Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister be contacting someone from our legal department to find out, indeed, if these appointments conform to the conflict guidelines of this government?

Thank you. I have to remind myself and the Members there is translation and we have to pause momentarily at the end of the questions and answers. Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are looking into that now. Thank you.

Thank you. Second supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I find it a bit strange that this fund has been set up now for about two years, which I do support, and that, indeed, no one has brought this matter forward before the legal department when this fund was set up. They were not notified that, indeed, they may be in conflict with our conflict guidelines. So I wonder if the Premier when this fund was set up and he authorized the Ministers who sit on this fund if, indeed, he had looked at the legal implications or did he get a legal opinion back from the lawyers at that time? Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Other governments have Ministers sitting on their fund, and when the Aurora Fund was put together, we followed what other

governments were doing. It is a fund that is sanctioned by the federal government as well. No one raised the concern with us before. The Ministers themselves, one of the Ministers that was sitting on the fund raised the concern today with us because this is the time of the year to fill out our conflict regulations. So that is where it came to light. As soon as it comes to light, we look at the issue and as good government does, we will address the issue, and we will fix it if it needs fixing. Thank you.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Premier then commit to this House that over the next few days, when will he have his opinion so that he can actually come back and inform this House and the public at large that indeed we are conforming to our own conflict guidelines with this fund? Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As soon as we find out, then we will inform the House. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. I have the honourable Member for Hay River, Madam Groenewegen.

Thank you. Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We will identify all types of tenders for the Members. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. I have the honourable Member for Arviat, Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister responsible for the P3, Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd. The other day I asked a question in reference to the organizations or individuals that could get involved in considering investing in the P3 from the private sector. I am not quite sure if the Minister answered my question. Therefore, I will ask it again. How does one go about getting involved in the program? I know that there were bankers and business people here the other day that were invited. If there were other people who had the same interest, how would they go about that? Thank you.

Thank you. The proper title for Mr. Todd is Minister of Finance, not the P3. Mr. Todd.

I am not quite sure of the question, but I think I know what my honourable colleague is saying. Maybe I could do it this way. Maybe I could use a hypothetical situation to try answer the question. Let us assume that the government and the Minister responsible identify the Arviat Health Centre as a potential Public/Private Partnerships project. Let us assume that has happened. It would then go to some public request for proposal, proponents like the Arviat Development Corporation of the hamlet council or some of these good friends, Bob Leonard and Associates, who would then bid on the project based upon what the criteria was set for the project. They would bid on the project on the basis of their ability to finance it, on the basis of cost, et cetera. I would imagine they would talk to the banks or the Aurora Fund or the trust companies or whoever provides them with a long-term debt. Then the government would analyze the proposals. Let us say if we get two, hypothetically again from Arviat, look at the best but both of them meet the criteria set by the government, select the appropriate company or group of companies and we proceed with the project. That is how I see the process unfolding.

The bankers, and I will try again, were here, the vice-president of the banks that determine corporate policy, and they were here at my invitation to talk to me about whether they are interested in their banks as institutions looking at the Public/Private Partnerships, balancing the budgets, et cetera. I would imagine the local guys at the Yellowknife, Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet area would then deal with these projects. I hope that has provided some clarity. That is the way I see it unfolding. As I said to my colleague yesterday, it is certainly our intent, at the end of the day, once we complete this exercise, to bring full transparency and clarity to what is being selected, and it will be done in conjunction with the committees. Again, I will table, in the House the projects that are going to come under Public/Private Partnership proposals. I am confident that at the end of the day that the private sector, the partnership with the lending agencies, along with this government and, in some cases, aboriginal groups will be able to take up some of these opportunities that will now unfold and move into 1998. Thank you.

Thank you. Although the allotted time period is over for question period, I would allow the honourable Member to use up the supplementaries. Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is the Minister, therefore, saying that these projects will be done by something similar to an RFP as opposed to public tender?

Thank you, Mr. O'Brien. Mr. Todd.

Well, of course, I see an RFP as a form of public tender, and I think, in fairness to other questions that have been asked by honourable colleagues, I have been in fairly intense discussions with the NWT Construction Association in an effort to fully understand what the concerns are. I think we have it pretty clear as to what has to occur going RFP. Most of those things are left to go RFP because there has got to be some latitude there on the private sector's part, on the investment community's part, et cetera. We have to find a way to reassure not only this House but people like the NWT Construction Association that this has been done in a fair and constructive way, and I am confident that once we get the detail of the policies and regulations, we will be able to do that. Of course, you will have access to that and give us some advice on it. Thank you.