Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of people at a forum on workplace education in the NWT. The forum included literacy workers, business people, representatives of union, aboriginal groups and community groups. You may remember that last fall I announced the NWT Workplace Education Strategy which is designed to broaden the territorial government's literacy partnership with large and small businesses, labour organizations and employers. The strategy is designed to develop more opportunities for workers to develop their basic reading, writing, math and critical thinking skills. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment is supporting the strategy with $200,000 in funding during the current fiscal and in 1997-98.

Mr. Speaker, there are many reasons why workplace education is needed in the territories. Workers often have the entry level skills for specific jobs but may lack the skills to take on more demanding tasks or adapt to changes in the workplace. Changing technology, downsizing, revised health and safety standards or the use of new equipment can affect the nature of employees' jobs. People who do not have the skills needed to deal with these changes may feel that they have no option but to quit their jobs even though they have other skills and knowledge that are valuable to the organization. Providing opportunities for people to develop their basic skills in the workplace increases the stability of the work force, which is good for business and provides greater job satisfaction for employees.

Mr. Speaker, workplace education can also increase awareness of safety and health issues, resulting in fewer job related accidents and health problems. About 100 people attended this week's forum. Guest speakers and facilitators from other parts of Canada were able to share their expertise and experience in workplace learning. People involved in some of the five pilot projects in the Northwest Territories shared their experiences and brought a unique northern perspective to the forum.

Mr. Speaker, although this is an area of adult education that has not received much attention, it is clear there is wide support across the Northwest Territories for this type of initiative. As a result of this forum, I look forward to seeing new partnerships formed and more opportunities for workplace education being offered to northerners in the coming months. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last fall, many residents of the Northwest Territories were saddened to learn of the death of Al Woodhouse. Mr. Woodhouse taught in the eastern Arctic for many years before moving into a career in hotel management. After he left teaching, he continued to support the local school by working with teachers on various projects and providing work experience for students at the hotels he managed. Mr. Woodhouse was a role model who showed how the school and community can work together to provide the best education possible for young people.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to informed this Assembly that an educational bursary has been established in memory of Mr. Woodhouse. The bursary has been set up and will be administered by the Iqaluit Rotary Club and the Nunavut Research Institute. This partnership is appropriate, since Mr. Woodhouse was an active member of the Rotary Club and often promoted science education and research.

The objective of the annual bursary is to assist students from Nunavut to obtain post-secondary education in the sciences, technology, engineering or the application of traditional knowledge in science which can be applied to future work in Nunavut. Selection will be based on the future aspirations of the applicant for a career within Nunavut, their academic record and financial need. About $30,000 has already been donated to the bursary fund. Organizers are hoping to reach the $50,000 mark, at which point the bursary will be self- supporting. Each award will be about $2,000 and will be based on annual interest drawn from the principal.

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the Iqaluit Rotary Club, Nunavut Arctic College and the Nunavut Research Institute for their vision in establishing the Al Woodhouse Bursary. It is an excellent way to honour the memory of someone who was committed to serving his community and who worked tirelessly to promote education. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to speak on the subject of the privatization of the government's petroleum products division or POL as it is sometimes referred to. As a Member of the Infrastructure Committee, I feel that I have some degree of understanding of the problems with the current manner in which petroleum products are delivered or sold to the smaller non-market communities. The reason Public Works and Services wants to divest itself of this responsibility, as I understand it, is because of inefficiencies in the present system. There are about 27 PYs associated with this function, with the purchase and sales of the product through the revolving fund. I think it is important to note that in communities where there is a strong private market for petroleum products, this market is served by the private sector. When you get out into the smaller non-market communities, the reason the government is involved seems quite obvious to me. In those communities, the government is the predominate consumer of the product. It is purchased by public housing authorities, government funded hamlets, government-owned infrastructures such as schools, recreation centres, health centres and most significantly the NWT Power Corporation which accounts for approximately 40 percent of the purchases. A minority or residual volume is purchased by private homeowners and consumers.

Privatization could mean a number of different things. Portions of this function, such as delivery and sales of product to private consumers, could quite easily be privatized. This would generate some economic and community development activity. Could we address the portions of the service which are seen as inefficient? If the will of the government is to completely remove themselves from this exercise, three things should be kept in mind. As an essential commodity, it would have to be regulated. If we give away the assets... Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the will of the government is to completely remove themselves from this exercise, three things should be kept in mind. It is an essential commodity and, as such, should be regulated. If we give away the assets we will not easily get them back and we, as a government, are the major consumer of these products in the non-market communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Monday, February 24th was a very proud day for Steve Iveson and Phoebe Tatti. Their son Deegah graduated from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Training Centre in Regina.

