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.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning colleagues. I want to talk about diseases that are acquired from PCB. PCB has been a major concern in some of the communities in my riding, particularly in Clyde River and Broughton Island. There is a place called Cape Christian and some scientists have found some PCBs in this area, in as many as 40 barrels. There was some work done on cleaning up PCB sites. Today, Mr. Speaker, I want to say that, as I was visiting Broughton Island, I have had the opportunity to go to a DEW Line site and see this for myself. There are some older buildings on this site and these older, abandoned units have not been cleaned up. There has not been any cleaning up on these sites. During question period, I will be asking the Minister responsible for the environment with regard to the clean-up site on the DEW Line. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation ends)

Thank you. Members' statements. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Members' statements. Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have heard about the Protected Area Strategy over the past few months, and the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development spoke as recently as today in the House about it. He also talked about the upcoming conference to be held in Inuvik next March. Mr. Speaker, I cannot help but remain concerned on what impact the strategy will have in many areas. Specifically, the negative impact of this process on the money markets which are the greatest source of mineral exploration and development funds. Now, more than ever, we need a welcoming, investment environment which encourages job production and the development of these resources. We would be sadly mistaken if we relied on tourism only as a means of producing growth in our economy. We must look to the mining industry as a significant producer of jobs in our economy.

Mr. Speaker, common sense also forces me to wonder what impact this Protected Areas Strategy will have on land claim agreements. Will the beneficiaries of settled land claim areas have a say in designating protected areas in their claim area? What about other areas that have been staked, drilled, and investment dollars spent on? The Protected Areas Strategy makes reference to identifying protected sites, which will effect future generation and interested resource opportunities that may come our way. Later today, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Honourable Mr. Kakfwi questions on the strategy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend while the Nunavut leaders met in Cambridge Bay, the next generation of Nunavut leaders, the youth, met in Iqaluit. Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that a jurisdiction, a country, a territory, or a province, is judged by its present and future leadership. Mr. Speaker, Nunavut is blessed with the work and quality of leadership shown by people like Raurri Alsworth and Jimmy Onalik. I invite this House, with the people of the Northwest Territories, to check out a program called the n-files, prepared by the various youth counsels on the present and future view of Nunavut from their perspective. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate our youth for the direction, and as Mr. Onalik demonstrated so ably in Cambridge Bay, wisdom beyond their years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Picco. Member's statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you. Returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Evaloarjuk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. Recent TV programs about seal hunting in southern Canada have hurt all hunters of seals, particularly the Inuit in our communities. The pelts from the seals are a means of income for people in Nunavut. What is the government doing to let people know at the international level how important seal hunting is to the Inuit? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation ends)

Thank you, Mr. Evaloarjuk. The Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Kakfwi.

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

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is a need to educate people in our area and in other parts of Canada as well. What steps are the government taking to inform other Canadians about our way of life? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation ends)

Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you. Oral questions, Mr. Enuaraq.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During my Member's statement, I spoke about PCBs, and when I visited one of my communities we visited one of the buildings. My question is directed to Stephen Kakfwi. I would like to find out what is being done with the old buildings in Broughton Island in the DEW Line site? Thank you. (Translation ends)

Minister of Resources, Wildlife, and Economic Development, Mr. Kakfwi.

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

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you also to the Honourable Minister, Mr. Kakfwi. In Broughton Island, the DEW Line site, I have a concern about the building. I have a concern about whether it is spreading around the area. Can the Minister get his officials to review or look at how far the damage has gone? Thank you. (Translation ends)

Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you. Oral questions, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the federal Finance Minister, Paul Martin, recently announced the restructuring of the Canada Pension Plan, or the CPP. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Finance from the Northwest Territories Government update this House on what is involved in this restructuring and how it affects us here in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not have the fine details with me, with respect to the changes under the CPP, but I can give my colleague a general comment on the discussions that took place over the last eight to ten months. There was an overall effort on the part of the Finance Minister to make sure that the CPP is funded appropriately, so we can continue with pensions for generations to come. I think it would be fair to say that, what we call the baby boomers, have put a tremendous strain on the Canada Pension Plan. There were a number of suggestions brought forward by the federal Minister as to how we could determine some fiscal stability to this long term plan. Suggestions such as: moving up the contributions, increasing the years of eligibility, reducing the company pensions that we have, and a variety of other measures that I do not have at my finger tips at this time. It is my understanding that the consensus has been reached by a number of provincial jurisdictions, and as my colleague pointed out, the federal Minister of Finance made an announcement on Thursday that he was going to proceed with those changes. I apologize, I am not able to provide as detailed a response as my colleague would like. I can provide him with a full briefing on that issue later on next week. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the fact that the Minister does not have the full details. I do have a supplementary question though. I do understand that a couple of provinces have actually opted out of buying into the new restructure of the CPP. Has the Northwest Territories bought in? If so, what is the impact then for us on buying into the program?

Mr. Todd.

Yes, I thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have supported the federal Finance Minister in the changes that he recommended that were necessary to sustain the Canadian Pension Plan for now and for generations to come. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

My final supplementary, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister commit next week to providing a briefing to this House and people of the Northwest Territories in this forum so that we can be updated on this situation. There are some Members in this House who are reaching pensionable age, who would be very interested in knowing what is going to happen with the CPP over the next 10 to 12 years, the honourable Minister included. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Todd.

I am assuming Mr. Picco is talking about himself. Anyway, Mr. Speaker, I do have a full briefing on this and I inadvertently left it in my office. I will provide the undercovering letter to all Members so they understand the ramifications and the changes that will be put into place to sustain the Canada Pension Plan for generations to come, including Mr. Picco's generation. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions, Mr. Roland.

