Thank you, Mr. Evaloarjuk. Good afternoon. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Enuaraq.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon, Members. I would like to talk about being a hunter, about hunting and how to treat animals. I would like people to know in the early 60s I lived in an outpost camp and I am happy that I am an Inuk to this day. I am trying to say that when we lived in an outpost camp and if there was no game, we could not survive. My father and mother used to tell us that we have to respect the game and take good care of the game whether it is caribou, or seal, or any kind of animal. If I killed an animal, I would be very happy and I would make sure that the animal is killed before I start skinning this animal. Before I came to Yellowknife, I would go out hunting on the weekends for my family and relatives. When I went hunting and caught an animal, we would say a prayer to give thanks. Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell the people that we have to respect animals that we kill. We have seen footage on animals being slaughtered. I would like people to know that this is not our practice. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation ends)

Mahsi, Mr. Barnabas. Members' statements. Mr. Barnabas.

(Translation) I will be speaking in Inuktitut as well. Yesterday, on the national television news, I was shocked to see the slaughter of seals, and how they slaughtered the seals for the skins. Let me go back to the history of my ancestors. They had to hunt to survive and use the skins for clothing. They never skinned a live seal, even if they were really hungry. From our ancestors and elders we have been taught when we injure an animal, we have to do our best to kill the animal so that it does not suffer because they respected what the seal could give them and because the seal was their main diet. Today, the seal is still an important part of our diet. Mr. Speaker, I do not know of any hunter who would skin a live seal. Our main purpose to hunt seals now is for the food. We do not only hunt for the skins. Mr. Speaker, there are very few jobs in my constituency. Some hunters could hunt just for skins, but they do not do this. They know how many seals their families can eat and even though they could make more money from the skins, they just kill enough for their families. Often they give to the elders of the communities and people with dog teams. If they do kill too many seals to eat, they ... (Translation ends)

The Member for the High Arctic is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Barnabas, you have unanimous consent.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members for giving me consent. In the spring and summer, when they kill too many seals they cache the meat to use later when seals are hard to find. Mr. Speaker, I want people to know that we do not kill seals just for their skins. The animals we hunt have been a very important part of our lives and we respect them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.(Translation ends)

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Barnabas. Again, to correct before I recognized Mr. Barnabas, I also thanked him. I wanted to thank Mr. Enuaraq and recognize Mr. Barnabas. Members' statements. Ms. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was very disturbed by what I saw on the National News last night. There was film footage of men torturing seals before they died. Mr. Speaker, I was disturbed for two reasons. The first being that no animal should be mistreated like this. The second is that in my culture the seal is very important. Our elders would be horrified if they saw a hunter mistreat a seal or any animal, for that matter. Mr. Speaker, my father spoke to me this morning about this news item. He was also upset at what he saw. My father is a well known and respected seal hunter. His skills are very well known in the Keewatin Region. He has many years of experience in teaching hunting skills on the land and in the school. Just as he learned from his grandfather, Agotemmariq, about hunting and the respect that they should show the animals they kill, he has taken this knowledge and shared it with the youth. It is taboo in our traditional laws to torture or abuse any living thing from an insect to a polar bear or whale. Elders tell these stories to the younger generations so that they will grow up

-- Applause

Thank you, Ms. Thompson. Members' statements. Mr. Rabesca.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I rise to tell this House how my region has looked to the future of economic development. Back in 1980, Charlie Charlo's dream for having our people trained and employed started to become a reality with the construction of the Nishi Khon Complex. This building is owned by the Rae-Edzo Dene Band Development Corporation which is the first ever in the history of the N.W.T. to become a publicly owned aboriginal company.

At about the same time the Nishi Khon Forest Service was established, which has over the years trained and employed many residents of the North Slave region and is owned by the residents of the region, this company started out to be just the seasonal forest fire response team on contract with our government. It has over the years expanded to include N. K. Freeway, the highway maintenance company; PCL/NK, our regional construction company; and NK/Canadian, the helicopter company to provide forest fire response, as well as a number of other businesses that operate within the region and provide training and employment for our people.

