Thank you, Mr. Ningark. Good morning. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Morin.

Than you, Mr. Speaker. On February 4, 1997, I met with members of the Aboriginal Summit together with my Cabinet colleague, the Honourable Jim Antoine. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss a number of issues of mutual concern. During the course of our discussions an issue emerged regarding the extent to which the Government of the Northwest Territories recognizes band councils and Metis locals.

Mr. Speaker, it was suggested that it would be useful if I could clarify the government's position for the public record regarding our recognition of community aboriginal governments. I agreed to do so. It is for that purpose that I stand to make this statement today. Mr. Speaker, I would like to state firmly and clearly that the Government of the Northwest Territories recognizes the band councils, Metis locals and Inuvialuit community corporations of the communities as institutions of aboriginal governance. Indeed, these institutions are the current structures of self-government.

Thank you, Mr. Morin. Ministers' statements. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Ministers' statements. Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to tell the Members of the success the Department of Transportation's marine services division is having in training northerners as captains on our ferries. By regulation, the people who operate our public ferries must be fully qualified ship's captains holding a Master of Minor Waters certificate issued by Transport Canada. In the past, the department's ferry contractors could only find properly qualified captains in southern Canada on the east and west coasts. A few years ago, the marine services division began encouraging young northern deck hands, who showed promise and interest, to seek their Master of Minor Waters certification and become ferry captains.

The Pacific Marine Training College in North Vancouver, British Columbia, offers a six-week course for the Master of Minor Waters certificate. The recruit's travel, accommodation and tuition costs for the six-week course are paid for by employment insurance and matching 50/50 contribution from the Department of Transportation and our ferry contractors.

Captain Ian Leishman of Fort Providence graduated from the Pacific Marine Training College in 1995 and has since served two seasons as captain of the MV Merv Hardie at the Fort Providence crossing. Captain Mervin Simba of Kakisa earned his Master of Minor Waters in 1996 and served as relief captain last year on the Merv Hardie at Fort Providence, the Lafferty at Fort Simpson and the Johnny Berens at the Ndulee crossing.

This year, two of my constituents, Sean Cli and Steven Lenoir of Fort Simpson are at the Pacific Marine Training College and will complete the Master of Minor Waters course at the end of this month. Ron Antoine, also of Fort Simpson, entered the Marine Services training program this summer. He worked as an oiler at Fort Providence on the Merv Hardie accumulating eligible time towards certification as a marine engineer.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased with the success of the Marine Services training program in opening professional career opportunities for northerners. I am sure that Members of this House are with me in looking forward to the day when we can crew our ferries entirely with northerners and we no longer look to southern Canada for qualified personnel. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mrs. Groenewegen.

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

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning colleagues. (Translation ends.) Mr. Speaker, in this House, Members show a lot of concern for language differences. Many of us from Nunavut spend a lot of time helping unilingual constituents get information and solve problems. Recently, I have been working on behalf of two people from Broughton Island. They have experienced difficulties at lest in part, because they are unilingual. I would like to share their story. In 1969, two people from Broughton Island were offered some work at the Fox 2 station. They worked for about six weeks, shovelling and digging out 45 gallon drums and loading them on a plane. Their understanding was that the pay was going to be $100 per day. The problem is that they apparently did not receive a pay cheque for this work.

During the 1970s, Commissioner Hodgson was approached by these two people on one of his visits to their community. As a result, they were each paid $300 and told the balance would be paid once the records were located. They have heard nothing, Mr. Speaker. Although previous MLAs and many staff have tried to find the records, we cannot seem to find them.

It is possible that, because they are unilingual, they did not understand the terms and conditions of the work they did. They maybe also did not understand what the Commissioner had promised. All we do know is what they thought they were told.

This story points out how confusing things can get for unilingual people. I hope we can have a happy ending. Later today, I will be asking the Premier whether this government will be able to live up to the commitment made by the Commissioner so many years ago. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you are aware, we have discussed affirmative action many times during this session. I feel that this is an important issue that should stay in the forefront of this government. Mr. Speaker, this policy has been in effect since 1985 and we still have a long way to go to reach the government's goal of 50 percent native employment. It is important that this government realizes the need to have a competent, home-grown employee base. How else can this government expect to provide its services without the understanding of the issues and the way of life our people share throughout this great land?

Mr. Speaker, what is needed to make this or any other employment policy work? I believe we must start by supporting and promoting education at all levels. We need to provide a broader education base so that all our residents can utilize the education services that are currently available. We must allow all residents access to education. As it stands presently, we do not allow any form of adult education in a number of communities. This must change.

Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues have mentioned previously, we need to teach our people the different skills required to take over the government positions. We need to provide the basic training in communities which will allow interested residents to strive for more. Mr. Speaker, I believe we can provide this which will then make this or any other employment policy redundant. It is important that we get our people educated to the level that they can take over the positions they wish, which will allow for fair and competent competition between all that apply. Until this happens, we must strive to increase the level of native employment and reach this government's goal of 50 percent or possibly change our policy to better reflect our needs of today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in Cambridge Bay during the leadership meetings, there was, I think, some confusion over employees now employed and employees to be employed by the Nunavut government on April 1st, 1999. Mr. Speaker, the plan at the present time is to have the initial 150 positions to be hired and in place on April 1st, 1999. However, this government has reiterated time and time again, that employees working prior to April 1st, 1999 and living in Nunavut, would be still employed on April 1st, 1999. It is important to say this, Mr. Speaker, because since the Cambridge Bay meetings, I have had numerous calls, e-mails and faxes from long-term, dedicated staff who are wondering about their future.

Mr. Speaker, while no job or position can be guaranteed in these days of reductions and fiscal clawbacks, I think it is safe to say that there will not be a major layoff of current employees prior to 1999. Mr. Speaker, all employees should be aware that a new government or employer will be in place on April 1st, 1999 and that government may decide to change job descriptions or re-profile employees. There is no anticipation that will mean current employees will be laid off en masse. This government has made that clear and I believe that it will be confirmed over the next few weeks.

Mr. Speaker, employees raising young families, purchasing homes and acquiring mortgages have been quite stressed over the past few weeks. I hope that this clarification will help put those concerned at ease. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation recently rose to announce Plan 2000. This is a plan to provide housing to 2,000 more families by the year 2000. On the surface, this seems like a laudable effort. I was intrigued by the announcement that went on to talk about the program details, in particular, on the enhanced down payment assistance program. What I saw did not make me happy. It also did not make me happy to hear the Minister say in a radio interview that households with incomes between $50,000 and $90,000 would be eligible for assistance.

Mr. Speaker, we talk about empowering people but we develop programs which encourage dependence on government. We are making people dumb. We are teaching them they cannot manage on their own. We have to help them. What kind of a message does this program send to the many middle income families who have bought their homes the old-fashioned way by earning the down payment themselves? As a government, we talk about developing a private sector economy, then we create a program which totally disrupts the natural development of the economy.

birth rate. This government knows the birth rate is out of control, yet it does not do anything about it other than build more housing.

Mr. Speaker, the funds proposed to be expended on this new program should be put into programs that will modify and teach responsible attitudes in the NWT and encourage parents to know that the government cannot continue to support the high birth rate until we have an effective wage economy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Qujannamiik. I have heard many opinions in this House on the affirmative action policy. I believe we need the affirmative action policy. I agree that the current policy has maybe not had the results we would want. The levels of employment of aboriginal and Inuit people are still not representative of the general population. However, Mr. Speaker, without this policy, there would be even fewer Inuit people in the workforce in my area. The people in my region are very capable of doing the jobs that need to be done. It is true that many people do not have a lot of formal education. Inuit people recognize this and are trying to upgrade their education. Young people are staying in school and getting their grade 12. Adults are returning to college to improve their skills. Education is only a piece. A person's experience, approach to life and knowledge of local customs and values are very important for being successful as a GNWT employee.

Mr. Speaker, Inuit people without a lot of education may bring a wealth of practical experience to the job. In Nunavut, we hope to have Inuit people represented in the new government. The affirmative action policy is providing the starting point. We cannot abandon it now. We must find ways to improve it, to increase the willingness of employers to recognize the life experience of Inuit people in the hiring process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Members' statements. Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly are based on a long parliamentary history. The rules and procedures associated with the Assembly are in place for many reasons: To ensure all Members can fairly represent their constituents, to support the expression of alternative views on issues, to foster respect among the Members and to allow for a range of issues to be heard and discussed. One difficulty with any set of rules is that they often need to be clarified, as it this case with the Assembly and its rules. Mr. Speaker, over the last few months many Members have raised a flurry of points where the rules and procedures have needed to be more clearly defined. We have touched on many issues from the conflict of interest to inappropriate use of common slang phrases, from shirt collars and neckties to the conduct of business.