The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would say that there would be a limited amount of work that had been done since that report came out. That is one of the reasons that we have undergone a major reform of the alcohol and drug treatment programs, and funding throughout the Northwest Territories that was initiated late last year and is coming to a conclusion early this year. Mr. Speaker, thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Roland, supplementary.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the area of detox services it is an issue. There is not the accessibility throughout the Northwest Territories on a consistent basis. I think it is one of the areas that require some more work on trying to level off or equalize some of the accessibility factors for detox services, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would be hesitant to commit to that at this time, because of the fact that, similar to alcohol and drug treatment dollars, the detox dollars for the Northwest Territories is a flat amount. If we were to offer those services outside of the current programs that we fund for detox, it would create a ripple effect throughout the system. Again, it would have to be taken in the overall context of the alcohol and drug reform throughout the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe a lot of organizations, communities and treatment centres have had an opportunity to see the discussion paper that is out there. The thrust of some of the major initiatives is to put the dollars for alcohol and drug treatment to the communities, whether it is through a regional board structure, or directly to the communities to allow them that flexibility to make the decisions in respect to alcohol and drug programming. I think it would be safe to say, Mr. Speaker, that for all intents and purposes, we are almost there as far as a conclusion. I am looking forward to some of the discussions with committee of the whole on this issue, so that I can get a feel of the acceptability, or the issues that would surround it not being concluded. Thank you, 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. Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation. In the Minister's statement this morning, he indicated that the proposed Plan 2000 will provide for approximately 2000 families to be accommodated into adequate housing. Mr. Speaker, that is probably the best news that we have heard in this House all year. I realize that the Minister indicate that there will be a more technical and detailed briefing forth coming. I believe this type of good news is worth repeating. My question to the Minister is: Can the Minister be more precise, and bottom line just how this will be accomplished? Thank you.

The Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, the initiative that I announced this morning is doubling of the number of houses that we build and fix up each year. One of the ways we plan to do it is to convert the mortgages that are held by clients now through the Housing Corporation system and get back financing. In other words, instead of the Housing Corporation acting as a bank and lending out money, we will facilitate it, and act as a backup to certain clients. We are expanding the Downpayment Assistance Program to encompass more people. We are also planning to install water and sewer systems to at least 240 units during this time, to replace on the old northern rental units.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just one final question. When does the Minister anticipate the target date for this proposal to be commenced?

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, as we have received the green light from Cabinet to go ahead with this, we will be preceding immediately to implement the plans. Due to the shipping season, I think it would be too optimistic to say that the new houses would be in this year's sealift. It would have to be in the next one. In the western Arctic, with the road system, the extra houses, extra materials needed to start this program will be done later this year.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question will be to the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. The Minister presented a document in the House today, and talked about the strategy. I would like to congratulate the Minister. I think that he talked about many positive initiatives in this document, and about this strategy. I believe it is extremely timely, as we have a resource development industry that is extremely nervous. I think it is fair to say that the concern from that constituency, is that this project will be hijacked by environmental groups and so forth. I would suggest that the Minister's comments this morning have gone a long way to alleviate those concerns.

My question to the Minister is; I have read other documents from jurisdictions on how they have developed their protected areas, and I understand that there has been financial compensation given to individuals and businesses who can prove a loss of revenue due to the protected areas being designated. Could the Minister inform the House how this strategy that he will develop will determine compensation, if any, to those affected? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Kakfwi.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to hear that the federal government will have to take on any financial obligations or fall out from areas that may potentially be removed from development. I think that we have all heard the horror stories of the British Columbia government. What they had to pay out in the Windy Craggy situation to Royal Oak. I do not believe that this government could afford to even consider that. Mr. Speaker, I talked about the positiveness of the Minister's statement. That is public record. The Minister did make additional information available to MLAs on protected strategies a couple of weeks ago. I believe there is excellent information there. My question to the Minister, will he make this information available to the public? I believe it would put additional information out there, and provide much better assurances to all parties. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Kakfwi.

Oral questions. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister responsible for Public Works and Services. It is regarding the privatization of voice communications responsibilities and how this has affected the internal GNWT switchboard and the green book, as it is called, which was the government's telephone directory. I have received a message that these services are no longer available due to privatization. I was wondering if the Minister could give us an update on what is happening, particularly with the green book and GNWT switchboard?

The Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, I saw that same message that the Member is referring to, which was on the e-mail system for all to be seen. I do not have the details in front of me. I will take the question as notice and provide an answer to the House.

The question is taken as notice. Oral questions. Mrs. Groenewegen.

The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the social workers responsible for child welfare work, on a limited basis, with the foster parents that are recruited. I know it is an issue that we are fully aware of. That is why one of the initiatives in the current budget, within the social envelope, frees up a lot of social worker time in communities. I am speaking of the community supervision initiative with the Department of Justice that will free up that supervision aspect that social workers are currently carrying out in many of our communities. The income support initiative, which will free up that aspect again of the duties of social workers, to allow them to spend more time on child welfare issues and support issues and working with the foster parents and with parents generally in the communities, to try to bring up that level of child support. Mr. Speaker, thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not aware of the specifics that the honourable Member is referring to. I can speak on the matter in that the early childhood intervention consultant within our department has been doing some work with the Yellowknife Foster Family Association. In fact, I am pleased to report that they have organized for March 17th to 20th, an intensive training program for foster parents throughout the Northwest Territories that have children with FAS/FAE. That is one of the support mechanisms that is out there, along with any others that we would be working on, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.