Oral questions. Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister responsible for DPW. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that the Keewatin region is without a Chief Electrical Inspector and it is causing some hardships for contractors in the region. When inspections cannot be done, they cannot progress with their work. I wonder if the Minister can tell us when we can expect this critical position to be filled. Thank you.

The Minister responsible for the Department of Public Works and Services, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will take the question as notice. It is a detail that I am not familiar with. I will get back to the Member as soon as I can. Thank you.

The question is taken as notice. Oral questions. Mr. Rabesca.

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Slave Geological road there, one of the projects in the highway strategy, we have undertaken some work, we have issued some projects. There are contracts out there to do a number of studies at this point in time, and we would like... some of them are to be finished by December and some will be. There are a number of studies that have been undertaken at this time. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again I would like to draw attention through you, Mr. Speaker, of the Minister of Justice, to the Natilikmiot Leaders Forum that was held not too long ago in Cambridge Bay. Many issues were brought up and one such issue was in relation to the gun control law. This is federal legislation. According to the people of the Natilikmiot region, Mr. Speaker, many of the Natilikmiot residents are not able to read Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun, nor English Mr. Speaker, In order for subjects of the jurisdiction to understand the law to follow it, they have to be informed. Many of the residents of the Natilikmiot region are not informed because they cannot read English, Inuktitut, or Inuinnaqtun.

My question for the honourable Minister of Justice, will he communicate with his counterpart, the federal Minister, the need to visit the communities in the Natilikmiot region with an RCMP officer, to explain all aspects of the gun control law, hopefully in Inuinnaqtun and Inuktitut where appropriate, to ensure, Mr. Speaker, that beneficiaries understand that this law will be in effect in Nunavut? Thank you.

The Minister of Justice, Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member knows, the issue was brought before the Alberta Court of Appeal and it was concluded there and is now in the process of being referenced to the Supreme Court. In the meantime, the National Firearms Act will come into effect on December 1. The Member is quite correct that the people of the Northwest Territories, including the people from his region, need to be aware of what is in the act and what they need do to comply with the act. As I had said before in this House, the administration of the act is a responsibility of the federal government and they are making their arrangements without our support or inclusion. I will pass on the message that the Member wants me to pass on to the federal government. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Krutko.

in Holman

The Minister of Justice, Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately I am not able to provide the Member immediately what is happening specifically to legal aid services for Holman Island, but, what I can say is that there is an effort on right now in the western Arctic to rationalize the services that are available to try to streamline and to equalize the services that are available throughout the western Arctic. One of the problems seems to be that there are different levels of service in different parts of the region for one reason or another, but what I can do is give the Member an update on what is happening, what will be happening to legal aid services for the community of Holman and provide it to the MLA for Holman also.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do not know if it will be possible for myself to personally go to Holman Island in the next couple of months, but what I can assure the Member is that we will in some way, whether through the Legal Services Board or through our field workers, communicate to the community what the services will be and to consult with them to make sure that they have some input on what kind of services will be available.

Oral questions. Mr. Steen.

The Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Kakfwi.