Thank you. Member's statements. Mr. Krutko

Members' statements. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are going through very difficult times here in the Legislative Assembly. I wanted to see this Conflict of Interest Report dealt with before I decided to consider the position of Premier. After much reflection, Mr. Speaker, and having consulted with my family, my constituents and other MLAs and my friends, I have made the very important decision to let my name stand for the position of Premier for the Northwest Territories. There is support and encouragement from you to seek this important position on our government. For that, I would like to say thank you.

Mr. Speaker, what qualification would I bring to the position of the Premier, you may ask. Experience, perhaps some loyalty, attentiveness, hard work, honour and integrity, Mr. Speaker. My working life in the Northwest Territories has afforded me the privilege and the opportunity to visit all regions and to meet with the broad range of citizens. I possess a firm grasp of issues and challenges facing all northerners, aboriginal and non-aboriginal. I have dedicated and resolved a requirement to tackle different challenges and to encourage positive results. With me, Mr. Speaker, what you see is what you get. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

The Member for Nahendeh seeks unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Antoine, you have unanimous consent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to continue where I left off, but I just want to say that with me, what you see is what get. I have no hidden agendas. I have respect for all points of views and resolve to get things done. Officials in our society today must have common objectives, Mr. Speaker. The chiefs, the Metis presidents, leaders of aboriginal organizations, mayors and respected councils, leaders of Inuit organizations, Interim Commissioner of Nunavut, Members of Legislative Assembly, and certainly, the Premier, must recognize the common objectives they share and dedicate their efforts to work together to achieve the desired results. I believe we must respect the fact that various political institutions in the north are involved in the wide variety of processes and initiatives.

However, we do share common goals. Working together in the spirit of cooperation and respect will ensure that the rest of Canada understands that we know where we want to go and are committed collectively to get there. The time remaining in our term of office here is relatively short, however, it is indeed a very important time for us in the Northwest Territories. I believe we must remain focused, grow through our mistakes, work together, encourage innovation and seize the tremendous opportunities which had been presented. No one can undermine our resolve to succeed if we work together, Mr. Speaker. By letting my name stand for Premier, I am saying that I know the challenges that lay ahead of us and I have made a commitment here to face any challenges along with everybody here in the Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Members' statements. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss an inquiry into the residential school abuses in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, there has been an outpouring of aboriginal people coming forward in recent years with claims of having been abused while in the care of residential schools in the NWT. The issue of abuse in residential schools is not isolated to the NWT, it is a widespread topic of concern throughout Canada and the United States. Several groups have recommended that a public inquiry be held into the abuse that took place in residential schools saying that a public inquiry would be beneficial for the victims and for the general public of the Northwest Territories. Some of those are the Sir Joseph Bernier Federal Day School, Turquetil Hall Investigation in 1994, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples in 1996, the NWT Native Women's Association, August, 1998, the Metis Nation of Northwest Territories, September, 1998, and the Law Commission of Canada, October, 1998.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT Public Inquiries Act allows the Commissioner to establish a public inquiry in to any matter of public concern. The Commissioner may appoint one or more persons to a board to carry out the inquiry and to report its findings to the Commissioner. The words of the RCAP final report and inquiry would enable aboriginal people to do what is necessary to stand in dignity, to voice their sorrow and anger and to be listened to with respect. Although a federal public inquiry has been called for, there is an important role for a public inquiry specific to the Northwest Territories. A national public inquiry could not be expected to devote sufficient time and attention to NWT issues. Its recommendations for action would not take into account the unique nature of the north and its people. Only in the north has a residential school system affected such a large proportion of the population. By hearing the experiences of others, individuals and families affected by residential schools may lose some of their sense of shame and may feel more able to come forward and access the funds that have been made available for healing by the federal government. 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. A public inquiry would also reflect the importance of the issue and may influence public viewpoints, attitudes and behaviour. A public forum would allow those affected to gain a sense of justice and will give the residents of the Northwest Territories a better understanding of the events and circumstances surrounding NWT residential schools. Of course, this may help to ensure that similar abuses never happen again. Thank you.

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Rabesca.

Members' statements. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this past week was very hectic for the EMO and Fire Department people in Iqaluit. On Friday, there was a plane crash and Sunday there was a major fire at some new construction in town. There were some burn injuries to some of the children as a result of that fire. Mr. Speaker, the fire resulted with the power, phone and cable lines being disrupted. The power was quickly restored in about three hours after the fire and I understand that cable TV was back up yesterday.

However, Mr. Speaker, phone service to most of Happy Valley and all of Tundra Valley and Apex is still not available. Mr. Speaker, as a result, Joamie School in Tundra Valley and Nanook School and Apex were closed yesterday. Because they had no phones, it was felt that it might put the children in jeopardy if phone service was not in place. EMO in Iqaluit have today provided two-way communications for both Nanook and Joamie School and have placed their command bus in Apex for communications with Iqaluit. The command bus was donated by one of the long serving EMO people in Iqaluit, Mr. Bob Hanson. It was outfitted with telecommunications and other necessary equipment by donations from Iqaluit businesses. Mr. Speaker, the command bus is being monitored by the EMO staff and they will continue to have it in place in Apex until phone service is restored. I understand that NorthwesTel has brought in extra resources to deal with this problem and have been working around the clock to have the service restored.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Mike Ferris, the EMO coordinator for the Baffin, and his capable staff are to be congratulated for the work they have done over the past few days. Also, the volunteers at the fire department, staff at NorthwesTel, NTPC, and the cable TV staff. Mr. Speaker, I have not been able to speak to my children since this weekend because of the phone service outage. I would like to take this opportunity to say hi to my wife and kids back home in Iqaluit and say well done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Members' statements. Mr. Dent.

Members' statements. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Rarely do I make Members' statements, Mr. Speaker, and I just have a small statement that I would like to make today. I hope it does not embarrass my boy. The St. Pat's hockey team, Mr. Speaker, travelled to Hay River this weekend for an interschool tournament with various schools across the NWT. I would, first of all, like to extend my appreciation for the hospitality by the people of Hay River for the teams that were there. I am also pleased to say that St. Pat's won all the games, Mr. Speaker, and of course, the tournament. Why am I making this statement? I am making this statement because my boy, Justin, plays for St. Pat's and in the first game against Fort Smith, he scored three goals, was the MVP, and frankly, Mr. Speaker, in this particular time in my life, it makes me feel proud to be able to talk about the accomplishments of the team and, of course, the contribution of my boy, Justin. Thank you.

--Applause

Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Ms. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Rabesca on November 10, 1998, formula funding for Rae-Edzo. In recognition of the unique situation in Rae-Edzo, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has provided the community with additional funding. Detailed information on this matter has been provided to Mr. Rabesca, MLA for North Slave, as he requested. Thank you.

Thank you. Returns to Oral Questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Evaloarjuk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question will be directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services. For a number of months past, possibly closer to a year, the Mayor of Igloolik had written correspondence to the Minister concerning health and social services and what the policies are regarding programs. I wrote to the Minister myself, requesting that he make a response to the Mayor of Igloolik. I am wondering if the Minister will be able to respond either to myself or the hamlet, prior to the end of this session. I am assuming that the Minister understands my request because I

did give him a letter earlier this month. Thank you. (Translation ends.)

Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Member for the question. I was aware of the issue that he had raised. Quite frankly, what had happened, from my recollection, is that the Hamlet of Igloolik requested, I believe, the transfer of the social worker position to the community. We had requested the Baffin Regional Health and Social Services Board to find out the status of what was happening in that respect. We have not received an answer yet, but I will commit to the Member on following up on that matter before the end of this week. Thank you.