Thank you, Ms. Thompson. Good afternoon. Orders of the day. Mrs. Groenewegen, point of order.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. I appreciate the comments for correction, but it is still not a point of order. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Todd.

Mr. Speaker, in the 1998 Budget Address I presented to this House on January 22nd, I stated that our net financial position could be impacted by the results of the current negotiations with the Union of Northern Workers regarding pay equity.

At the time, mediation talks on pay equity were underway and collective bargaining had not yet commenced. Therefore, it was inappropriate for me to elaborate on the government's position on this issue.

Since the Budget Address, I have been asked many times by Members what the impact pay equity and the current negotiations with the Union of Northern Workers may have on our budget.

Members stated this information is a key part of our deliberations on the 1998-99 budget. Members and others have expressed concern that programs and services essential to the well-being of the people may have to be reduced to pay more money to resolve the pay equity issues.

Mr. Speaker, mediation talks on pay equity have ended, and this morning at the commencement of collective bargaining our negotiators briefed the UNW on our position.

The budget this government has set for the resolution of this issue and for current negotiations is $ 40 million.

This represents a global budget for dealing with working conditions, salary increases, retroactive provisions for pay equity and a new job evaluation system for the UNW, as well as non-unionized employee groups.

Mr. Speaker, after 10 long years, this government is committed to resolving the issue of pay equity, in order to set the stage for implementation of a bias-free job evaluation system, and a fiscally solid start for the two new governments.

Our priority - as well as our challenge - is to arrive at a solution that protects jobs, ensures service levels are maintained and keeps the current fiscal course as a basis for growth and prosperity.

As a Legislature, we must work together to ensure we achieve that objective. We want to and must work in partnership with the union for a made-in-the-north solution for northerners. Waiting for a tribunal to decide for us compromises our common efforts. The pay equity proposal the government is putting forward is based on an extensive review by the Hay Group, a nationally respected organization in the area of job evaluation.

The Hay Job Evaluation System provides the framework to ensure men and women are paid on the basis of equal pay for work of equal value. To that end, the bias-free approach to job evaluation assesses existing jobs on know how, problem- solving, accountability and working conditions. Using this system ensures there is a common reference for both the GNWT and the UNW to reach a financial settlement on retroactivity which achieves pay equity.

Mr. Speaker, $40 million is all this government, and hence the people of the Northwest Territories, can afford to re-allocate without causing severe service disruption and further downsizing. The GNWT is open to negotiating how this money is applied to the various issues at negotiations.

We believe this offer to be reasonable, in that it represents three percent of overall government spending and 10 percent of the current annual costs of the public service.

I sincerely hope the UNW will consult with and present a negotiated settlement to its members that reflects and supports the efforts of all government employees, and the people of the Northwest Territories, in their collective efforts to date to eliminate the deficit.

This is a unique opportunity to settle other outstanding labour-related issues and build a partnership to protect jobs and create a working environment in the public service that can and will result in enhanced services to the people of the Northwest Territories after years of restraint.

Mr. Speaker, let me say once again, this government is committed to resolving the issue of pay equity. It is the right thing to do. We have an obligation to our employees and to the people of the north to work with the union to resolve this issue.

We now have a positive and workable proposal on the table to do just that.

The Members of this House have worked hard to date to balance our budget and work to eliminate our deficit. We must now face this current challenge with the same spirit and commitment to the future of the north, and at the same time get money into the hands of northerners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Mr. Kakfwi.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize that February 1st to 7th is White Cane Week.

Visually impaired individuals often play an important role in our communities and our lives. Our supportive and positive attitude towards blindness and visual impairment in the Northwest Territories will help them continue to do so.

We must encourage blind and sighted northerners to work closely together - in the workplace, in our communities - to discover ways it can be possible for the visually impaired to do the things they wish to do. The CNIB has done a tremendous amount in this area and I would like to recognized and commend them for their work.

Mr. Speaker, I urge each Member of this House to take a moment and think about the visually impaired and to reaffirm our personal commitment to support and encourage northerners facing special challenges. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Ms. Groenewegen.

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Enuaraq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation) I will be speaking in Inuktitut. I have a statement today regarding something that has happened in previous years, some things

that have gone on in the Baffin region during the 1950s and 1960s. During the late '50s and early '60s, a lot of Inuit people were shipped down to southern institutions by boat or ship to Montreal and Toronto to go to sanatoriums for TB treatment.

