Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is a fairly serious question, with a connotation to it that it will require me to take the question as notice, so I can give a clear and concise response to my honourable colleague, until tomorrow. Thank you.

Thank you. The question is taken as notice. Oral questions. Mr. Krutko. Mr. Picco. No, I am sorry Mr. Picco, we have other Members that wish to ask questions. Mrs. Groenewegen.

The Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Kakfwi.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Kakfwi.

Oral questions. Mr. Steen.

Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Members are well aware, government must continue its work as we move towards the creation of two new territories on April 1, 1999. One of the issues we have to address is the whole issue of contracts, as well as the government employees of the Northwest Territories that may be transferred to the eastern Arctic. On the whole contract issue and whether it would be for capital projects or infrastructure or whatever that after April 1, 1999, we are presently right now, Mr. Speaker, working with the Interim Commissioner for Nunavut to come to a protocol agreement with his office, so that they would find a protocol agreement with ourselves. I believe the federal government is also involved. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Question period is over. Before we continue any further, I would like say a few words.

I know during the Fourth Session, the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures gave its support to the Speaker to strictly apply the rules and guidelines for oral question period.

I have had a concern for sometime about the tone and manner of questioning some Members have adopted lately. Ministers have also managed to capture my attention with the tone and manner of some of their responses. We must remember that we are all honourable Members, elected to this position by our constituents. Our action inside the House reflects on this institution and our constituents. If we do not conduct ourselves in a respectful manner, this will reflect badly on the people who elected us as their representatives. I ask that Members keep this in mind and respect the rules and procedures of this House and each other, not only during question period but in all debates during sessions and outside sessions.

--Applause

Item 7, written questions. Item 8, returns to written questions. Item 9, replies to opening address. Item 10, petitions. Item 11, reports of standing and special committees. Item 12, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 13, tabling of documents. Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you. Tabling of documents. Mr. O'Brien.

I would like to table a document from the hamlet of Arviat a motion that has passed concerning their concern regarding the proposed fuel resupply pipeline extensions. Thank you.

Thank you. Tabling of documents. Item 14, notices of motion. Item 15, notices of motions for first reading of bills. Item 16, motions. Item 17, first reading of bills. Item 18, second reading of bills. Item 19, consideration in committee of the whole of bills and other matters. Consideration of Mid-Term Revenue and Tabled Document 1-13(5) Mid-Term Review documents.

By the authority given the Speaker by resolution 3-13(5), I will resolve you into committee of the whole until the committee is prepared to report. Therefore, you are resolved in the committee of the whole. With Mr. Ningark in the chair.

Thank you. I would like to call the committee to order.

Item 19, consideration in committee of the whole of bills and other matters, we have two items: consideration of Mid-Term Review, Tabled Document 1-13(5) Mid-Term Review Documents. We are dealing with two items. At this time I would like to make an opening remark.

The item under consideration is the mid-term review of the 13th Legislative Assembly. As Members are aware, the following motion was passed in the territorial leadership committee on Monday, November 29, 1995, and I quote:

"That the territorial leadership committee agrees that after two years there shall be a mid-term review where the Premier and Members of Cabinet shall report to and be accountable to Members of the Legislature on progress to date and plans for the remainder of the term of the 13th Legislative Assembly".

The process for this mid-term review was approved by all Members of the Legislative Assembly and has been circulated. I will briefly summarize the process and purpose of the review for the benefit of our interested viewers and constituents.

As noted in the motion two years ago, the main purpose of this review is to examine the progress of the Legislative Assembly since our term began and to critically assess our current direction and plans for the remainder of the 13th Assembly.

Efforts in committee of the whole today and tomorrow will therefore focus on our successes in terms of achieving the goals we had set and identifying those areas where we may have fallen short or not succeeded to the extent we could have.

The purpose of any review is to look back to critically evaluate past performance in an effort to define any corrective actions necessary to meet future needs. Therefore, the objective of this review, as Members have agreed, is to determine if, and to what extent, this Legislature needs to refocus its efforts in specific areas and revise or refine its direction and goals for the second half of our term.

Having briefly described the nature and purpose of the review, I will now outline the process that has been agreed to. I trust this process will afford all Members the ability to make comments and to ask questions of the Executive Council.

