Thank you, Mr. O'Brien. Good morning. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Arlooktoo.

(Translation) Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to Members about a serious concern for many individuals, families and communities in the north, the need for adequate and affordable housing. Accessible, affordable and quality housing is an ongoing and indeed a growing problem for the north where, because of our climate and our geography, the cost of building or purchasing a home is out of reach for many families based on their household income.

As a result, a high percentage of our population relies on the assistance of the government through income support programs and through the NWT Housing Corporation to ensure they have a roof over their heads, or somewhere else to call home. Compounding the day-to-day reality of housing costs, as Members are aware, the federal government has stopped funding the construction of new social housing units. In the Northwest Territories, this translates to an annual loss of about $50 million, which in turn means that several hundred housing units cannot be built each year.

Mr. Speaker, the combination of increasing demand and the decreasing resources has had a devastating effect on the Northwest Territories. (Translation ends) Lower income families who need a place to live are unable to access rental properties, and middle income families who would like to purchase their own home are unable to do so because it is beyond their financial reach.

The NWT Housing Corporation has tried, with some success, to deal with the growing demand for social housing through programs such as the purchase or owner-build programs and the Downpayment Assistance Program. In the process, it has been able to meet some of the need for housing in many communities throughout the north. It has also provided jobs for northerners through housing maintenance and construction and business opportunities for local and northern contractors, suppliers and manufacturers. But, despite these good efforts, the demand for housing continues to increase, and every day the waiting list for access to housing grows longer.

Mr. Speaker, I believe, looking at these circumstances, we can all agree the housing situation in the NWT is at a crisis point. And at a point where we must now take drastic measures in order to prevent the situation from getting worse.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce today that this government believes it has found a way to help address this current housing crisis. Our initiative, which we call Plan 2000, will provide more opportunities than ever before in the history of the NWT for families to become home owners, or to have their homes repaired or expanded. It will also address some of the territories' long-standing housing problems, such as the hundreds of rental and privately-owned property units that do not have proper water and sewage systems.

Mr. Speaker, it is my intention to make detailed presentations to the appropriate standing committees of this House. In the meantime, however, I would like to highlight a few of the things this plan will do to address the housing crisis.

First, the intent of Plan 2000 is to enable the NWT Housing Corporation to provide a more focused use of its funds to ensure it reaches as many people as possible. Mr. Speaker, with Plan 2000, the NWT Housing Corporation is getting out of the mortgage business and into the business of helping families find and access suitable, healthy and affordable housing, no matter what their income level.

Under this plan, we will assist people in shifting their mortgages to lending organizations at a rate and level they can afford. This will be done through the expansion of the DAP program and by marketing the Corporation's current mortgage and loans portfolio to lending institutions. With Plan 2000, we will be proposing an amendment to the NWT Housing Corporation Act to allow for the Corporation to provide banks with mortgage underwriting or guarantees to assist clients wishing to build homes or access bank financing.

Mr. Speaker, we believe this initiative will not only open new opportunities for home ownership, but it will also have a positive effect on the northern economy as well. As designed, Plan 2000 will provide a boost to the northern and local construction industries by creating up to 1,000 additional, seasonal construction, supply and manufacturing jobs a year.

Mr. Speaker, Plan 2000 is an innovative solution to a large problem. We believe this new approach to housing is one of the most positive and effective things this government can do to affect the very heart of our communities and our society. However, as with many other initiatives facing this government today, we must continue to look to the future. We view Plan 2000 as a short-term measure that will help us improve the quality of life for people prior to division, and address the immediate housing needs.

We cannot ignore the fact that the Territories has the highest population growth rates and unemployment rates in the country. Plan 2000 cannot replace the need for the federal government and the two future territorial governments, after division, to address the long-term needs for low cost housing. For today, however, this government believes that Plan 2000 is the best alternative to address the housing crisis. It gives us the opportunity today to make a direct and vital difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities throughout the entire Northwest Territories. And that to me, Mr. Speaker, is good government. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Ms. Thompson.

Mr. Speaker, today I will provide Members with an update on community empowerment and the progress our government has made in working with communities.

Last summer, extensive consultation on community empowerment took place and we found positive support for the initiative. In October, Members of this Assembly discussed community empowerment and its implementation. Members were assured that community empowerment is community-driven. That means communities set the pace and communities decide when they want to pursue greater opportunities.

The motion of support for community empowerment is proof that Members are behind this initiative and willing to help it become a reality in all of our communities. I thank you for this support. I want to assure Members that we are committed to continuously improving this initiative as it proceeds. Your suggestions are important and help influence the thinking and ideas that lead to positive change. Community empowerment is delegating an appropriate level of authority and control from the territorial government to the community level of government. With authority and control comes accountability.

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Government Operations recommended that the Auditor General of Canada undertake an independent review of the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs to assess and determine the financial health of communities through their municipal reporting processes.

I am pleased to report that my department has begun work with the office of the Auditor General to identify and address the accountability issues. Meetings, including a full day presentation by my department on how we monitor municipal financing, have been held with the Auditor General's staff. These meetings have already proven beneficial to both parties and we look forward to receiving and sharing their report on our municipal processes.

Mr. Speaker, my department is updating its Community Development Strategy which will outline the community and government process for reviewing and approving proposals for transfer. A lot of work has also been done on the issues associated with the transfer of infrastructure to communities. While some issues are still outstanding, implementation is proceeding.

Infrastructure transfers will result in communities owning additional infrastructure that they will have control of. With ownership, Mr. Speaker, comes additional responsibility. Regional infrastructure workshops are being planned to assist communities with these new responsibilities. At these workshops, community leaders will have an opportunity to discuss infrastructure transfer issues related to community empowerment.