Mr. Speaker, I have appreciated your patience as you have provided many rulings clarifying the appropriate decorum, discussion and dress to maintain the dignity of this House. I hope we have addressed all the areas which need to be clarified. We should now be able to concentrate our attention on addressing the issues that are important to our constituents and the NWT as a whole. Mr. Speaker, it costs approximately $16,000 a day to operate this legislative building. When you combine that with the critical issues that are facing us, such as division, the budget deficit and the need for job creation, Mr. Speaker, hopefully now we can direct the time that is needed to address these critical issues in a way that we are not interrupted, so that time is duly provided for these issues.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. O'Brien. Members' statements. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Members' statements. Before we go on to the next item, I would like to remind the Members to slow down a bit when they make their statement. Some Members were going pretty fast and the translators cannot keep up and a lot of times, things that are interpreted in aboriginal languages take longer than maybe one word in the English language. I would request the indulgence of the Members to cooperate and give consideration to the translators. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Enuaraq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to recognize two ladies from beautiful Pangnirtung, Geetee Maniapik and Salia Nakashuk from Tullivik Mental Health Committee. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you. Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this time it gives me great pleasure to welcome the ladies from Pang and Lynn Johnson, who is a long-time family friend and the supervisor of my wife at the women's shelter in Iqaluit. Lynn is up in the back trying to hide as she always does. She likes to stay behind the scenes, but she is well known in Iqaluit as one of the most dedicated volunteers and workers for the community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you. Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Krutko.

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

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

Thank you. Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to recognize Cindy Bentley, who works at the shelter in Cape Dorset in my constituency.

-- Applause

Thank you. Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize Margaret-Anne Tologanak and Patricia File of Saint Michael's Crisis Shelter in

Cambridge Bay in Kitikmeot and Doris Ivarluk from Kugluktuk. It also gives me great pleasure to recognize Anaoyok Alookee, of the Inuit women's group from Taloyoak. Thank you.

-- Applause

Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Steen.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Evelyn Thordarson, who is with the Kataujaq Society in Rankin Inlet. Thank you.

-- Applause

Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Ootes.

Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would like to recognize Edith Squirrel from Fort Providence, which is about an hour from here from by air or three hours by driving. I do not see enough people from Providence but I appreciate it. Welcome to the Assembly.

-- Applause

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. Mrs. Groenewegen.

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

Mr. Speaker, the rent scale for social housing is indeed geared towards income. We do have controls that ensure there is enough money left for the family to be able to pay for food and other expenses. There are adjustments made as there are changes in income. On whether the particular example used by the Member earlier today is possible or not, I could not say. I will ask the Housing Corporation to look at it and analyze it to see if in fact it is possible.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, rather than debating the individual cases, since I do not have the file in front of me, I will say Mr. Dent, the Minister for ECE, Mr. Ng, for Health and Social Services and I have been working over the last few weeks on trying to get better co-ordination for our subsidies for low income families which include the rent scales. We are working on improvements to the system we have. We have made a commitment to report back by July, I believe. I will ensure the suggestion made by the Member is considered.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Evaloarjuk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. It is important to maintain our traditional culture and to encourage independence from relying on social programs. Some Inuit living in outpost camps do so and make their living traditionally. Earlier today, I received a letter from a member from my constituency who lives in an outpost camp. He informs me he heard on the radio funding for all outpost camps will be cut off in the new fiscal year. He is very

concerned about this possibility. These funds are used for outpost camps to purchase oil and other necessary supplies. Could the Minister indicate whether or not this is in the plans for 1997/98, to cut off those funds? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation ends)

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

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Miltenberger.

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

Mr. Speaker, I too was disturbed by the comments by one of the Members this morning. The only comments I would make is that it is the intention of the Housing Corporation, in a small way, to try to meet the severe housing shortage we have, the overcrowding, the lack of housing, and the poor conditions of the houses in our communities. If you travel to the smaller communities, especially in the remoter regions, what you will find is something totally different than what you see here in Yellowknife. I think the comments made this morning were uncalled for and not factual to what we are trying to do. The initiative we presented as a plan will in fact help 2000 lower to middle income families who can afford the cost of running a house and some mortgage payments, the ability to be more self-reliant, to own their own homes, to pay for their own bills, and thus freeing up the social housing they are occupying now to be used by those in more severe need.

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

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, we now have almost 6000 public housing units. I believe the number is around 5800. In the last few years, through the Housing Corporation programs, we built about 1,200 new houses, which have freed up probably half of that number. I would qualify that by saying that I would need to check those numbers. Of the additional 1400, 40 new houses we will build in the next three years, I would hope that would free up half of that number again to be used by those in more need.

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

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, short answer for that is no. It was not part of our consideration.