-- Applause

I want to recognize their achievement today and have invited them to be with us here in the gallery. Deegah Tatti, who wanted to be an RCMP officer since he was four years old, is now officially Constable Tatti. He will be leaving shortly on assignment to the Hay River detachment.

-- Applause

His grandparents, Phyllis and Tom Iveson, along with parents Steve and Phoebe, were on hand in Regina to watch Deegah receive his diploma. Unfortunately, his grandparents from the Sahtu, Lucy and Frances Tatti, were unable to travel due to health but they sent their love and best wishes. Mr. Speaker, Deegah is a northern child, born, raised and educated here in the north. He left us

for a short while to further his education and training. Now he is back with us to take his rightful place in our society and will be working hard to make life better for all of us here in the Northwest Territories. I want to wish Deegah good luck and congratulate him and his parents. I am very proud to introduce them here today. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by sending greetings back to my wife and children back in Inuvik.

Mr. Speaker, on February 19th, Mr. Kakfwi, the Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development informed this House that the process to develop a Protected Area strategy would begin in Inuvik in the week of March 3rd. I would like to thank the Minister for selecting Inuvik as the site to start this historic initiative. Not only will the meeting give the town a badly needed shot in the arm, Inuvik is a wise choice for this meeting. Inuvik means the place of man. Mr. Speaker, the word man is used in the broadest sense to mean people, mankind.

Since its birth, Inuvik has been a crossroads where people of many cultures from many places have met. The community is an everyday meeting place for the Gwich'in, Inuvialuit and non-aboriginal residents. It has been and remains a centre for research. The region has been a testing ground for new technologies and ideas. Inuvik is an ideal place to bring together the many varied interests which will be needed to develop a strategy that will meet the economic, social and environmental needs of the northerners in the future.

The town of Inuvik has hosted big conferences and meetings in the past. Mr. Speaker, Inuvik always welcomes visitors. I am sure those who travel to Inuvik for the meeting on a Protected Areas Strategy will be greeted as warmly as other visitors and have a time which they will long remember. Mr. Speaker, all MLAs have been invited to attend the Inuvik gathering. I encourage my fellow Members to visit my community and participate in the deliberations on a Protected Areas Strategy. This is an opportunity to get on the ground floor of an exciting initiative that we will hear much about in the future. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I extend a welcome to those who will meet in Inuvik. We all have a responsibility to look after the land, to manage it, to use it properly and protect it to meet our needs and the needs of our future generations.

Those deliberating at the conference in Inuvik have an important role to play in our future. They face a task that can be best completed by working together. I wish the Minister and the participants the best in their deliberations. Once again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my thanks to the Minister and hope the other Ministers will follow his lead by holding conferences in Inuvik as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last night on CBC North a government employee, Frances Widdowson, made some comments on her views on traditional knowledge and the spiritual beliefs of aboriginal people. For myself, I was very offended by those statements and I do not believe it is the time for a government employee to downgrade aboriginal people's beliefs, thoughts or rights to speak their minds.

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This individual made accusations that the aboriginal traditional knowledge is not relevant nor their spiritual beliefs. Yet aboriginal people have been in the north for 10,000 or 20,000 years compared to Europeans who have come to North America in the last hundreds of years. I believe we are finally making a stride in recognizing traditional knowledge for what it is. It is knowledge which has been handed down for thousands and thousands of years by aboriginal people in one of the harshest climates in the world. For an employee of this government to make accusations that her religious beliefs are stronger than an aboriginal right to recognize their spirituality of surviving in the country long before there were Bibles, religions or things that we take as religious beliefs in the sense of the European market.

I would like to close by stating there have been hundreds, if not hundreds of millions of dollars spent in the scientific community on research regarding polar gas, the Mackenzie Valley pipeline, the Norman Wells pipeline, and the mining industry by scientists who fly up here during the summer season to do their tests in a month or two month period, fly south, go to a university and analyze it over the winter and they say that information is more powerful than people who have lived here and collected this information for thousands and thousands of years. I would like to ask the appropriate Minister a question on this particular subject. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to say a few words about the Affirmative Action Policy and approach. I raised some questions last year as to when this policy would be brought forward by the government to be reviewed by all the Members here. We urgently need to address this particular issue, Mr. Speaker. I am disappointed this has not been brought forward to us yet. Every day individuals apply to the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Affirmative Action Policy is in effect. People get effected by that. Every summer our students are caught up with this particular problem with their peers. Problems of this policy are not going to go away through wishful thinking, Mr. Speaker. We need to review it and we need to review this soon.

