Okay, let me try to spell out in a pragmatic, slow concise way. There are two issues that this government is dealing with right now. The one issue is in the diamond sorting valuation and, as I said to you earlier, that is under the auspices of the Honourable Jane Stewart, Minister for DIAND. The other one, we are looking at the tax window that the former Minister of Finance for the Government of the Northwest Territories managed to get us. That is under the auspices of the Honourable Paul Martin.

On the site of the diamond sorting valuation, I have made it abundantly clear, as Mr. Kakfwi has, that we are not happy with the development of the current public policy that is under way by Mr. Lazarovich as it relates to diamond sorting valuation. That is clear. It has been said in plain, blunt and simple language. We have also indicated to him that we want to be involved in the final details, if you want, in the writing of the diamond mining regulations that are coming under review at the present time. We must also bear in mind that we have limited jurisdiction over this. It requires persuasive debate with our political colleagues in Ottawa to try to get the changes that are necessary that both Mr. Kakfwi and I feel need to be done. That is underway as we speak, and we are trying to meet with Ms. Stewart and Mr. Martin later on this month. That is underway right now, and we are speaking of our position clearly.

On the issue of how do we increase our tax revenues so it does not impede on our gross expenditure base, I do not yet have, in fairness to Mr. Martin, a clear position from him whether he is prepared to put a table together to discuss an expansion of the tax window that we currently have. But certainly I have said to him that if he wants to find a method, as said to me, to make the north less dependent on transfer payments from the south, then this surely has a method in which he can do it and what you can do where there would be no additional cost to the federal government. Because the revenues that are being generated from the diamond mine are incremental revenues that he has not got in his balance sheet at the present time. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Todd.

Well, unfortunately Mr. Speaker, first of all my colleague is correct. His numbers are similar to ours. It is approximately $2.4 billion in the life cycle of this one BHP mine which everybody is focused on right now and I agree with him. There is a distinct possibility that we could be looking at two, maybe three, and certainly would encourage it, as the Premier said earlier today the comments made by our colleagues and friends at Diavik that they are prepared to work closely with us to ensure that there will be some maximum benefits to northerners on their mine. Out of the $2.4 billion, in theory we would get $800 million but in reality because the way our formula is set up because we are penalized for the tax revenues, we probably get about $130 million over the life cycle of the mine, which is $6 million which is roughly about a school and a half. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Todd.

There are two issues, two Ministers. You know that it may appear that the cross-departmental boundaries in reality, I think we know right now that the mining regulations are currently being written by the bureaucracy in Ottawa. We have indicated to Ms. Stewart and to Mr. Martin that we hope we will be given ample opportunity to review and to contribute to the final outcome of what those regulations are going to be. That is what we said. We made that clear. I am not talking about saying here is a minor regulations, have a look at them. We are going to do it anyway. I am saying that either we have serious participation in the partnership here or we are in a difficult protracted political argument. That is what we are saying to them on that site. That I would suggest to you is imminent. I think it is probably, I would not want a time line on it right now. I will have to talk to my staff, but I know they are being undertaken right now and discussions are underway with respect to our departments and the federal government.

On the increase in the tax window, I addressed that with Mr. Martin last Thursday and at this time I do not have an indication, first of all, he is going to accept our political argument that this makes us less dependent at no cost to the federal government or not. I am hoping that we can get a response to that within the next two to three weeks. We are up and ready to go if he is prepared to sit down around that if you want a tax table to see if we can negotiate a degree of revenues for the Northwest Territories and ultimately to make us less dependent on the transfer payment we have received due to the benevolence of southern Canada. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Roland.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That funding that has been mentioned in public statements on this $4 million reinvestment fund, there will be funds available to regional Health and Social Service Boards through specific proposals on a co-shared basis. I guess I cannot make any commitment until the parameters and the guidelines for the funding are finalized and put out to the boards and we have some input from them on what they would deem to be the priority areas.

We have outlined five specific areas where we want some strategic reinvestment that being mental health, public health, healthy children, human resource support and supported living. I think once the parameters for the program is out there, then it will give boards and communities the opportunity to discuss where they feel they can provide their priorities in putting together applications, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Question period is over. Item 7, written questions. Item 8, returns to written questions. Mr. Hamilton. Mr. Henry.

Mr. Speaker, I have written questions that I wanted to address not returns, written questions. If I can ask for unanimous consent to return to written questions, Mr. Speaker.

The Member for Yellowknife South is seeking unanimous consent to return to item 7, written questions. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Henry, you have the unanimous consent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a written question to the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Kakfwi, on the status of diamond valuation facilities in other countries as well as potential for such a facility in Northwest Territories.

Could the Minister please provide me with information and facts on some of the major world diamond producers such as Namibia, Botswana, Australia, South Africa, and Russia. Specifically,

1) Where are the diamonds evaluated and sorted for each of the aforementioned countries?

2) What type of facilities are used for diamond sorting and valuation and who owns the buildings this work is performed in?