Firstly, we have tabled and moved into committee of the whole a package entitled Mid-term Review Documents, which contains:

"Building a Foundation For the Future - the Northwest Territories Agenda for Change"; Principles for Division; and A Chronological Summary of Hansard Excerpts Dealing with the Development of the Government's Agenda.

Your chairpersons for this review will be myself, along with two deputy chairs of the committee of the whole on a rotational basis.

Following my opening comments, all Members will be given the opportunity to make general comments of 10 minutes each in the order that they are recognized by the chair.

After general comments, every Minister in turn will be expected to respond to Member's questions relating to their portfolios and responsibilities. Each Member will be entitled to a make a maximum of eight questions directed to each Minister. Questions may deal with one topic or eight different topics, but every question will be counted as a question, including those seeking clarification. I will also remind Members that the question must deal with matters that would responsibly be within the present knowledge of the Minister to whom it is directed and not of a technical nature requiring a detailed response. The order of the Ministers has been previously established with the Premier being first and the other Minister determined by a ballot draw conducted by the Clerk at the Legislative Assembly.

After the Premier, the order of Ministers is as follows:

The Honourable Kelvin Ng

The Honourable John Todd

The Honourable Stephen Kakfwi

The Honourable Manitok Thompson

The Honourable Jim Antoine

The Honourable Goo Arlooktoo; and finally

The Honourable Charles Dent

At the conclusion of the questioning of Ministers, all Members, including Ministers will be provided an opportunity of not more than ten minutes each to speak to the future direction of this Legislature, which may include suggestions for the revision or refinement of goals, principles or the common agenda.

I should note as well that it has been agreed by all Members that this review will extend over a two day period. Given the time required for an adequate review it may be necessary to extend our normal sitting hours today and tomorrow in order to conclude this item within the agreed upon timeframe. As your Chair, I would suggest that today's discussions proceed at least to the halfway point of the review, which would be to complete the questioning of four of the eight Ministers. As always, however, this will be subject to the will of the committee.

Just before we get started, I would like to remind Members that, while the Chair may allow Members some latitude in the content of speeches and questions, here in committee of the whole, the rules and procedures of the Legislative Assembly shall be observed where applicable. The Chair will expect all Members to conduct themselves in a manner respectful of all their colleagues and the dignity of this House. With that, I will now open the floor to general comments of ten minutes each by all Members.

Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I open my remarks today by thanking all the Members for taking time to look back at what we have accomplished to date and to talk about what as an Assembly we have left to do. I am going into this review process with a clear and open mind as I see this as an opportunity to have a healthy and productive discussion. All Members of Cabinet are looking forward to hearing what you have to say. Eighteen months ago as a group we agreed to an agenda for change. That has been used to guide the decisions and actions of this government. Times have changed since we first set that plan. We have refined and refocused our priorities to reflect those changes.

Division, however, remains the same. We have secured the financial future and are now actively working to improve our economic conditions. We are improving the social conditions in the north by focusing our priorities on children and youth and by making improvements in the education system. We are working at all levels of government to give more control in decision making powers to our communities. We are shifting health care so our focus is more on prevention than treatment. We have amalgamated government departments to make them more efficient and cost effective. We are working with all of our partners to ensure we have a successful and smooth transition with the creation of Nunavut and Western Territory. We are taking action on aboriginal issues through self-government negotiations and social initiatives. We are working to take control of our own future, and we are being heard at the national level. We have all come a long, long way.

We have accomplished more than we could have thought possible and we can be proud of that, but more importantly we should recognize what can be done when we work together. When I ran for Premier, I made it clear, I felt the Premier of the Northwest Territories has to be a team leader, and I am honoured to lead a very dedicated Cabinet team. Finance Minister, John Todd, has shown a willingness to lead us through some very tough decisions that have allowed us to balance our budget and secure our future. He never hesitates to speak out either with Cabinet and House colleagues or with his federal counterparts to protect the interests of the north. He has often taken a great deal of personal criticism in the process, but lucky for us all, John is like the energizer bunny. He just keeps going and going and going.

--Laughter

When Manitok Thompson arrived at her first Cabinet meeting, she appeared to me to be a little bit nervous. But I have seen her grow in her role as the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs and in her role as the Women Secretariat. She has tackled the community empowerment initiative. She has demonstrated she is a true leader, and we should all be proud to have her as a Member of the Cabinet team.

