Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good afternoon. The key issue that we are striving for here is to make sure the board trustees are closely linked to the communities they represent so when there is discussion around key decisions that are being made at a board table, there be an opportunity for board trustees to take a lot of the information and discussion back to communities. The Minister has taken several steps to ensure in fact now communities and political organizations signal their wish in terms of the trustees they want to have on the boards of management. I think the latter part of it is as much some growing awareness on the boards' part that if they need to make key shifts in policy they have to work as hard as people elected or working at a territorial level to make sure they effectively work with and discuss with residents of communities, the implications and effects of changes that are being proposed.

Thank you. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you. Through the honourable Minister, I would like to recognize Mr. David Ramsden.

Mr. Chairman, with respect to the changes in staff that the Member is referring to, there was advice given to the board trustees on how they needed to change the staffing because the scope of the mental health pilot project in the Inuvik region had changed.

Over the previous years there have been three key contributors to that project. One of the key players could not maintain their financial support for the pilot project for this fiscal year. So the board had to make some decisions on how to reduce the overall staffing complement. The specialists gave advice to the trustees in that case in terms of supporting the staffing changes. This was not done purely at a staff or a specialist level. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Krutko.

Shame, shame.

Thank you. Mr. Ramsden.

The situation in this case here was simply there are dollar pressures around what could be afforded. The kind of implications in terms of which communities need to be impacted are taken, I am sure, seriously by the board. They attempt to measure the relative impact. What we know is the board was unable to secure funding from all of the partners that were part of that pilot project and they had to make some choice around how they cope with the reduced funding. The board of management consists of representatives from the key political groups that are based in communities as well as the two major communities in that region. It has certainly been the Ministers' view that that group is capable of measuring both the community impact as well as engaging the community in discussions before key decisions like that are made.

Thank you. I have Mr. Krutko and Mr. Ootes. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you. I also have Mr. O'Brien on the list. I have Mr. Krutko, then Mr. O'Brien. Mr. Ramsden.

Mr. Chairman, the board is given the authority to try to balance a number of decisions in terms of which resources can be supported or work in each individual community and which resources need to be shared by all the communities in the region. It is our view in this case that they made the best decision that they had given the range of options that were open to them. Thank you.

Thank you. I will now recognize Mr. Ootes.

Thank you. There is a motion on the floor to report progress and the motion is not debatable. All those in favour of the motion, please signify. Down. Thank you. Opposed? The motion is carried. I will rise and report progress to the Speaker. I would like to thank the witnesses.

The House will come back to order. We are on Item 20, report of committee of the whole. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 17 and Bill 18 and would like to report that Bill 17 is ready for third reading. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the committee of the whole be concurred with.

Thank you. Seconded by Mr. Roland. The motion is in order. To the motion. Question is being called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried. Item 21, third reading of bills. Mr. Clerk, orders of the day.

Mr. Speaker, meeting of the Caucus at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, of the Ordinary Member's Caucus at 11:00 a.m., and of the Western Caucus at 12 noon.

Orders of the day for Tuesday, June 3, 1997:

1. Prayer

2. Ministers' Statements

3. Members' Statements

4. Returns to Oral Questions

5. Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

6. Oral Questions

7. Written Questions

8. Returns to Written Questions

9. Replies to Opening Address

10. Petitions

11. Reports of Standing and Special Committees

12. Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills

13. Tabling of Documents

14. Notices of Motion

15. Notices of Motions for First Reading of Bills

16. Motions

17. First Reading of Bills

18. Second Reading of Bills

19. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

- Ministers Statement 77-13(4), The Northern Employment Strategy

- Committee Report 7-13(4), Report of the Working Group on Affirmative Action and Human Resource Management

- Bill 16, An Act to Amend the NWT Housing Corporation Act

- Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Territorial Hospital Insurance Services Act, No. 2

20. Report of Committee of the Whole

21. Third Reading of Bills

- Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Territorial Hospital Insurance Services Act

22. Orders of the Day

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. This House stands adjourned until Tuesday, June 3, 1997 at 1:30 p.m.

-- ADJOURNMENT