Thank you, Mr. Rabesca. Good afternoon. I would like at this time to thank the Member for Natilikmiot, Mr. Ningark, for taking my place yesterday as I attended the funeral in Kakisa. His work has been very much appreciated.

--Applause

Speaker's Ruling

Before we proceed with the orders today, I would like to provide a ruling concerning the tabling of unsigned documents in the House. The chair has the responsibility to ensure compliance with the rules, practices and procedures as established by this, and previous Legislative Assemblies. As Speaker I have to ensure that items such as tabling of documents and petitions adhere to the rules and practices. In carrying out that responsibility Members will recall, yesterday the honourable Member from Hay River tabled a note that was passed to her in the House. This note was unsigned and undated.

Although this matter was not raised as a point of order at the time of tabling, the issue of the tabling of unsigned documents is one of concern to the Chair because it raises fundamental issues with respect to the verification and authentication of facts that may be contained therein. Members may be interested to note that this issue has been the subject of some debate in this House in the past.

With respect to this, I refer Members back to my ruling of March 27, 1995, in the term of the 12th Assembly concerning the tabling of an unsigned letter by the then, honourable Member from Thebacha. That ruling reviewed the rules and precedents concerning this matter and clearly established the requirements and limitations as to the content for petitions and tabled documents in our House. I quote from page 612 of the March 27, 1995 Hansard:

It is my ruling that it is not an acceptable practice to table unsigned letters in this House, so therefore, all letters tabled, whether it be by the government or by Ordinary Members, will have to be forthwith directed from a specific individual or organization, dated and signed.

This ruling was clear and concise with respect to this issue.

It is my ruling that the document tabled yesterday by the honourable Member from Hay River does not meet the requirement to be from a specific individual or organization, dated and signed. Therefore the document is ruled not to be in an acceptable format for tabling and should not have been tabled in this House. I have instructed the Clerk to remove this item from the tabled document list and to amend Hansard to reflect this change. Thank you.

Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Morin.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Stephen Kakfwi will be absent from the House for the remainder of the week to attend the Canadian Council Ministers of the Environment Meeting in St. John's, Newfoundland. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a status report on health and social services in the Keewatin region.

In September, 1997, the Department of Health and Social Services conducted a review of changes proposed by the Keewatin Regional Health Board. This review was initiated in response to concerns from Members of this House and the public.

From last October until two weeks ago, the Department of Health and Social Services worked at arm's length with the staff of the Keewatin Regional Health Board to help the board staff implement recommendations of the September review.

Two weeks ago, as Members are aware, the board chair and the chief executive officer resigned. Mr. Percy Kabloona, who was serving the board as deputy chair, was immediately appointed acting chair. Mr. Kabloona promptly consulted with all of the board trustees. Following their consultation, the board requested support from the department to bring stability to board operations until such time as a permanent chair and CEO are in place.

Mr. Speaker, we are currently providing help in key areas to the existing board trustees and their staff in order to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of health and social services and thereby regain credibility with Keewatin residents.

The department is providing the following assistance to the board.

- Since January 19, a senior department official has been acting as CEO;

- Last week, our assistant deputy minister was in Rankin Inlet dealing with management and service delivery board staff about staffing issues in general and specifically about how to re-establish the full staff complement;

- The department's manager of human resources travelled to Rankin Inlet with our deputy minister in the middle of January to deal with staffing issues and to assist in establishing an effective action plan to recruit and retain professional and support staff for the Keewatin Regional Health Board;

- This week the department has sent several additional people over to Rankin Inlet to work with the board; for example,

- Staff from our financial and management services division are conducting some financial diagnostic analyses aimed at establishing a viable financial management plan;

- The department's nursing consultant travelled to Rankin Inlet this week to talk about professional practise and recruitment strategies;

- Staff are available in Rankin Inlet to assist in rationalizing contract administration for the Keewatin board;

- Finally, we have provided staff to ensure that administrative support systems for the board are working efficiently and effectively.

Mr. Speaker, the acting CEO and Mr. Kabloona have conducted a series of conference calls to the communities who fall within the purview of the Keewatin board. These calls focused on the primary health and social concerns of these communities.