The Rae-Edzo Dene Band Development Corporation has expanded from its original beginnings by acquiring partial ownership in Bellanca Developments in Yellowknife, Polar Vision in various communities throughout the north, and by building and leasing space to the government and a variety of other tenants in Rae-Edzo.

Through the years the band councils have established a variety of businesses with each community. All communities within my region now have development corporations that negotiate construction contracts with this government for housing and capital projects that affect each community and employ and train all local people.

The Rae Dogrib Band has purchased a motel in Rae and operates it using all locally trained staff. They also own a large percentage of Northern Distributors Shell bulk oil plant here in Yellowknife, with the hopes of utilizing local trained truck drivers to provide fuel hauls on the winter roads and highways. The Band also has a construction company that takes care of all housing requirements within Rae-Edzo.

Snare Lake, being the smallest community, is not being left behind. Over the last few years they have expanded operations to include a hotel facility in the community. Mr. Speaker, may I have unanimous consent to conclude my statement, please?

The Member for North Slave is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Rabesca, you have unanimous consent.

A hotel facility in the community, a 50 person construction camp, a general store, a construction and maintenance operation, and are dealing with other exciting projects.

Rae Lakes has also worked hard to provide employment and training to their residents. Over the years the Band Council has acquired a fishing lodge, a motel facility in the community, and has also negotiated for and built all housing and capital projects for the community.

Wha Ti is also providing employment and training for its residents. They operate a fishing lodge and motel, as well as negotiate all construction projects that take place within their community. All using local employment and services wherever possible.

Mr. Speaker, my region has come a long way from the early 1980s, and we feel we are headed in the right direction. We are trying to provide all our people with opportunities that will benefit them and their families for years to come. There is, of course, a long way to go to fully realize the potential of employment and business opportunities within my region, but we feel we do have a good head start. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Rabesca. Members' statements. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as an elected official we have an opportunity to see the good, the bad, and the sometimes ludicrous in public life. Every statement, question, or action becomes scrutinized, criticized, and sometimes, on those rare occasions, applauded. However, my fondest moments to date as an elected official have been when asked to speak at schools or to interact with constituents outside the rhetoric of political life.

This past November, I was invited to speak at Elizabeth Tumblin's class at Nakashuk Elementary School in Iqaluit. Today, when I opened my mail with the usual complaints, issues, and of course bills, it was to great delight that I received letters from Mrs. Tumblin's students in their own handwriting, thanking me for speaking to the class. The students also included their hand drawn pictures of me, and I might add that they give competition in their artistic ability with our own resident artist, Mr. Barnabas.

Mr. Speaker, needless to say that it made my day. The students were doing a project on government and Nunavut, and I was quite impressed with the quality of questions asked by the students. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the students of Elizabeth Tumblin's' class for writing me and I look forward to visiting the other schools in Iqaluit when I return home in March. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Picco. Members' statements. Mr. Krutko.

The Member for Mackenzie Delta is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do I have any nays? You have some nays. Agreed? Thank you. You have unanimous consent. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Members' statements. Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, as others, I would also like to comment on the news story that was there last night on CBC TV, CNN, and other stations. Mr. Speaker, shown on this problem was footage of Newfoundland seal hunters displaying unacceptable behaviour on the treatment of seals that they were harvesting.

I was totally appalled by some of the scenes of cruelty, disrespect, and inhumane practices. I listened to the spokesperson for the sealers and I would agree with her that these were scenes of isolated, unique individuals that do not represent normal hunting practices of the Maritime sealers.

What worries me, Mr. Speaker, and what will be the real tragedy, is the effect that has on the sealskin market that we have slowly been nurturing, ever since Green Peace and others killed the market for seal products that my people, the Inuit, rely on for a living. The market was killed then due to similar pictures being flashed around the world of these same Maritime hunters killing seal pups.

Mr. Speaker, as others have said, it is Inuit tradition to treat all animals with respect, even those that we are harvesting.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would join others in saying shame to the animal rights activists that will exploit these pictures for fund-raising and fighting our seal harvesting around the world, and shame to the those Newfoundland hunters who practice this unacceptable behaviour. Thank you.