The other day I asked the Premier for some detailed statistical analysis to be done of every area of government, so we can see where the successes and the failures of this government are in relationship to the Affirmative Action Policy. We need the statistical dissection or make-up of the government and also the boards and agencies run by the various regions whose success rates are nothing to write home about. The impact of that has great impact on our overall statistics. I am not content to accept blanket statements that our present Affirmative Action Policy is only 34 percent successful without detailed analysis to back this up.

My information attributes a higher rate in certain areas. If those areas are under-represented, let us find out why. Is it because of a lack of availability of qualified people? In the course of trying to correct our problems, let us not chastise or unfairly treat our employees that serve us so well, whose only short-coming is they were non-aboriginal or long-time northerners. When we are doing analysis, it would also be beneficial for the government to address how this policy was originally crafted by our political predecessor. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In researching the original development of the Affirmative Action Policy, some questions were raised that the draft policy would exceed what the Human Rights Commission would approve. The question needs to be looked at. How did the Department of Justice and the government of the day address concerns that this policy not exceed what the Human Rights Act would normally allow in under-represented programs in specially employment areas?

Let me tell you how I feel about this whole issue. I am supportive of ensuring the makeup of this government and its civil service is reflective of its population. I truly believe there are inequities to be solved. But is the Affirmative Action Policy the answer to solve that inequity? I do not know because I have nothing to go on, no convincing detail data. There are defenders of this policy and there are detractors. The other day, Mr. Henry stated that he wanted this policy eliminated. Let us stop right now and get the government to address this issue. Have them do the research and bring forward the data. I am all for a revised approach that gets rid of the mistrust and suspicion this policy seems to create. In our jurisdiction, we are in an unique situation. We are one of four minority groups. The aboriginal people are in fact the majority of our population. While the original inhabitants of the north are the majority, they remain seriously under-represented in commerce, business and government. There is no good reason why they should remain economically and financially deprived in the north.

We have an opportunity to get the economic situations of the aboriginal peoples correct and not on welfare. The affirmative action policy needs full review and analysis. All of the stakeholders affected by that government policy need an opportunity to revisit the policy and honestly reassess its true intents. The Human Rights Act and employment equity legislation was served as our base to revamp our approach here in the north. In the north, we can do what the rest of the world could not do. We could ensure the aboriginal people become fully educated and masters of their social and cultural change processes and wealthy by all measures of their traditional and Canadian ways of life. We need to do this in a fair and equitable way to all our northern citizens. I urge all concerned Members of this House to join me in a concerted effort to become a model of true success where one jurisdiction got the health and well-being of all its people right. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to make some brief comments on the issue of division. As we see the end of the road coming with this particular budget process within the next week, it is time to turn our attention very quickly to division. We have been told and learnt in the last year and a half that we are behind schedule on the biggest initiative that is going to face this government. Mr. Speaker, we have to move ahead with the administrative plans to split the headquarters as it now exists, delineate the staff that are going to be required in the east and start putting all of those pieces in place so that people know very clearly without any more fear and uncertainty as to the direction that is going to be taken by this government and the impact that it is going to have on the people affected.

Mr. Speaker, we have an obligation as a government to do this. We have to work with our partners, the federal government, NTI and the western coalition on formula financing. As a government, from an administrative point of view, we have an obligation to start to put the pieces in place, so that come April 1, 1999, both territories can start functioning. To avoid a huge snafu where people are scrambling around, nobody knowing where the light switch is in the building to write cheques and any number of possible nightmare scenarios that can be painted. We have an obligation as a Legislature to move now and more quickly on that particular function because the administrative side is going to be critical in the first few days of each new territory after April 1, 1999. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a pleasure today to recognize the mayor of Hay River, His Worship Jack Rowe in the gallery.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize the Grand Chief for the Dene Nation, Mr. Billy Erasmus.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize my wife, a fine mother and an even better grandmother and the longest serving community librarian in the north, Jeri Miltenberger.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to introduce a former co-worker and vice-president of the Union of Northern Workers, Josie Gould.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday during committee of the whole I raised questions in the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. While going through that budget, I had come across information in respect to the wildlife committee and organizations and funding cuts. I would like to know with the motion put forward by Mr. Steen and passed by the committee of the whole, if the Minister would look at this area and reconsider some of the reductions that are happening to wildlife organizations. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I want to ensure the Members of the Legislature that motions that are made are taken very seriously. The motion recommends re-instating funding to

