Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Like other Members here I thought that we were trying to improve the operations of the government in the future and it is very difficult to understand how we are doing that by simply answering yes or no to questions when people are trying to be serious here. So, would the Premier elaborate on the evaluations of his deputy ministers where he took the increase or decrease in Affirmative Action, could he indicate where this was done, no I guess he cannot do that, but could he indicate whether there was actually increases or decreases since he instituted his new way of dealing with affirmative action?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have already told all the deputy ministers through my secretary to Cabinet to

make them all aware of when we do their evaluation. The secretary to the Cabinet has done the majority of the paperwork already on that evaluation, that the Affirmative Action statistics within their department will affect their performance and affect their performance pay as part of their contract, as well as I would like to see plans within the departments of how a career pattern can happen so Affirmative Action people or northern people can move up the ladder into senior management as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr, Chairman. Since the Personnel Secretariat has been stripped of its duties and virtually eliminated, there are no independent people in the interviewing process. Would the Premier consider establishing an independent monitoring agency such as people put forward from the aboriginal organizations to sit independently throughout the hiring process?

I was just going to add to ensure fairness of the process.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. In the communities of the Northwest Territories there is aboriginal representation on the hiring committee at the community level and there is also an appeal process into FMBS as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Most senior staff members have a conflict of interest clause or clause in their contract so that they cannot go into business or take another job which is directly in conflict with the job that they have just held within the territorial government, they cannot use the knowledge they have gained in their new job, and they are not supposed to. But we have some sort of a not withstanding clause in the constitution that has been used to get out of the policy, and we understand that there are many ex-senior government employees who have asked for and been released from this clause in their contract. So I would like to know in what types of situations would it be appropriate for someone to learn a bunch of information and get trained by the territorial government, gain a bunch of knowledge in a certain area and then to turn around and get a better paying job in the private sector?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In that managers' handbook that Mr. Erasmus claims he is referring to managers that leave the government, senior managers, it is to make sure that they do not take the knowledge or the words that they have had at government and talk about them when they leave. In some cases because the Northwest Territories is fairly small, Mr. Chairman, the deputy ministers when they leave the government they ultimately end up on contract one way or the other, in some cases working back for the government. But also, that is not to stop people from seeking active living in their communities as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In the area of the Northern Accord, I heard the Premier indicate that he did not want to flog a dead horse or something to that effect. What I would like to know is what was done to advance the Northern Accord after Mr. Bourque unfortunately passed away, and he had been working in this area. What has been done since then?

Thank you, Mr. Chair, in the whole devolution issue, we have met with a previous consultant that worked with this government dealing with the aboriginal groups mostly in the western Arctic because they are the ones that had the concern on devolution. We have met with them and also from meeting that I have had with the Aboriginal Summit, it has been made to me and what I have heard and got out the minutes of the assemblies is that they are not interested in devolution at this time. They want to continue to negotiate self government.

We have a lot of work to do as a government. We cannot continue down a road unless we can get some achievements and get something happening. We are working with DIAND right now on the transfer of employees to the Northwest Territories that work for them and for some other government departments.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, the Premier recently formed a Unity Committee. We all know that the western Arctic is still trying to formulate a constitution of its own. Some people could say that it is all fractured and very divided. Why should we go off galivanting to unify Canada when we should be trying the western Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Unity Committee is formed by this Legislative Assembly. It is a special committee of this House. I do not think the committee has any attention of galivanting off to save this country. Let me assure the Member that if we do not send a clear message out to the rest of Canada how northerners feel. That is our responsibility, what they feel that this country should be like moving into the next century. How would she work together? How the provinces should work together? How the provincial and federal governments should work together? How they feel about Quebec as well? I think we have that responsibility and I would not call it galivanting.