Thank you, Members' statements. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am very pleased to stand today to recognize three young ladies from Rankin Inlet, who will be serving the House this week as Pages. The three young ladies are Kelly Clark, a grade 8 student, Jody Roach, attending grade 8, and Tracey Roach, who is presently in grade 7. Kelly is the daughter of Donald and Simone Clark, who are very active in the educational community in Rankin. Tracey and Jody are the daughters of Ron and Goretti Roach, who are equally active in the community of Rankin Inlet, and I am very pleased, today, to be able to sponsor their participation this week. I would ask all of you to join with me in welcoming them here to Yellowknife. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

Thank you. I know they are not in the gallery, but they are here. Jamie Kataluk from Coral Harbour, Sabina Paniyuk from Coral Harbour, Charlene Putulik, Repulse Bay, Daucie Autut from Chesterfield, the Pages that will be serving us today. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Rabesca.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize some members from my constituency team in the gallery. The Rae-Edzo Junior Boys Soccer Team will represent the Northwest Territories and Canada at the upcoming 1997 Soccer Youth Cultural Exchange in Germany, March 19th to April 2nd.

During these two weeks, the team will play three indoor soccer tournaments in Hamburg, Neubrandenburg and Berlin, and partake in the various cultural events with their German counterparts, who are expected to visit the Northwest Territories in October of this same year.

Soccer has become a winning tradition in Rae-Edzo. The Rae-Edzo Warriors have earned five consecutive NWT soccer championships, a berth into the Arctic Winter Games in Slave Lake, and two bronze medals at the North American Indigenous Games in Saskatchewan and Minnesota. These are the only two medals won in the history of the Northwest Territories in outdoor soccer at an international tournament.

These young Rae-Edzo Warriors have been practising four to five nights a week over the past two years. They will also represent the Northwest Territories at this summer's North American Indigenous Games in Victoria, British Columbia.

The Soccer Youth Cultural Exchange is also special, because it allows our youth to explore another part of the world and build new friendships. It is a time to learn more about the game they love and play so well together, and a time to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience. These adventures help enrich our youth with positive goals and dreams and broadens their knowledge and horizons.

The team representing the NWT and Canada are:

Angus Black, Clayton Lafferty, Lonnie Zoe, Leroy Koyina, Eric Apples, Jimmy Ekendia, Trevor Mantla, Jasper Lamouelle, Caleb Behrens, Gordon Delorme, Jason Green, Michael Botermans, their coach. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Rabesca. Again, just to remind the Members that under the rules of recognition of visitors in the gallery, you have 30 seconds to do it. I think the Member went over two minutes. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a very, very famous person in the gallery today, someone that everyone knows. He is CBC Northbeat news announcer, George Tuccaro, and he is also an all around good guy.

-- Applause

Thank you. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Honourable Minister of Wildlife Management. A few days ago I received a call from Taloyoak from a gentleman, a member of Nunavut Wildlife Management Board.

Over the telephone conversation, he indicated to me, Mr. Speaker, that people of Nunavut are concerned about the way the survey is done for polar bears in that area. He also indicated, over the telephone, that when the survey is being done in the Nunavut area, the polar is drugged subsequent to putting on a radio collar and then released. Once the polar bear has been given a radio collar, then the satellite will track the movements of the polar bear. Once the survey has been done and that particular animal is no longer needed, again the polar bear is drugged to remove the radio collar.

My question to the Honourable Minister is, does the Minister have any knowledge of alternative methods as opposed to the drug? Thank you.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary to that same Honourable Minister. Mr. Speaker, there has been a

number of occasions whereby the polar bear that has been drugged is known to have lost weight. They are in poor health. In some cases, the polar bear died. Does the Minister have any knowledge of any polar bear that has been drugged a number of times, and subsequently died in the end? Does the Minister have that information from the people of Nunavut? Thank you.

Mr. Kakfwi.

