Mr. Todd.

Mr. Speaker, customer A is looking for x amount of dollars to expand or to create new business that is going to provide new job opportunities. He goes into RWED and he says to them, this is what I want to do. RWED says there are options out there. There is the BCC, there is the grant program, there is this Aurora Fund, et cetera. What I am saying to you is RWED does this, fortunately, on behalf of the fund at no cost because of its obligation to the private sector and its responsibilities to aid it in trying to find alternate sources of capital, besides GNWT or the conventional banks, et cetera. That is all I am trying to say. The fund is another Government of the Northwest Territories capital option that we can provide to the business community. It has some limitations, as we all know, and tomorrow in the briefing we will be able to give you a very precise description of how the fund operates and its successes and failures to date. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Todd.

If my memory serves me correctly, I believe that Mr. Bailey has spoken for example, to the superintendents. I could stand to be corrected, but if my memory serves me correctly, as we were having breakfast the other morning as we were discussing this fund and trying to get a handle on the marketing strategy. I believe that the superintendents of RWED, Mr. Kakfwi's department, have

been brought up-to-date on the fund, if you want, the criteria and conditions attached to it. As I said, we are very pleased that they have been able to assist us at no cost in advising northerners right across the territories the availability of this fund and the criteria and conditions attached to making an application for the dollars. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Mr. Speaker, last year about this time this House passed a motion for the government to publish the names and salaries of people making over $90,000 a year. In the spring, in answer to a question, the Premier had indicated that the staff was still working on that list. I was wondering when the Premier intends to honour the commitment of releasing the names and the salaries of people making over the amount of money that was indicated in the motion? Thank you.

Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was a two part motion by Mr. Ootes. One was on contracts and to identify the sole-sourced or negotiated contracts, and the binder of contracts that every Member receives and members of the public can buy for $9. Then it was also on salaries for government employees and we have been working on that issue and continue to work on that issue. Whether or not we are going to do it or not, I do not know as of yet, Mr. Speaker. It is something that we have to address as Cabinet. Whether or not we agree to do it or not, I do not know. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What types of things have to be considered before the release of that information?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know that the Member himself, as well as other Members, have raised the whole issue of our employees and the morale of our employees, how hard they have been working, and how little they have been paid, and issues as such. We have to look at how that will affect government morale of employees and whether or not we should even consider releasing it. Whether it should be at the $100,000 mark, $90,000 mark or $50,000 mark, or what. It is something that we have to work with. I think it is also something that we have to address with our legal people, as well as I think the unions would be fairly interested in this issue as well, because it would be involving their membership as well. It is not a decision to be made lightly. It is a decision that must be made one way or the other and I am sure will be made fairly shortly by say the winter session. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I notice that Ontario has been doing this for quite some time. I believe they included just about every employee in their employ. I wonder what the Premier has to look at legally?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, Ontario is Ontario. This is the Northwest Territories. One thing in the Northwest Territories is that most people know their neighbours. Most people know each other and the way we deal with things. We always say we are unique in the Northwest Territories. We are different. We do not necessarily have to do things just because other jurisdictions do it. It is an issue that has to be addressed. I do not know how high of a priority it is to the Members of this Legislative Assembly or to the public in general in the Northwest Territories. It will be addressed. It will be looked at. One way or the other, whether it is a yes or not, we will get that decision fairly soon. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that this is a smaller jurisdiction than Ontario and I also appreciate the fact that a lot of people know each other, but what does that have to do with the legal question of whether they should publish this information or not?

Can I ask the Member for Yellowknife North if he could rephrase his question so that it is not requesting a legal opinion of the Minister? Mr. Erasmus.

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry. I could not quite hear what you asked.

The rules are that questions are directed to Ministers based on their knowledge of that department. When you go beyond that, to ask the Minister for a legal opinion, then that is unfair to the Ministers because they cannot express a legal opinion, unless they are lawyers too. Like yourself, Mr. Erasmus. Perhaps you can rephrase your question so that it is not requesting a legal opinion. Mr. Erasmus.