Our Deputy Premier, Goo Arlooktoo, is another new kid on the block, but he is wise beyond his years. As a new Cabinet Minister, Goo probably wondered what he got himself into, but he has come to fit the role as if he was born to it. He is a quick learner. He listens to everything and everyone. I have watched him grow to become one of the strongest leaders in the north, and he has only just begun.

Kelvin Ng, carries one of the most challenging loads of all the Ministers. Still with all of the issues we face in Health and Social Services and in Justice, he continues to work and a lot of work without complaint. His genuine caring for people combined with his sharp business sense has made him the right Minister for those two departments at this time. He has great insight and deep compassion and he understands he may have to make some decisions that may be unpopular with a few in order to improve the quality of life for all.

Charles Dent, is a Member of Cabinet team who has been a solid performer through thick and thin. He has never let the government down and never let me down. He is often the voice of reason when we are dealing with difficult issues. He helps us find the middle ground, the compromise that helps bring parties together. His sense of fairness can also be seen in the work he is doing to improve income support system and to increase opportunities for our children and youth.

Jim Antoine, is a little young to be an elder, but if he speaks, he always has a message behind his words. He handles himself with a great deal of honour, and he commands the respect of people who work with him. In his role as co-chair of the Constitutional Working Group, he has helped to build consensus in a wide range of groups and opinions. Jim has been juggling some difficult complex files, but through his patience and persistent attitude, he is making a difference and he will make a substantial progress in the long run.

Finally, Steve Kakfwi is known to many of us for his passion and expertise on constitutional issues. While he continues to give us a perception on these issues in his role with Cabinet over the past two years, Steve has also shown us another side to himself. He has overseen the amalgamation of three major departments, and he is now part of a dynamic team to make sure diamonds are this government's best friend. No matter what Steve is working on, he is still out there negotiating and challenging people's thinking. Of course, now he sometimes negotiates with the caribou and the polar bear.

As a whole the Members of Cabinet have tried to listen and do everything possible within our fiscal reality. A big part of that listening process has come through the valuable working relationship we have with the standing committees. The standing committee structure is a different level of team work that helps us ensure that we are making the right decisions. In the true spirit of consensus government working at the committee level no matter how far apart we begin on some issues, we always work to find a compromise and to ensure our decision is the best one possible for our people. From there we take our decisions to the next level, that is as a team of leaders in this Legislative Assembly to do what is right to best serve our citizens. Building on our team work as an Assembly, there is one important other team, the Public Service of the Northwest Territories who through their hard work help put our plans in place and move ahead. I think it is important we recognize and acknowledge their efforts and dedication. Overall I know that some of you may not agree with some of the decisions we have made or with the way we have done things, but there are no right and wrong answers. We can only do what we believe is the right thing at the right time and I believe the thing is that we respect each other and continue to trust in each other just as our constituents trusted in us.

Since I became Premier two years ago, I have only one regret that is that I do not have the amount of time I would like to visit and to listen to my people. Every time I go home to my riding, I hear what we are doing right and what we need to change and that has helped to guide me. I would like to thank the people of Fort Resolution and Lutselk'e for their ongoing support. In closing I would like to add that in general we do not have enough time or for that matter enough money to do all of the things that we would like to do. Two years ago we faced an uphill battle at all levels, economically, socially, and politically. While we still have much to do, we are winning the war, and we are making a difference. We have 18 months of hard work left, but April 1, 1999, will be a day of celebration for all of us if we continue to work together as partners in this Legislative Assembly with the Public Service and more importantly with the people we serve.

Just in closing, Mr. Chairman, I want for those new Members who were elected two years ago, none of you would believe how much you have accomplished with this government as all 24 Members. Never in the history of the Legislative Assembly, in any Legislative Assembly, would be able to accomplish what we have in the last two years. So I encourage Members to continue to work together, represent your people, with that I look forward to this review. Mahsi. Thank you.

--Applause

Thank you, Mr. Premier. The Chair would like to recognize Mr. Ootes who is the chair of the Ordinary Members' Caucus. Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. I sat three steps lower than, the Speaker's Chair, so I am a Chairman not a Speaker. We have Mr. Ed Picco. However,

we will take a 15 minute break and Mr. Picco will be the first one on the list to speak. Thank you.

--Break