Oral questions. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for Mr. Ng. It is concerning the Department of Justice. I have had businessmen in Yellowknife calling about inmates selling crafts at the correctional centre in town here. They have pointed out that the inmates do not have to pay overhead while they are selling their crafts, while the businessmen in town that have businesses that sell crafts have overhead. They have stores, they have to pay their staff, all the rest of this kind of stuff. What I would like to know is whether this is actually happening or not, that the inmates are allowed to sell crafts at the YCC? Thank you.

The Minister of Justice, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, there is a carving program that operates at the Yellowknife Correctional Centre and the inmates do have the opportunity to sell some of their finished products through a display case at the correctional facility, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Do the inmates have to purchase their own materials for the crafts that they make?

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, they pay for their own materials as well as the tools that they use for making the products, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is it appropriate for the government to allow crafts to be sold in such a way when private enterprise is already providing this service and they have to pay for all their overhead? Thank you.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is important to recognize that it is a part of the rehabilitative process, the programming for some of the inmates and the fact that it provides them with an opportunity to develop some skills that produce some income when they get out of the correctional centre. It provides them with an opportunity to generate some income while they are in there to send back to their families to look after some of their basic needs. Many of them, unfortunately, do not have the opportunity to have income support from their home families when they are in the correctional centre. In that respect, it is an important issue for the inmates. In addition to that, they do use some of the payments sometimes for some of their fines that they have incurred as part of the sentence that they received, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am assuming that some people must go there exclusively to buy crafts. Has the Minister taken into consideration the liability that we would have to face if a customer was taken hostage while they were at the correctional centre? Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the display area is outside of the secure area so it is not within the confines of the secure area where the inmates reside or operate. In that respect, we do have adequate security and it is, as we all know, a minimum security facility so it has not been a major factor in the assessment of operating that program, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Miltenberger.

The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

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

Mr. Dent.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Dent.

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

Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Krutko.

The Minister of Justice. Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, we would be willing to help. My issue would be that the need to address the issue would have to come from the community, the request for specifically for what type of support that they would want before we could entertain a proposal on what type of individuals to send in to assist the community, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again I hear from the honourable Member that the community is concerned about the issue and we will lend any support to that possible. I think it has to be driven from the community that it is unacceptable for these types of situations that cause damage to the community. It impacts everybody in the community. I think that one of the first steps the community should undertake is to formulate a community group to raise their concerns in respect to this specific issue about capturing or charging or finding out the individuals that are involved. It is a serious matter. I do not know the specifics of what steps the investigation are at currently. But I will check into this matter because it is an important issue. Again, I would say that once

something concrete was requested from the honourable Member, it would be something we could consider, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the point that I am trying to get to is the fact that even if we catch the culprits in this incident, it is a community problem in respect to whether or not it is acceptable by community standards to have individuals out there for whatever reasons getting into these kind of difficulties. The onus would be on the community to a large extent to monitor and to put into place programs that could minimize the possibilities of these types of situations happening. We would be supportive of those types of initiatives. I do not think that going in, unless it is just the one individual that is setting all these fires that the honourable Member is alluding to, helps. You still have to get to the root cause of the problem of why is this happening. Is it a copycat type of situation because somebody else has done it that other individuals are entertaining that idea and pursuing it? So, I would say that again, we are willing to assist the community in whatever way we can, but the onus is not and the difficulty is not going to end by the fact of locking up an individual or sending out one individual that might have perpetuated these crimes, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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

Mr. Krutko. Would you ask your question please. Supplementary.

Thank you. Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will talk to my departmental staff and assess the situation and meet with the honourable Member and try to come up with the remedy that would be satisfactory. Thank you.

Oral questions. Before we go on, I know that all the statements that are made, questions, responses are recorded so we know what is being said. One of the things that is not recorded but still could be seen on TV are gestures by Members making gestures to other Members. So, we will ask the Members to be careful the way you conduct yourself on TV too because it will be seen by the public, especially if the camera is on the Member when he is asking a question and having a gesture with it. It will be seen on TV, and if it is, we will be dealing with it. Oral questions. Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Mr. Speaker, there is still some uncertainty regarding the community empowerment initiative. With that point and to further clarify the initiative I would ask the Minister if she would provide to this House the departmental definition of community empowerment. Thank you.