wildlife committees at the community level to the levels they were at in previous years. As all motions made by the Legislature, they will be taken to be considered collectively with the Minister of Finance. We will be responding once we have had time to review these and see if there is any way possible to respond positively to them. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is encouraging to hear that it will be taken seriously. I believe those organizations in the community benefit the people who need it the most, who are trying to be productive and help put food on their tables. I had raised a question yesterday in committee of the whole. If the Minister has the information available today with him. I know from my experience on the Inuit Hunters and Trappers Committee, there was a contribution agreement signed for five years. Is that agreement still in place?

Mr. Speaker, I got home about 10 o'clock last night, but I do want to assure the Member I am taking this motion seriously. I actually took it home with me. Once there is some time to look at it with my colleagues and my department, I will be doing that. The specific information required, such as the contribution agreements made at the community level, will be reviewed as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of RWED. It is in relation to my opening statement regarding comments made by an individual on CBC North last night in relation to traditional knowledge and also the effects those comments may have had on how other aboriginal people and communities have taken it. Are those comments endorsed by this government? This government is presently in the process of self-government talks with aboriginal organizations to bring them into the household of recognizing them through this government, through comments by the Premier, in regards to recognizing band councils and Metis locals and also Inuvialuit organizations. Are these comments in any way, shape or form being endorsed by this government?

Mr. Speaker, there was an allegation made earlier in the year in a publication that this government was promoting religious beliefs through the imposition of this policy and that is categorically rejected by myself and the government. The policy says that any programs and services we deliver should recognize the spiritual values and beliefs that are held by the aboriginal people. We hold that to be a valid and legitimate position to advance. We do not ask anyone to take on a belief they do not hold, just to respect that people have values and spiritual beliefs that must be recognized and taken into account when we advance our own work and develop our own policies when we develop our own programs and services. That is the position we take. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is there any way this government could possibly make a public statement in regards to those statements which may have offended any aboriginal organizations or aboriginal people?

Mr. Speaker, there is an individual that has taken liberty to have statements printed espousing their own views on the policy they allege we are imposing on them. I do not think there is any validity to the statements and I am not concerned myself to respond. I think there is both academic and scientific merit to giving recognition in respect to traditional knowledge. It is supported by scientists and academics alike that there is value in traditional knowledge and that respect must be given to those and that the cultural context in which spiritual and cultural values are held must be taken into account when we deliver programs and services. That is the view we take. We reject any notion that values have no place in the scientific community. Even on environmental assessment programs, scientific evidence as well as the values of the people involved are requested and are demanded to be taken into account. This is the way that we operate at this time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will there be any reprimand for the individual for going public and making her views known and slandering an aboriginal view of a cultural group which consists of over 50 percent of our population. Will anything be done to reprimand that individual?

Mr. Speaker, the views printed by the individual or individuals will be dealt with by the academic and scientific community in the appropriate manner and they will be, as you would say, dispatched in a very appropriate way. That will be done by their alleged colleagues. Whether or not that particular employee acted in an appropriate way is not one that I wish to comment on. I leave these types of management issues to the deputy minister of the department, who is responsible for dealing with employees according to our policies and practices. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In regards to the overall question about traditional knowledge and the exact cost of compiling that information versus scientific knowledge, I would like to ask the Minister if he would consider ensuring there is adequate funding and resources for traditional knowledge research to be compiled by aboriginal organizations or cultural organizations? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have contracted a consultant who is working with my office to provide me with some advice on how I can act in a way that is consistent with the position we have taken, which is that traditional knowledge is and should be an integral part of the way this government provides programs and services in a wide range of areas. I will be actively encouraging the development of an approach that will further enhance the use of traditional knowledge and the recognition of it by this government through the way we deal with employees with programs and services and the way that decisions are made by government right across the departments. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe that Mr. Arlooktoo indicated in his answer to Mr. O'Brien that he had been investigating the possibility of participating in the conference through a video link-up. I am

