Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Henry.

I rise today to acknowledge a group of individuals in my community who are deserving of our recognition. Mr. Speaker, this group calls themselves YACCS or better known as Yellowknife Association of Concerned Citizens for Seniors. This group of individuals have played an significant roll within our community on behalf of our seniors. They are instrumental in fund-raising for the construction of the Baker Community Centre, a facility specifically for seniors. It was not an easy task, Mr. Speaker, especially in light of the financial restraint our community and residents have been under in the past few years, but they did it!

Mr. Speaker, they did not want to stop there. They had accomplished their goal. The Baker Community Centre was built. Over the summer this association, YACCS, updated their mission statement, developed a vision statement and looked at the issues facing seniors, not only those in Yellowknife but in other Northwest Territories communities. They have determined their goals and strategies to follow for the next two years.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to share some of their future strategies with my fellow Members while keeping in mind, this community-based group of individuals may one day be representing you and I when we are seniors:

-they are pursuing accredited status for Aven Manor through the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation,

-negotiate a new collective agreement with the Union of Northern Workers for centre staff,

-explore the feasibility of building a nursing home for the cognitively impaired seniors in the Western Northwest Territories and improve the current facilities and

-develop policies for the Board to ensure the community composition is reflected.

Mr. Speaker, we are very lucky to have such a committed group of individuals at work within our community. I ask that my fellow Members join me in recognizing the Yellowknife Association of Concerned Citizens for Seniors and wish them our very best in realizing their goals. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and good afternoon. Within my riding I have a community that is very frustrated with government. Clyde River does not have a large population, around 750 people. When it comes to capital spending they feel they are often told they will have to wait. It seems that other communities do not have the same difficulty getting money for their capital projects. It also seems that other communities do not have to wait as long.

In the 1998-99 year, a number of projects are proposed to be done in Clyde River. The community hopes that the projects will be done. All of the projects have been waited for. What the community wonders about is why it takes so long. Clyde River hopes that other small communities are not having the same problems when it comes to capital spending. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Enuaraq. Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker I would like to recognize, first of all, three former constituents of Cambridge Bay, Helen Blewett, Chad Blewett and Tyler Blewett, who as of this week became residents of Yellowknife South. Other constituents who happen to be in town, Millie Angulalik, my mother-in-law; Margaret Kablook Nakashook and my sister-in-law, Betty Nakashook, and of course accompanying them is my wife, Susie and our son, Trenton. Thank you.

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

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know my honourable colleague, as well as a number of others, have

expressed some concern with respect to comments that may have been made by a federal employee who is in the Nunavut secretariat. With respect to the fact, she is employed and there is no new funding and that it was the creation of one territory. I want to assure my honourable colleague that I have no reason, no reason whatsoever to doubt that in my discussion with Ms. Stewart, the federal Finance Minister, she is committed to putting a table together to answer the questions that I asked her, as it relates to adequate funding and the creation of two territories. Thank you.

Oral Questions. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my statement was on the Nunavut transition planning. My question is for the Minister responsible for Nunavut transition planning, Mr. Arlooktoo. Could the Minister update this House, if the government has received an official response from our partners, NTI and the federal government of the transition document? Thank you.

The Deputy Premier, Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The answer is no. We have not received the official responses to the documents. We are however, in daily communication with members of the NTI executive and the federal government. Thank you.

Oral Questions. Supplementary, Mr. Picco

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, does the Minister anticipate that we will having a Nunavut caucus meeting to discuss the transition document and other issues surrounding the creation of Nunavut over the next few weeks? Would he be contacting the parties? Thank you.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe the Member was asking about a Nunavut leaders' meeting rather than a Nunavut caucus meeting. I understand the government has received a request from the president of Nunavut Tunngaviik Incorporated, asking for such a meeting to be held. I am planning to meet with Mr. Kusugak on the 27th of this month to discuss such a possibility for a meeting.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the transitional document has now been made public. Will the Minister or any of his staff, be going to some of these centralized communities or other communities in Nunavut to explain the document and to present it in the light it has been presented in this House. Thank you.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it is important for us to wait for the response from the federal government, from the NTI and from the Interim Commissioner on our transition action plan. It is also important for MLAs to be communicating with their constituencies, especially the communities that are affected by the decentralized model. I did mention earlier today that I am planning to present a briefing to the annual general meeting of NTI on the 27th, in Igloolik and in the process on the way to that meeting, I will be meeting with some other officials in Iqaluit.

Thank you. Oral Questions. Mr. Miltenberger.