Mr. Speaker, departments have identified a number of social programs that can be made available for transfer. These include community supervision, Education Act provisions, child and family services, Aboriginal Custom Adoption Act, community wellness funding and social housing programs, including rental and home ownership programs.

Other outstanding issues include financing community empowerment, liability and labour relations issues. Sorting out all the outstanding issues is a complex process, but I am pleased to report that the work is progressing and being prepared for Cabinet's review. I look forward to discussions with Members on these matters.

Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to working with communities to ensure that community empowerment is successful. We have developed a community development approach to help communities identify where they need to develop expertise, skills and capacities to take on greater control, authority and responsibility. Mr. Speaker, I will soon be making another statement explaining the good work that has been done to prepare the community development tools.

To highlight, Mr. Speaker, successful community development starts with planning. Community-based planning is a way for people to work together to improve the existing and future conditions of their community. It is a tool communities can use to establish a vision of what they want to achieve and how to achieve it.

To determine if a community has the resources and capacity to successfully delivery community programs and services, a community assessment is done. Assessments help communities to identify existing community resources, skills, capacity and training needs required to reach their future goals. For those communities with identified training needs, training opportunities are also available.

Communities that are not ready to pursue community empowerment can still benefit from community based planning, assessment and training. We encourage communities to take advantage of these community development opportunities. Regional interdepartmental teams are available now to facilitate the planning and assessment work in communities.

Mr. Speaker, over the next week I am going to speak more specifically on how we are working with communities to build community capacity to take on more responsibility from the territorial government. I will also share with Members examples of our community empowerment successes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Thompson. Ministers' statements. Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you. The Member for Sahtu is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his Minister's statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Kakfwi, you have unanimous consent.

Thank you. Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Don Morin will be absent from the House for the remainder of the week to attend the Council of Fisheries Ministers on behalf of the Honourable Stephen Kakfwi in Ottawa, and to attend a personal matter. Thank you.

Thank you. Again, I will remind the Ministers to seek unanimous consent to go back to Ministers' statements, when you wish to make further statements after the 20 minutes are up, Mr. Arlooktoo. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Ningark.

Good morning. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as you are aware, Members of the Nunavut Caucus have just returned from the Nunavut Leaders' Summit in Ikaluktutiak. The two day meeting was aptly titled, Decisions 97. While we did indeed make decisions on a number of issues, there is still a lot of work ahead for all leaders in Nunavut as we move closer to April 1, 1999 and division. Much of the discussion on the opening day involved the composition and design of the Nunavut Legislative Assembly. Leaders agreed that the Assembly should have a minimum of 20 Members and a maximum of 22. Agreement was also reached on the election, electing the Premier of Nunavut at large. If it is possible within the timeframe before division, Nunavut's leaders also want to ensure that a Legislative Assembly is in place to take over on April 1, 1999, and have therefore decided that the first election will be held in January or February of 1999. As you know, Mr. Speaker, gender parity has been one of the most contentious issues in discussion on the design of the Nunavut Legislative Assembly. I wish to report to the House that the people of Nunavut will decide, by plebiscite, whether or not their Assembly will be elected on the basis of equal representation of men and women. To date, there has not been a clear indication of whether or not the majority of the residents in Nunavut support gender parity. The plebiscite will tell us clearly what the people want. We as a member of Nunavut Caucus, feel it is crucial to protect the democratic process by letting the people who elect us have a say in such a fundamental change, in the way Members of a Legislative Assembly are chosen officials.

From the three signatories to the Nunavut Accord, Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you colleagues. From the three signatories to the Nunavut Accord, we will be working on the detail of the plebiscite. More information will be released soon. The three signatories also agreed, in principle, with the design and scheduling for the Nunavut government, as proposed by the Nunavut Implementation Commission in the Footprints 2 Report. Further to this, the three parties have agreed to co-operatively cost the model being proposed by NIC.

I mentioned earlier, Mr. Speaker, that while all three parties, the federal government, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated and the territorial government through the Nunavut Caucus agreed on some points, many issues remain outstanding, including the transfer of current staff to the new Nunavut government. The Government of the Northwest Territories maintains that current GNWT employees in the western Arctic be transferred to the Nunavut government. Leaders from the Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated agree, but they want the transfer to be based on individual employee's evaluations. This is one of the areas that needs further work and will probably be one issue that the interim commissioner, once appointed, will have a key role in addressing.

Mr. Speaker, this meeting was critical. While we did not reach consensus on all issues, I feel that we have taken some positive steps to work forward on the road to Nunavut. Many challenges still lie ahead. There are many substantial issues, including finances, infrastructure development and employment, that need our attention. I encourage all parties to deal responsively when considering these matters. Mr. Speaker, with little more than two years ahead until division, we have to move decisively and efficiently if we are to reach our goal. It is going to take the co-operation of everyone involved in the process.

Finally, I would like to once again, on behalf of all Members of Nunavut Caucus, to thank the mayor, Mr. Wilcox, the people of Cambridge Bay, and all the leaders and staff who have participated in the meetings. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ningark. Members' statements. Mr. Roland.

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

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Members' statements. Mr. Evaloarjuk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, many of my honourable colleagues have talked about the damage caused by TV programs about seal hunting. These community programs show seal hunters as violent people. These programs hurt the reputation of the Inuit people. We have always hunted, but do so with great respect for the animals we share the land and water with. We are not violent people. We hunt to support ourselves and our families.

Thank you, Mr. Evaloarjuk. Members' statements. Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Members' statements. Mr. Enuaraq.