advised at this time, we have not yet managed to confirm that a video link-up will be available. If it is, I can assure the Members they will be advised and given every opportunity to participate as that develops. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we will have the people who are involved in the college and adult educators in the region attending the conference. Mr. Mark Cleveland, the assistant deputy minister for Culture and Careers, had intended to attend the conference but yesterday received notification that the federal Department of Human Resources Development wished to continue some negotiations that we have ongoing with them and he will have to travel to Edmonton on Monday, so cannot attend. I do know that we see this as an important conference. The department has been, as Mr. Arlooktoo said, fairly extensively involved in the committee organizing the conference and I can say with some certainty that there will be a large presence from Education, Culture and Employment and the college at the conference next week. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister for RWED regarding the agreement signed with BHP. This is the biggest project to come down the pipe for the Northwest Territories for a long time and we have signed an agreement that covers a wide range of areas. Could the Minister indicate the kind of monitoring mechanism that we are going to have to keep a handle on the wide range of issues that have been addressed under that agreement? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are a number of agreements that were signed, namely the environmental agreement and the socio-economic agreement. As far as the environmental agreement is concerned, there is a mechanism that is laid out in the agreement, namely the establishment and setting up of a monitoring agency. I understand the parties have been working to set that up and it is targeted to be set up by the 7th of April. The agreement and the stakeholders are working well. We are on target as far as that particular agreement is concerned. As far as the socio-economic agreement is concerned regarding contracts and employment commitments, the deputy minister for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development is the person designated to be responsible for overseeing that the agreement and the commitments made in it are met. We have internal discussions right now on whether there is a more appropriate mechanism required to ensure there is compliance and that the commitments are met in a timely way and we have some effective way to monitor that. That is currently where we are. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Could the Minister indicate a possible timeframe regarding the monitoring of the socio-economic agreement and the possible new mechanism that might be put in place? I agree that the deputy minister is far too busy to be able to single-handedly, effectively monitor and some other alternate mechanism is going to be required. Could the Minister indicate a possible timeframe for that? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Once the session is over and the officials within the respective departments have some time to dedicate to other ongoing work in a timely way, I would be able to indicate to Members in the next couple of weeks what type of timeframe we have and whether we do require a specific mechanism within the government to ensure that we meet the commitments made within the socio-economic agreement in an effective way. For instance, the Department of Health and Social Services, Education, Culture and Employment, as well as my department, are some of the departments that have responsibilities laid out in the socio-economic agreement. Right now, there is a working group that are detailing exactly what those commitments are, plus trying to establish exactly how we can meet those commitments. Having said that, it will be senior managers, deputy ministers, that will need to meet in order to advise myself as the lead Minister and the respective Ministers within the involved departments whether there is a better way to meet those commitments within the agreement; what better way might be recommended by them. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This particular initiative has a possible 30-year life and there are other mega-projects and mining projects of a similar nature looming on the horizon. It is going to be critical as a government that we have a mechanism beyond one person to be able to monitor that something as significant as that has an influence on all areas. Would the Minister bring forward the plan when it is agreed to, so we could see the kind of structure that is going to be there to monitor the training, the economic benefits and the social impacts, given the magnitude of this project and the kind of fundamental planning that has to be done. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is true that these are incredibly significant achievements that we have made. Commitments that are made by this government, by other stakeholders, have the potential to bring significant benefits to the people of the north, to the businesses and the communities that we have up here. As a Minister and as a government, we have an obligation to ensure we look at every way possible to maximize the opportunities before us and to ensure that the commitments that are made by the stakeholders are lived up to. We have an obligation to make sure members of the public and Members of the Legislature have some measurable way, some way that is provided to them, that gives them the assurance that, as a government, we are doing everything we can to maximize the opportunities and to make sure the commitments made are lived up to in the full sense. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this government has boldly embraced the Internet. We have signed a multi-billion dollar contract to provide the backbone for the electronic highway in all territorial communities. I know the Internet is a very valuable source of information. It has changed many of the ways that we do business. I agree that it would be nice for every NWT community to have access to the net but, in our rush to be part of the technological revolution, I want to make sure we have thought of all the impacts. I have an area of concern that I want to raise today.

Mr. Speaker, my concern is the impact that this electronic backbone is going to have on existing service providers. As we try to provide services where there are none through this huge contract, I am not sure the government has thought about those who already provide this service in some communities. These business people have made significant investments to give people access to the electronic highway. Will they be able to compete with government-supported big business? In November, one of my colleagues asked about the impact of the digital communication network on the existing service providers in some of the communities. The Minister was unable to give a clear indication of what was happening at that time. Can the Minister tell this House what arrangements have been made to ensure existing service providers are not negatively affected as a result of the GNWTs' contract for the electronic backbone? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.