Mr. Speaker, for those people who went to southern sanatoriums and passed away while they were still in the hospitals, when they did pass away, all they did was mark the graveyards. Some graves were unmarked in the cemeteries. There are a lot of people who were impacted by this situation. There are some constituents of mine that have come to me to ask for assistance to see if they can locate their parents' graves in southern Canada. They have been wanting to locate their graves so they can visit their families. I am appealing to the government of the Northwest Territories to see if they can assist these people who have concerns regarding unmarked graves. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation ends)

--Applause.

Thank you. Members' statement. Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the health and welfare of my constituents of Arviat and Baker Lake are very important to me. I am their voice. It is my job to speak loud and clear so I can look after their best interests. To be harangued in this House for speaking loudly, for asking tough questions or for telling it the way it is, is simply silly. What is at stake here are important issues like the state of health care in the Keewatin or discussions on the Lahm Ridge Tower and how these deals are reached.

Sometimes my line of questioning may cause some Ministers some discomfort and they may appear to be on the defensive. This is not my intent, Mr. Speaker. I simply want the facts. If they are defensive or evasive, then one must ask why. Without tough questions, there will be no answers as to why things are the way they are. We need checks and balances to ensure our government is above board, honest and fair. Constructive debate helps to enlighten and open up the political process. This is what we call accountability. If I did not speak up about what I considered third world conditions regarding the Keewatin health care, we would still be continuing in a downward spiral toward an even bigger crisis.

Mr. Speaker, in reference to third world conditions or serious matters, I would refer to the following points: it is when one is down to the last IV bag, when you have an overworked nurse who is exhausted after working 24 hours a day over the Christmas holidays servicing 1,600 people; this is when the chief medical doctor for the region quits in disgust, after blasting the health board for mismanaging their health care system; when the board chair quits and the CEO is fired in the space of one week; and when we suffer from a large or major shortage of nurses and doctors in the Keewatin. Mr. Speaker, these conditions may be fine for some people, but they are not fine for the people I represent.

I will not sit back and blindly ignore the problems and put my constituents at risk. Mr. Speaker, I do not stand here hoping to see my face in the newspaper or on television. That is for the whim of the editors. I stand here to raise issues that concern the people I represent. It is not me who is in the spotlight. It is rather the issues.

I bring issues forward because the people I represent are concerned and they expect me to speak out. My job as MLA is to get problems fixed, to look after my constituents, to point out injustices, to get answers and action. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Thank you, Mr. O'Brien. Members' statements. Mr. Krutko.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like today to speak of a momentous occasion. Last weekend when we had the annual Legislative's curling bonspiel, it was very well attended by Members and staff. We did have a few awards that were given out, Mr. Speaker. This year we gave out little pigs to those who did not make it over the hog line and the person who got the most pigs for hogging was Nicole Camphaug. Honourable mention has to go to Floyd Roland who got the most last year and did not get any this year, so he really improved. The most enthusiastic curler, Mr. Speaker, was Sheila MacPherson and I must add, she must have been very enthusiastic because it usually goes to the most enthusiastic team, but she won it by herself. The best wipe-outs was Sarah Kay. I understand she slipped twice. She wiped out twice in one game but they were not the only casualties, Mr. Speaker. I already had to go for a massage and probably will have to go see my chiropractor as well. Mr. Speaker, the sharp shooter of the entire occasion was Mr. Todd, who I understand drew to the button.

--Applause

The bad hair curler was Mr. Picco, who had to comb his hair continuously for some reason. The loudest, Mr. Speaker, I do not know how they came to this, they found the person, Mr. Hamilton as the loudest.

We also had winners of three different events. In the C event, again, Mr. Hamilton came out on top. His team won the C event. On his team were Ed Picco, Nicole Camphaug and Dorothy Zoe.

The winner of the B event was Brian Armstrong's team. On his team was Rob Moore, Sarah Kay and Ronna Bremer.

The winner in the A event, Mr. Speaker, and won this trophy here, was the Roy Erasmus' team.

--Laughter

We had David Krutko, Mr. Ng and Sheila MacPherson curling on our team. I would really like to thank the organizers, Vera Raschke, Cheryl Voytilla, Ronna Bremer and Brian Armstrong. They did a wonderful job.

Finally, but not lastly of course, I would like to thank Mr. Seamus Henry who, very kindly once again, paid for the ice time and was our sponsor. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Picco.