Oral questions. Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, we are starting immediately. The application process has been going on for quite some time. We have a backlog of people who would like to own their own homes and who could use the assistance. All over the territories we have started the process and the actual shipping and building of houses will start in the next four to six months.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. On Monday, February 4, according to the unedited Hansard, I asked the Minister in charge of privatization: "what policy or direction this government was following on privatization?" From the unedited Hansard, Mr. Kakfwi said "there is a Cabinet direction given on privatization." From the same Hansard after I had asked for a copy of this Cabinet direction, the Speaker said, "I would like to remind Members regarding questions it says that a question must not seek information about matters which are secret, such as decisions or proceedings of Cabinet." Mr. Speaker, my question for the Premier is how does this house, the Ordinary Members, the general public, know if Cabinet direction is being followed if the direction or policy is not written down and made public? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Picco. Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Cabinet decision papers and decisions made in Cabinet are not for public consumption. They are not to be discussed in this House. They are confidential and that is how they are handled. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do know a little bit about the rules. I read the rule book as it were. I know the directions and discussions of the Cabinet are secret. My question is different. My question is if there is a policy on privatization and the only policy that is on our book that is public is from 1985, in various times over the past few weeks, myself, Mr. Ootes, and some other Members brought this up. We do not really know if we are following that policy because they say it is redundant and then they quote from it. I am asking how do I know what privatization scheme we are following, if we are following correctly, if I cannot see a policy or if I can see something written down? If it says for example, Mr. Speaker, we are selling off 15 glasses at $2.00 a glass, then that becomes public knowledge and we can check if we are selling those glasses at $2.00 a glass. My question is will the Premier be coming up with a policy within Cabinet, so privatization schemes with this government, which affects every resident of the Northwest Territories, is public so we can look at it and see if it is being followed?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is a policy on the books, I believe it is back in 1985. The policy in general is being followed and part of that policy says in Cabinet direction, the Cabinet can have direction and initiative, and that is what we have done. We made it very clear to the privatization initiative of our government what direction we have taken. It is my job as Premier to make sure the Ministers follow the direction. I am doing that. What else can I say to the Member? Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Mr. Speaker, I do not want to get into a debate. It would be very difficult for me to know if the direction is being followed if I do not know what the direction is and I cannot see it. I referred back to the 1985 policy. I tabled it in the House so we could discuss that policy. The policy does not outline in broad strokes what you would do for privatization. Will the Minister tell us what is up for grabs for privatization? What different areas, other than the two that we are aware of at the present time, POL and property management, are under the privatization, so we can see where this idea is coming from?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would hope the Member would not be thinking this House or the Members of this Legislative Assembly are scheming. We have government initiatives and government direction. It has been through this House and it has had the support of the Members of this Legislative Assembly and the privatization initiatives of this government. Any Cabinet decision that is made is transformed into policies and the policies themselves are for the public. With that, Mr. Speaker, I hope it answers the Member's question. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not seeing boogey-men, I am not trying to create a crisis. I do not see conspiracies. All I am asking for is to see the policy. The Premier just told me they follow the policy and when the policies of this government are being followed, they are made public. When is he going to show me this privatization policy for 1997, not the one from 1985 that they were not talking about until I tabled it in the House, and then he said we are looking at it but they really are not because it is a new direction. We still do not know. When is he going to table this new policy and bring that forward for the people of the Northwest Territories to see? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member himself has tabled the policy on privatization that is on the books of this government right now. He has seen it. We have made a commitment to this Legislative Assembly that we will be looking at revising existing policies that are on the books as well as rights. We will be doing that. As soon as we finish that work, I am sure the Member will look forward to seeing it. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Krutko.

The Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, there is a combination of two ways that we will be distributing these houses. One, the primary one, and as always, is the need of each individual community, the number of applicants and those that are eligible. That number will be combined with the relative need of that community. That is to say a small community which has an urgent need for a small number of houses will be treated as fairly as a larger community with a need for a bigger number of houses. We will ensure that each community gets its fair share.

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

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, what I can provide the Member is a distribution list of houses that we were planning to build for this year using the existing programs. That will give you an indication of what the distribution will be like. Although the difference would be with this new program, there will be more houses built. I will ensure that the Member gets that listing. The final list will depend on the number of eligible applicants from each community, but I would think because we will have more applicants than the packages that we can offer, we will end up ensuring each community is given its fair share based on its relative need.

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

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, certainly the waiting list will be part of the consideration but even with this initiative which increases the number of houses, we will not meet the demand. If his community has traditionally been getting three to four houses each in the last few years, I would imagine that the next couple of years you would get six to eight new houses each year for the next three years.

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

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Mr. Speaker, in the last few days I have been getting similar requests from just about all the other MLAs. What I will say again, the distribution will be based on need, on the number of eligible applicants. We will be as fair as possible. We know where the need is. We will fairly distribute what little we have.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Enuaraq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement, I talked about two people from Broughton Island who have never been paid for the work they did in Fox 2 in

1969. There was a commitment made by the Commissioner at the time to resolve this issue. Will the Premier agree to try to find a way to live up to the commitment made years ago on behalf of this government? Thank you.

The Premier.