community library. In the past there has been a clearly demonstrated need for the regional library in the Baffin Region. Can the Minister explain why his department has decided that this need no longer exists, and is eliminating the regional librarian position?

The Minister of Education, Culture, and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Mr. Todd thinks it is a good answer, but 4,000 other people do not. In the past, Mr. Speaker, the Minister has talked about technology, and how that will help when the regional librarian is gone. Is the Minister indicating, when he talks about technology in small communities in the Baffin, that modern technology has reached a point where it can replace people?

Mr. Dent.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sometimes I think this technology is becoming almost like a frankenstein monster that we are creating. Mr. Speaker, the community was not consulted with the removal or supposed lay-off of the regional librarian position. Is that community empowerment? Is that community consultation that we keep priding ourselves on in this House? I have raised my concerns before the preservation and use of Inuktitut in this House, and one of the advantages of having a regional librarian in the Baffin is to deal with Baffin communities, is that she has that quick access to Inuktitut language speakers who could help clarify requests and queries. I am sure that the staff in Hay River do not have that same access, especially since the same Minister is also proposing to eliminate the interpreter translator services at the language bureau. It is very hard for me to get my question out Mr. Speaker, when the people across the floor are interrupting me. Can the Minister indicate how language difficulties in requests by many of the unilingual people in the Baffin Region can be addressed by people in Hay River? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. To remind the Members again to have your preamble and then three supplementaries.

-- Applause

Mr. Dent.

Oral questions. Supplementary. Final supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would not need a long preamble or a long lead in time in the question if the Members would give the dignity and respect, and decorum in this House that, I think, we should be generating to the people of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, the Minister said that he cannot afford to keep the librarian position in Rankin Inlet, and cannot afford to keep it in Iqaluit because it is not anywhere else in the Northwest Territories. Does that make it right? We cut two people because we cannot afford to put them somewhere else? I do not think that is good politics. I do not think that is good government. So, my question to the Minister is will he rethink, will this government rethink, will this department rethink the layoff notice given to the regional librarian in Iqaluit and also in Rankin Inlet? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Krutko.

The Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, it is a fact of life that with these long term mortgages that in most cases you will be paying for 20, 25, 30 years on the mortgage before it is paid off. I am aware of the concern that the Member has raised. It has been raised by the Member from Fort Smith several times to me. We are looking into the concerns raised.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker. What I will do is talk again with my staff in the Housing Corporation and see if there is, in fact, anything that we can do, but I do not want to do with these homeowners is to raise the expectations that we may be changing their payments. So, I will look into it first before making any inquiries outside.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

I cannot say at this time, but tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock, my officials and I are meeting with the Standing Committee on Social Programs. Mortgages, rents, housing shortages, et cetera are on the agenda for discussion. What I can say is that I will attempt to find an answer to the Member's question and answer it at that time.

Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, I can find that out also and tell the Member tomorrow.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Roland.

The Minister responsible for NWT Power Corporation. Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Dent.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Dent.

Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Miltenberger.

The chair finds it difficult to refer this because we do not have any specific portfolio that is responsible for division. So I will refer to the Premier, and the Premier can refer to a Minister that might be taking on the role of responsibility.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will refer that question to the Minister responsible for division, the Chairman of the Division Committee, Mr. Todd. Thank you.