Further, the acting CEO and chair are planning visits to communities to assess the status of health and social service delivery and to address concerns the communities have identified.

The action plan will include:

- First, re-establishing front-line staffing levels, particularly for social workers and nurses.

- Second, stabilizing general practitioner services for the region. As I speak, arrangements for discussions with the Northern Medical Unit are being finalized. These discussions will focus on

- the needs of Keewatin residents; and

- determining how the NMU could assist in this area.

- Third, reviewing and supporting administrative processes.

- Finally, recruiting a permanent CEO for the board.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to add that the interim CEO and board chair will work with a joint committee at the staff level with representatives from KIA and each hamlet to ensure that ongoing concerns are being addressed.

Further, for the time being the Department of Health and Social Services will take the lead in managing the Rankin Inlet and Arviat capital projects. I believe that it is critical that KRHB staff remains focused on ongoing community programs and services over the next several months.

Mr. Speaker, some of the most critical issues that the KRHB currently faces are shared with other boards. These include such issues as recruitment and retention of health and social service professionals, physicians, nurses and social workers. As I mentioned earlier this week, I will table a plan to deal with recruitment and retention across the territories by late February.

As Minister of Health and Social Services, I have the responsibility to ensure that adequate health and social services are provided to all residents of the Northwest Territories.

I have full confidence that the measures laid out today, once implemented in partnership with the board, hamlet council representatives, and the Keewatin Inuit Association will fully restore the stability, credibility and confidence needed to sustain the health and social service system in the Keewatin region. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ng. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to day to speak about federal assistance to assist the territories, particularly the western NWT, which as we know is hurting with layoffs and mine closures and so on. Last Thursday, I spoke about this a bit. I am not talking about asking the federal government to set a precedent as they provide assistance all the time, and also the Member for Yellowknife Centre touched on it yesterday and actually gave the act under which this is done. Under the act, the federal government has provided hundreds of millions of dollars to the fishing industries on the east and west coast, to farmers on the prairies when there is drought, the floods in Manitoba and to help people when they had ice storms in Quebec and Ontario. We need similar relief for the miners who have lost their jobs and also for the mines to ensure that no more mines close. Of course, this will only be until the gold prices go up. Similarly, in the diamond industry, we need federal assistance. We know that 80 percent of the money spent on diamonds is spent after the diamonds are mined. I am talking about a secondary industry, like we want to establish here.

Mr. Speaker, I am talking about detailed sorting for market, cutting and polishing diamonds. We know that people will come here if there is a proper setting. The mines have also said that they will do more here if we can demonstrate that it makes economic sense. Of course, we are not only talking about taking federal money because the GNWT could and should help here too. For instance, we could train people and help move them to jobs, if we have to. Also, aboriginal claimant groups have claims money which they now invest mostly in the south because there is no investment opportunities here, but they do want to invest in the north. They just need the opportunities. For example, an aboriginal consortium of three aboriginal groups want to put up a sorting facility, and they would invest in other parts of the industry as well. Mr. Speaker, what I am talking about fits both sides of the federal Minister's portfolio because the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs is responsible for both aboriginal people and the north. Federal assistance would help aboriginal people realize their potential and would help us end the days of the north going cap-in-hand to the federal government for most of our money. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member for Yellowknife North is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Erasmus, you have unanimous consent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said federal assistance could help the aboriginal people to realize their potential and also help the north end its days of going cap-in-hand to the federal government for most of our money. In fact, it is possible that we may not need any federal money if things are done properly, particularly, if they transfer royalties and the responsibility for land and mining to the north. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause.