3) Is the Minister aware of the approximate number of workers employed in these facilities such as sorters, security, maintenance, etc.?

4) What is the level of training or education qualifications involved for the sorters in diamond evaluation facilities?

5) Can the Minister estimate the time-frame required to set up such a facility in the NWT?

6) Could the Minister calculate the cumulative years of knowledge and experience of staff in his department as well as other GNWT departments which they would have on the subject of diamond valuation sorting?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Henry. Written questions. Item 8, returns to written questions. Mr. Clerk.

Mr. Speaker, return to Written Question 26-13(4) asked by Mr. Krutko to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment on the Chief Julius School Gymnasium.

Later today I will table a document entitled School Projects Enhanced Beyond Capital Standards and Criteria that will detail the projects which received funding from third parties such as municipal governments, local education authorities or private sector partners.

Return to Written Question 28-13(4) asked by Mrs. Groenewegen to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment on electronic access to information.

Electronic Access to Information

The ability to access information electronically from all communities for the benefits of Northern residents was clearly identified as a priority by participants in the "Connecting the North" symposium. The symposium connected all NWT communities for three days of live presentations and consultation on communication and information needs and was broadcast interactively on TVNC in the fall of 1994.

Business cases prepared for the Departments of Education, Culture and Employment and Health and social Services clearly demonstrated that high-speed electronic communications networks have the potential to save money and improve current services offered. Based on these projected savings and the potential for improving some vital services at the same time, the Government of the Northwest Territories established access to high-speed communications networks from all communities as a priority.

The value of recreational reading as a literacy tool was given equal weight to all other aspects of the department's programs and services. It was considered that high-speed digital communications networks would provide enhanced access to recreational reading materials (in addition to many other beneficial services) for those communities lacking public library facilities. Further, as it was apparent that current funding levels for all areas of government, including libraries, would be declining, it was considered that some of the inevitable losses could be mitigated through use of high-speed communications.

Return to Written Question 29-13(4) asked by Mr. Roland to the Chairman of the Financial Management Board on the information on job evaluation process.

Information on Job Evaluation Process

1. Purpose

The purpose of job evaluation is to measure the relative value of jobs within an organization, as a basis for setting equitable pay levels for employees. To measure that relative value of jobs, the measurement standard applied should be the same for all jobs.

The current Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) job classification system (which was established in the mid-1970s) uses different standards for different job classes, which was a common approach at that time. The new job evaluation plan that is currently being developed for implementation is intended to measure the value of all jobs in Government of the Northwest Territories against the same standards and regardless of job classes.

2. Impact

Under the current Government of the Northwest Territories classification system, it may have occurred that certain jobs were classified lower or higher than others of the same "market value", simply because different standards were applied for different job classes. These differences in classification may not be confirmed by the new job evaluation system.. In that regard, the new system may have an impact on the salary level of selected jobs. Negotiations within the mandate of collective bargaining will determine the impact on salary levels and existing employee wages.

3. Assembly

The Assembly will be fully informed when the new job evaluation process is completed and the impact of the plan prior to implementation.

Return to Written Question 30-13(4) asked by Mr. Henry to the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation on outstanding CMHC debt.

Outstanding CMHC Debt

Region Units Total$

Baffin District 570 27,184,078.02

Inuvik District 389 17,811,472.11

Keewatin District 383 17,014,310.94

Kitikmeot District 370 19,115,371.23

North Slave District 123 5,380,307.81

South Slave District 103 4,753,314.15

TOTAL 1,938 91,258,854.26

Return to Written Question 31-13(4) asked by Mr. Ootes to the Chairman of the Financial Management Board on cost of GNWT staff reductions.

Cost of Government of the Northwest Territories Staff Reductions

The estimated cost of severance pay for staff reductions for the period of April 1, 1996 to September 29, 1997 is eight point six (8.6) million dollars for three hundred and eighty-eight (388) employees. This figure is calculated based on each employee's annual salary, number of years of continuous service and the layoff option selected by the employee prior to termination.

The payments for various benefits such as ultimate removal that result from employee terminations due to lay-off are processed by each department. This information is not available centrally. To determine actual employer payments and associated costs each department would be required to thoroughly review every individual employee file.

Return to Written Question 32-13(4) asked by Mr. Picco to the chairman of the financial board on the financing for the Legislative Assembly Building.

Financing for Legislative Assembly Building

The total dollar amount to construct the Legislative Assembly Building was $ 25,034,000.

The breakdown in construction, Financing/Development and Tenant Improvements is as follows: - NWT Legislative Assembly Building Society 1,298,000 - Management (Public Works and Services) 36,000 - Consultant Services 2,550,000 - Construction 18,750,000 - Tenant Improvements 1,980,000 - Artwork 420,000 Total 25,034,000

The project was funded as follows: - NWT Legislative Assembly Building Society 14,900,000 - GNWT (Vote 2 Capital) 10,024,000 - Gifts 110,000 Total 25,034,000