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it would be fair to say I am somewhat uncomfortable responding to the question that my honourable colleague raised. However, I think, in general, it is somewhat unfortunate if issues, such as the kind of comments that have been made in the press lately, they only, in my opinion, serve to muddy the waters, if you will, and to complicate an already fragile coalition of thought. I would hope that, in the future, clearly the need for us to reach a consensus by all parties, and to rise above small-minded partisan attitudes and I would hope that all parties would rise above that in the coming weeks. This party, this Cabinet and this House, is prepared to do that and to work closely with the partnerships. We have taken a very direct and aggressive position on Footprints and we are hoping that common sense will prevail and we will get a comprehensive response from the two other parties so that we can get beyond some of the comments that have been made and get on with reaching a consensus to move forward, as my honourable colleague has said, in a timely and responsible way for the division of the Territories. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My understanding is that the NTI is currently in Coppermine this week and that they are going to be responding, I think, to the NIC report next week. We are still urging and, I believe I said in the House earlier this week, the Premier is urging Mr. Irwin and the department, DIAND, to give us a comprehensive response to Footprints. I am optimistic that, if we can get beyond some of the unnecessary rhetoric out there, that we can reach an arrangement or consensus, hopefully some time in February. As I said in the House, earlier this week in response to a question, that I am hoping that will occur. Clearly, there is a need, for all parties, to put aside some of the emotion that is currently under way, recognize that each of us is an equal partner and has the right to make comment on any of the reports brought down. It seems to me to be silly to suggest that the government is not allowed to make comments, or the comments we made are irresponsible. In fact, we believe they are responsible. We believe they are timely and, of course, they are open for discussion and we look forward to the other two responses from the other two parties and will make every effort to reach consensus and move aggressively towards implementing and pre-implementing the division of the Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Todd. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Todd.

I want to assure my honourable colleague that we are moving aggressively. I have publicly said in this House that I am concerned about the fact that we are running out of time. One minute it is 24 months, the next minute it is 22 months, and at the end of this month, it will be 21 months. The timelines, as Mr. Picco would say, are ticking. There is clearly a need to move quickly to reach consensus on the poor framework of two new governments. It is incumbent on myself, who has been charged with responsibility by the Premier, to coordinate our division plans to take a look, at what I believe, is a pre-implementation plan that is necessary to get on with pre-implementing division. I have said that publicly, we cannot wait until April 1, and turn on the lights. I am working, in conjunction with the Division Secretariat, in a full analysis of the Footprints in the Snow 2 report and taking a look at what we can do, within the resources that we have, to pre-implement Nunavut. I am hoping to share that with my colleagues and with the NIC staff and their people, and anyone else who wants to take a look at it. It would be irresponsible for us not to put together some kind of fiscal management plan that compliments, if you want, the NIC report and that is something I intend at this time. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Oral questions, Mr. Barnabas.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Finance. Mr. Speaker, in the budget address, we learn that we have a surplus of over $8 million this year and our only means of generating revenue is through lotteries and mines in the north. My question is, has his department put up a suggestion box so that we will learn from people out there how we can generate revenue?

-- Applause

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Mr. Speaker, no, we have not put up a suggestion box but I will ask my staff to consider it and I will ensure that it is hung in Mr. Picco's office. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Barnabas.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My supplementary question is that we have learned that we have generated $20 million through arts and crafts in the north. This was killed by this government. Is he going to come up with that arts and crafts program again? Will his department come up with that program again through arts and crafts? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Todd.

Sorry, Mr. Speaker. I have no clue what the honourable Member is talking about and I do not want to embarrass him, so I do not have the answer.

Oral questions, Mrs. Groenewegen.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there has been some repatriation, some movement of some of our constituents from southern Canada, back to the Northwest Territories. I do not have particular details here with me, but I will get that information and provide it to the honourable Member. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a very detailed question. I will commit to finding out that information and providing it to the honourable Member. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Ootes.

The Minister responsible for Public Works and Services, Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, 80 or 90 per cent plus of our contracts and tenders are through the public tender process. There are circumstances where we do negotiate contracts with community corporations and some businesses in the smaller communities. There is some sole-sourcing that occurs with our purchasing, et cetera. I do not have any other information on that, but I will find it and pass it on to the Member.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, that is a question that does require some detailed, very technical information. There are situations where we do contracts through requests for proposals. Let me repeat that I will find that information and pass it on to the Member.

Oral questions. Mr. Ootes, supplementary.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, to put it very simply, a request for proposal is when the government would like a job done, but does not have all the details of how it will be done. It is a proposal call for companies to write up, not only what they would do and how much it would cost on a particular contract, but how they would come about that. That is different from a public tender call, where the government knows exactly what is to be done and approximately how much it would cost and, therefore, it is more cut and dried.

Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Ootes.