Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My understanding is there have been two meetings, I believe, one or two meetings with the Internet providers at the community level in an effort to try to find some integration of their services with this larger territorial-wide integrated digital communication system. In talking to Mr. Voytilla the other day, I understand there is another meeting coming forward in the coming weeks. Hopefully, at that time we will be able to bring some finality to this issue and try to address some of the concerns the smaller community-based operators are concerned about. Thank you.

Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Todd.

I am not in a position to say that. All I know is, the position of this government is to put in a territorial-wide integrated digital communication system that is going to provide things like distance health, distance education and the state of the art communication system to each of those communities. I cannot say today whether they will compete or not. What I will say is, there is a determined effort made by my department and by the Ardicom group to find some room and some integration for the local based Internet providers. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Henry.

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well I think it is important, given the current environment within Yellowknife, which has been hardest hit as we all know not only with cuts from this government, but in terms of the current gold crisis, that when we make comments about who is leaving and who is not leaving, that we do it with a certain amount of care. The numbers quoted yesterday by Mr. Ootes perhaps, I suspect, were taken from our transition plan which has not been accepted to this date by the federal government or the Interim Commissioners' office.

We are currently analyzing the Interim Commissioner's office plan as we speak. This discussion is going on today. One, of course, of the key issues is the impact on jobs and when and how the jobs are going to be moved out of Yellowknife. As much as possible, once we come to a consensus as to what is going to be the staged development of the transfer of responsibilities, once we come to that agreement, we are going to sit down with the staff and work out with them, where is possible, the impact of the reductions to try to accommodate some of that through attrition, try to streamline some of the people who were already here who may not want to move to the new jobs into vacant existing jobs if they are here in Yellowknife.

So, there will be a series of things done in a caring and compassionate way but we are not in a position today to say this amount of jobs are going to go at this date because we have not come to a consensus yet on the staged fronts of responsibilities from this government to the new government. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. From what the Minister pointed out, is it fair to assume that probably some government or some agency will have to provide administrative services to the Nunavut Government. He has indicated he does not know the number of people who will be transferred over. Is it safe to assume that a smaller amount of people would transfer to Nunavut in the next year that had previously been planned? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Todd.

Well, as I said, I am not trying to be evasive. I am just trying to be as accurate as I can. Again, I want to go back. To make statements about x amount of jobs that are going to go I think is inaccurate. We do not know at this stage of the game what the final conclusion will be as to the transition plan that all parties can agree to. We are still working as fast as we can on that. In some ways I wish we had it. We tabled a transition plan in October of 1997. I have not had a single response from any of the departments from any of the other parties. To say I am disappointed is the understatement of the year.

What we are now doing is analyzing the Interim Commissioner's report. We have got to reach consensus with all parties with what we think we can do over the next twelve months and what the jobs that will be necessary, the new jobs that will be necessary that were from Yellowknife over to the eastern Arctic. There will be some. There is no doubt about that. There will be, in my opinion for what it is worth, no sort of massive transfer of staff on April 1, 1999.

I am prepared, once we have concluded an agreement by the parties as to what is going to happen, who is going to go and when, to not only provide that to all Members of the House, we have the responsibility and an obligation to provide that to our staff. We are going to work with the staff to try to accommodate, where possible, the needs of those who do not wish to transfer to Nunavut with their jobs, through attrition and through other jobs and vacancies that may occur here in Yellowknife and elsewhere. There will be a considered effort to minimize the disruption to our staff. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services and it relates to the Minister's statement regarding the status report on the situation in the Keewatin.

The Minister indicated that he would have a plan available so that he could table it in this House by the end of the February for the retention, recruitment of doctors, nurses and medical staff. My question to the Minister is, will the Minister commit to have this plan tabled in the House prior to the closing of this session, so that Members will have the opportunity to review and discuss it in the House?

The reason I bring this up, Mr. Speaker, is that it is possible that this House may close prior to the end of February. I would not want to see the report go on the floor the last day of the session. Thank you.

The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, I made the commitment to try to have it tabled before the end of February. I will try my best. As soon as it is ready for debate and discussion, and approved by my Cabinet colleagues, I will table it. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister speaks of the possible long-term arrangements and the study that would take place to see what our needs are. Can the Minister tell me what plans or what arrangements have been made for the immediate situation regarding health care in the Keewatin as it relates to the lack of doctors and nurses and so on?

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in respect to the immediate situation, it is my understanding that there are sufficient health care professionals and access to physician services and specialist services that would be available to service the people in the Keewatin. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Picco.