Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a reply to an oral question asked by Mr. Enuaraq on February 9, 1998. The honourable Member raised a concern regarding 11 students from Pangnirtung. These students are income support recipients in a Northern Skills Development Program sponsored by the community of Pangnirtung. The funding support for Northern Skills Development Programs is generated from the Investing in People Program.

Students enroled in Investing in People Programs are not eligible for student financial assistance. Instead, those students receive full income support, full child day care user subsidy, if needed, and an education productive choice incentive of $ 10 per day.

There are presently two Investing in People Programs offered in Pangnirtung. The first is a Northern Skills Development Program which focuses on healing, life skills and adult upgrading and the other is a Traditional Sewing Skills Program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a response to an oral question asked by Mr. Picco on February 10, 1998. Mr. Speaker, the fair allocation of fisheries resources continues to be of considerable importance to the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT). Our government is an active participant in the Federal-Provincial Atlantic Fisheries Committee, enabling senior officials to raise the issue of Nunavut fishing enterprises. Both I and the Premier have

attended past meetings of the Atlantic Council of Fisheries Ministers. In that forum, we have clearly articulated the importance of our growing fishing industry to the economy of Nunavut, as well as the obligations of the Government of Canada under the Nunavut Land Claim Final Agreement.

Shrimp has been a success story in Nunavut since 1986. That success is due not only to accessing adjacent stocks, but also the sharing of access in southern waters. Concentrations of shrimp stocks have shifted from the north to the waters closer to Newfoundland over the past several years. Since Nunavut companies can fish in both northern and southern waters, the viability of our northern shrimp enterprises has been ensured.

The decline in the cod fishery off Newfoundland has resulted in a significant increase in the size of the shrimp resource. This leads to a temporary allocation of resources to many enterprises in Newfoundland. The only additional shrimp allocated outside of Newfoundland went to the members of the Northern Coalition made up of shrimp enterprises from Labrador, Nunavik and Nunavut.

While the GNWT supported the allocations to Nunavut through the Northern Coalition, we protested the decrease of Nunavut access as a proportion of the overall Canadian shrimp resource. When Mr. Anderson was appointed Fisheries Minister last summer, I made him aware of our views. We now expect new shrimp quotas to be allocated in 1998. I will be contacting Minister Anderson and outlining our support for Nunavut enterprises in gaining fair access to these and other Canadian fishery resources. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently the Premier, when questioned in committee of the whole under the Department of the Executive, said that he was ultimately responsible for the actions and decisions of his Cabinet Ministers. Mr. Speaker, yesterday in this House, I tabled an article from last Friday's Yellowknifer. I would like to ask the Premier a question related to that article. The article reports that the Premier said in reference to the note which I received, I quote, Mr. Speaker, "I know one thing, none of my Cabinet Ministers wrote the note because I asked them." Mr. Speaker, is the Premier still certain that none of his Cabinet Ministers wrote that note? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is there a mechanism or how does it work, Mr. Speaker, when the Premier has to deal with acts of indiscretion by Cabinet Ministers? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do not have a specific program designated for trappers to get into tourism, if that is what they wish. They do have, more than any other occupation I know of in the territories, continuous contact and rapport with wildlife officers and superintendents of this department, due to their occupation. With that proximity, comes the familiarity and the ability to find out what type of support and resources are within the department trappers are interested in and can use to get into the business of tourism or hospitality, if that is what they are interested in. I know every occasion that arises where a trapper, because it is not an occupation that creates a high income, if there is any occasion where we can help part-time trappers, full-time trappers supplement their income through engaging additional activities, we are very supportive and try to move positively with that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree there are avenues that exist for trappers and hunters to go into the field, but one of the concerns raised in either the conferences or meetings is the fact that change from a hunting and trapping lifestyle into a business economy is a difficult one. Is there an avenue available to those who are going into the business where they may receive support and help in achieving a successful transition? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If there is a trapper who wishes to get into the tourism business, for example, an outfitting business, our department would be prepared to assess with them the viability of such an operation. Also, to advise on things, I am not going to suggest trappers are traditionally seen as anti-social, but to be in the tourism business you need to know how to get along with people and how to treat tourists and what type of service to provide to them. Also, how to engage in it so you can maximize your effectiveness as the front line person promoting your business. Those are the types of things we can work with trappers who wish to get into the entrepreneur business, but also to receive counselling and ongoing support and once they get into the business, they do not find that the books they are supposed to keep, things like payroll tax, enumeration to workers' compensation and all this other bookkeeping does not bury them in the first or second year. We would be prepared to do things like that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it is very interesting and many people look forward to the idea, especially in the aftercare of the business. Is there a program available, or is this the direction the department will be going into aftercare because that is a concern which has been coming up from time to time? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have developed within the department a division or component which is set up to do community economic development. One of the elements of it is to gage the kind of support and follow-up those new businesses and entrepreneurs and business people in the small communities, and even in the large centres, could require from us. What we need to do in order to protect our investment and their's as well, is we are not going on the assumption everybody needs after care or that every body would want it, but we are going to operate from the assumption that we would be ready and available if that is what they require. We have a standing commitment and capability in the department. Thank you.