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

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

Qujannamiik (Translation) Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my appreciation and to recognize the teacher of Ataguttaaluk School in Igloolik who teach the little ones from kindergarten to grades one to six. There are 254 students, starting from kindergarten classes in the morning and again separately in the afternoon. These teachers work very hard including some of the instructors who are not fully qualified as teachers but do work in their capacity as teachers' aides. There are three classroom assistants as well. They also have three Inuktitut language instructors who teach full-time in the lower grades and as separate subjects by grade six. I will name these teachers, Mary Kunuk, Eunice Uyarak, Susan Tulugardjuk, Mary Ungalaq, Amilia Angiler, Kanguk Akitter, Louise Uyarak, Yvone Kayutak, Pat Qulaut, Joana Quassa and Jeela Padlug. Mr. Speaker, these very special teachers are Inuit and are all women. I would ask the Minister of Education to make arrangements to present a token of recognition for these women. I suggest that this be done by way of a certificate of appreciation for my constituents. I will ask the Minister for his response at the appropriate time. Thank you. (Translation ends)

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have spoken in this House many times about accountable, transparency and public money spent for the public good. Sometimes when you ask questions in this form, a nerve or two will be hit, yet every Member has the right to ask questions. That is the fundamental aspect of our parliamentary system. I have listened with great interest with questions raised and statements made about the pay equity issue. It would seem that almost a revisionist history of events has taken place. Firstly, pay equity is the question, simply, of equal pay for work of equal value as stated by Mr. Todd. It is nothing more or less. The GNWT was asked almost ten years ago now, to make good on this principle. However, that

Legislative Assembly and subsequent Assemblies including this one argued it in the courts. We continued to appeal until finally last year we were forced by the last court decision to sit down with the UNW and negotiate a settlement. Increasingly in this House we have heard that the hoped negotiated settlement will be affordable and consistent with our availability to pay the outstanding amount owed.

Mr. Speaker, the majority of staff and employees who are affected by this case are administration and clerical positions. Because of the GNWT's precarious financial situation the Finance Minister has been guarding his comments, like yesterday on this fact. Mr. Speaker, in a consensus type of government where the boundaries between Cabinet and the Ordinary Members are not well defined sometimes it is difficult to be critical without the feeling of being personal. I find that everyday, Mr. Speaker, but questions must be asked; questions must be raised and questions must be spoken or the government would be a sham. I did not come here to rubber stamp policies or proposals, nor do I support the government's line on pay equity. Hopefully, our government will not try in negotiations to hold the hammer of pay equity, and its cost with the wage and benefits negotiations with our employees. I do not know how much we have to pay. All I know is we have to pay the pay equity bill, that has dragged on for almost ten years. At the end of the day with the lack of available information, we can only hope that both sides, Mr. Speaker, both sides will do the right thing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, the community of Kakisa put to rest a very loving and respected elder, Johnny Providence. Johnny Providence, who was also known as Uncle Ben, was born on February 22, 1916, in Meander River, Alberta, and passed away on January 21, 1998 in Edmonton. Johnny was the husband of Monique Simba Providence and the father of Andrew Providence. Many people from all over the north and some from Alberta came to Kakisa yesterday to pay their last respects to this kind and wise man. I understand that the hall where the service was held was filled to capacity. The hallways were also filled and some people had to stand outside as they came to say a final farewell to Johnny Providence. Mr. Speaker, the people of Kakisa should be commended for their efforts on this day and their help with the many people who travelled to this traditional community. A special thanks to Father Joseph Daley, who travelled from Fort Simpson, to conduct the service. We send our deepest and sincerest sympathies to Monique and Andrew Providence and to the people of Kakisa for the loss they have suffered. Mr. Speaker, Johnny was 81 years old at the time that he passed away. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Qujannamiik (Translation) Thank you, I will be speaking in Inuktitut. Mr. Speaker, after the meetings with federal Minister, Jane Stewart, at Iqaluit last month, several topics were discussed. As most Members of this House and the Nunavut public know, the federal government has to bring amendments to the Nunavut Act to the House of Commons in Ottawa. Mr. Speaker, there have been some concerns with the amendments and the reaction of federal MPs. By being proactive we could meet with them to discuss these issues and help with the passage of the amendments in the Commons and Senate. Some constituents and Nunavut residents have asked me about this, and I have discussed it with other Members and other Nunavut Caucus Members. All three parties want Nunavut to be a success and be discussed at the federal level in a positive light. Proactive lobbying could help take this place. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation ends)

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

Thank you. Members' statements. Mrs. Thompson.