... legitimate question here. I am not trying to cause adversary to the Premier. I am not trying to find boogey men or create a crisis or anything like that.

-- Laughter

So, my question, Mr. Speaker, to the Premier, if I want to ask a question on the privatization of POL or any privatization initiative of this government here with I have to address one Minister. Is that correct? And that Minister is the Minister of privatization.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just on process. Prior to us starting any privatization initiatives on other things than what is on the books right now, POL and computers; we would be going forward with that plan to the committee and the responsible Minister would be taking it there. For now the privatization of POL is in Mr. Kakfwi's hands. So, he will do the work on that issue. Thank you.

Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the privatization initiative is now under the portfolio of Mr. Kakfwi, but the Department of Public Works and POL is under the ministership of Mr. Arlooktoo. That is the Department of DPW which is the Infrastructure Committee. So does that mean the Infrastructure Committee will meet with the Renewal Resource Committee when we talk about the privatization of POL or does it mean that Mr. Kakfwi will now come to the Infrastructure Committee and give us an overview of the privatization of POL? That is what I am trying to get at. Where does it go from here?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Both Ministers can appear in front of any committee if the committee chooses to ask them to appear. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Steen. Oral questions. Mr. Henry.

Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Environmental spills, it would depend on who did the environmental spill and in which community and how it happened. Whether it is our buildings, or somebody else, I would not really be able to give this good question a just answer unless it was specific. So, it would depend on who did the spill, that is ultimately who would be responsible. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. I again remind the Members that the Premier is entitled to take any question he wishes to respond to. Oral questions. Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I apologize. I did say the Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, but whoever wishes to answer, that is fine, Mr. Speaker. Do communities understand that if there was something spilled prior to them taking over the asset, it will be the GNWT that is responsible for any cleanup?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Minister for MACA stated earlier today that is presently part of the negotiations and discussions at the community level of how environmental issues will be handled. For example, if a community took over a school and the school had old fuel tanks there, all those things have to be assessed. They have to be assessed anyhow, according to the laws of the federal government now. So, we would have to do that to make sure they are environmentally intact and there was no environmental contamination. That would be the same as privatization, for example, of POL tanks. If there was anything there, then we would have to take care of it and make sure we have all the checks and balances in place prior to the official turnover to the other party.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, is the Minister telling me assets that already have been transferred to communities, but there has been no decision made who is responsible for prior spills or future environmental damage. The assets that have already been transferred. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Presently, the department is working with the communities on community transfer initiatives as well as transfer of capital buildings over

to the communities and the question that the Member raises is one of the concerns that have to be addressed and we are discussing that with the communities, and hopefully we will come to a successful conclusion. Thank you.

Oral questions. Final supplementary.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, for greater clarity there has been assets transferred to the communities but nobody has decided yet who is responsible for any environmental cleanup. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have a responsibility of the government to negotiate with the communities and to facilitate with the communities community empowerment. One of those issues that has to be addressed through community empowerment is when we turn buildings over, and when we turn buildings over we have to make sure, the same as we made sure from the federal government when buildings were turned over to this government from the federal government. We made sure as part of those negotiations, for example, in health centres and renewable resource bases, things of that nature, we made sure that we had protection to protect this government from any environmental cleanup that happened in the past so that we would not take on a liability of an environmental nature.

For example, if a fuel tank was there, it would cost a lot of money to take that fuel tank out of the ground, take all that dirt out of the ground and dispose of it and put a new one back in. So we had to make sure as a territorial government that we protected our interest and in no way are we going to go into a community and set a community up for failure. So we will make sure that by facilitating, not negotiating, by facilitating with the communities, talking, having an open degree of discussion with them on environmental issues, because there are environmental issues. For example, even uranium coming out of Great Bear Lake, many, many years ago. There is environmental contaminated soils on the shores of Great Slave Lake and that land possibly belongs to the Government of the Northwest Territories. So prior to turning it over, we would have to make sure ...

-- Laughter

to make absolutely sure. Mr. Speaker, it is very tough to continue to talk with ...

-- Laughter