The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Ms. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Community empowerment is simply a community solving their own problems and local people taking care of each other. We know that the government made too many decisions about what is best for the people in the communities. Even though these decisions are well intentioned, the result is that the people do not have control over what happens in their communities. So, that is what community empowerment is about. It is about communities having control of, responsibility for and accountability for programs, services and infrastructure

at the community level. Communities set their own priorities and make decisions about certain programs and services which affect them in order to meet their community needs. Locally people manage community affairs to reflect community needs and interests while the territorial government manages those area which affect the NWT as a whole.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. According to the Minister's definition, can the Minister advise this House as to how many communities have been successfully empowered as of today. Thank you.

Thank you. Ms. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If my budget is passed, there will be a lot more communities that will be successful in community empowerment. So, that is a message to the regular Members, but there has been a lot of successes in community empowerment already. Cape Dorset is one of the communities that has already experienced success in integrating public works, housing, economic development, social services, and government administration into community government operations resulting in more direct control over resources to address local priorities. In Igloolik, the community is increasing its control of social programs so that it is better able to promote community wellness. Keewatin communities are working on the transfer of airport programs in all the communities in the region so that transportation operations are part of community government operations. We have transferred GLOs, lottery licensing, and land management to the communities. There is also Fort Good Hope who has been looking at how social and infrastructure programs may be integrated so that they are better able to deal with community priorities. We have been working within our budget, but if my budget is passed after this budget session, then we will be able to do more with the communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I realize that before we see further community empowerment we have to wait for the outcome of this budget. Could the Minister advise this House as to roughly how many communities have been empowered as of this date? Thank you.

Ms. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said we have a plan in place and we have a lot of communities that are interested in community empowerment but we have not had any money for community empowerment in my department. But we do have the plans in place and we have the teams in place. We have been introducing community empowerment to the communities. If my budget is passed then we will be able to do more with the communities but I can give a list of responsibilities that have been transferred to the communities to the Member if he wants the details. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier on privatization initiatives. There was much discussion in the House on privatization, particularly POL. I note in the unedited Hansard of yesterday, Mr. Kakfwi informed the House that there is no specific policy on privatization. My question to the Premier is, where do they take their initiative from if there is no privatization policy in place? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As far as where we take the initiative from on privatization issues, is we look at services that we do supply to the public through government dollars and we look at what makes sense to privatize and we attempt to solve that problem that way. At this time, it looks like privatization of petroleum products would be a good idea as well as computer services and property management. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, Mr. Kakfwi in Hansard suggested there was no specific policy on privatization. My question to the Premier is, is this factual? Is there no policy on privatization? Thank you.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, there is no policy on specific privatization issues. It is the government's intent to pursue

initiatives of privatization wherever possible. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a document that says, Policy Privatization, now it was dated back in 1985. I am wondering if the Premier can tell me if this policy is no longer in effect. It is on privatization. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not know about the 1985 paper the Member is speaking of. We as a government took the initiative to explore the options of privatization and that is what we are doing. We are looking at the options of the things we can privatize. Thank you.

Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The document I am talking about is the privatization policy and it is signed by the then Commissioner John Parker, dated 85/10/22 but there is an interesting comment. Article 6 in that particular document states, "Responsible Department: The department whose program or service is under consideration for privatization ..." I would ask if there has been a change to or if indeed this policy is not in place presently. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is 1985. That is from a previous government. We as a government have taken an initiative to privatize and look at the options that are available for us to privatize government functions. We have also made it very clear that the co-ordination of privatization will be within the hands of Mr. Kakfwi as the Minister of RWED. That is the economic arm that deals with economic issues for this government but the actual footwork or the work that has to be done on the ground level, for example POL, Mr. Arlooktoo would handle that work because they are the department that deals with POL so they know that issue best. So they do the ground work. Thank you.

Thank you. Again, just to remind the Members that when you are making reference to policies of previous Assemblies or governments you can cite from it but you cannot read extensively from a document that is not in front of the House. If you wish to cite more from the document, table it as a tabled document. Oral questions. Mr. Ootes.