Thank you, Mr. Ningark. Good morning. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there has been recently, as Members of this House are aware, a lot of confusion surrounding the issue of access to health services for residents of the Sahtu. I rise today to provide some clarity of this matter. I will explain the facts and my position.

First of all, Mr. Speaker, I will deal with the matter of the Cabinet Directive that has been the subject of some discussion in this House. Let me be very clear, matters affecting the location of service delivery are the sole responsibility of the Minister of Health and Social Services. I intend to accept that responsibility and be held accountable for it. I cannot speak to why the previous Minister, in the previous government, choose to bring the matter of health services in the Sahtu before Cabinet. That was a decision made in different times. However, I can assure you, Mr. Speaker, that I will make determinations, as necessary, on the best fit for service delivery in the health and social service system. I will make those determinations on the basis of facts, on the basis of best value for money, and after appropriate consultation with the people affected. I will make those determinations so that current and future generations of residents will have access to quality care, shared equitably and resources in a sustainable way.

I have had many conversations with the chair of the Inuvik Regional Health and Social Service Board. On February 6th, I wrote to her to confirm my position on the matter of provision of health services. All Sahtu communities and the Sahtu leadership were copied on my letter. I am, therefore, Mr. Speaker surprised that confusion remains. In that letter, I confirmed my support for the board's proposal to provide a limited element of choice to people from the Sahtu, particularly as it relates to the travel of elders who may have family in Inuvik.

I also informed the chair that there had recently been a series of complaints from the Sahtu, with people alleging that the board is, in fact, going much further than offering limited choice. I reiterated my expectations about how changes need to be advanced. I told the board that I considered the Cabinet decision of April, 1995, to be essentially in effect, except for the limited element of choice just mentioned. I suggested to the board that given the considerable change that has occurred in the health and social service system since 1995, I fully expect that the board would continue to search for ways of meeting the needs of Sahtu residents efficiently and effectively. I directed the board to precede its decisions about changes with extensive discussion with the communities served, and to follow up the consultation with a comprehensive cost/benefit analysis.

As Members know, the Department of Health and Social Services has made considerable investment in the Stanton system, and we will need to test the impact on that system of any change in the service relationship between the Inuvik and Stanton regions.

Mr. Speaker, it has been a tough two and a half years, since we came into office, faced with tough problems, less money, a population under terrific social pressure and a will to make the decisions we need to make in this day and age. We have asked board trustees to wrestle with difficult issues and make tough decisions when the full range of options available to them has not been that palatable. With all that, Mr. Speaker, we need to extend our support, guidance and appreciation for their effort and commitment.

Mr. Speaker, our boards and their volunteer trustees represent a key linkage between the caregivers that work for the board and the residents and communities they serve. I will continue to support their operations, to insist on their accountability to the residents they serve and to me as Minister. It is unfortunate that the boards often receive negative coverage of their attempts to deal with difficult situations. Yet when they are doing good thing, operating effectively and efficiently we hear very little about them.

I will ensure that we continue to strengthen the support we provide to boards, and hope that, on occasion, Members of this House will see fit to join me in celebrating their frequent successes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have an

emergency statement that is not really an emergency, Mr. Speaker, it was not filed on time according to the rules of the House. My apologies to you Mr. Speaker, as well as the Members of the House. Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable James Antoine will be absent from the House today to attend a meeting on transportation and aboriginal issues with Mr. Krutko in Fort McPherson. I apologize once again to the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Evaloarjuk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in regard to the statement the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation made yesterday. I do appreciate the fact that he indicated that social housing rent increases will no longer be increased in the Nunavut area before division. I appreciated the fact that there will be no rent increases, however, in my riding the housing managers in the local communities received a letter stating that as of June 1, 1998, there will be a 90 percent increase of social housing rents. The Minister stated yesterday that this will stay at 60 percent and will no longer increase to 90 percent. This was going to be put in effect June, 1998. I will be asking the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation a question regarding this matter and ask him to clarify this situation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation ends)

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Roland

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. O'Brien. Welcome back.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad to be back in the House again. Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to hear that the acting chair of the Keewatin Regional Health Board announced that the Keewatin Regional Health Board and the University of Manitoba reached an agreement in principle on the provision of health services in the Keewatin region. Under this interim agreement, the University of Manitoba will provide services to the Keewatin residence in the following areas; physician services, travel clinics and specialist services. Mr. Speaker, I believe this is a first step in re-establishing medical services and also trust back in the system that the people in the Keewatin were looking for, expecting and anticipating. I will have questions for the Minister later on today on this issue. Thank you.

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last night we

had the pleasure of going down to Fort Resolution to open a new community television channel. It is a community television channel by NorthwesTel Cable and the elders' committee in Fort Resolution worked long and hard to bring this channel on stream. The chairman, Pete Fraser, as well as the volunteers in Fort Resolution who worked hard to make sure that the people of Fort Resolution have a community channel is Leon Beaulieu, Catherine Wishey, Dottie Mandeville and Faith Beaulieu. These people put in many, many hours on behalf of the community. All the good people of Fort Resolution showed up last night to welcome our honoured guests, the Honourable Kelvin Ng, the Honourable Charles Dent and our good friend Levi Barnabas from the High Arctic who came with us to enjoy a feast of caribou stew and bannock. Everybody had a great and an enjoyable time visiting with each other. It was a good evening and we had promised our Chief in Fort Resolution last night, Don Balsillie, that I would wear this in the House today, so I am wearing it right now for Fort Resolution Chief Don Balsillie and the people in Fort Resolution.

--Applause

Later on today, Mr. Speaker, myself, Charles Dent, Kelvin Ng and Levi Barnabas will have a request in to our television cameras to get a picture of all of us with our SJL sweatshirts on and send a video back to Fort Resolution so they can play it to all the community on their new community access channel. I wish Fort Resolution the best of luck with their access channel. I know communication is important in our community and this access channel at the community level will help bring the community together. Once again, Fort Resolution has made me proud to represent them. I am very proud of what they did for my colleagues last night and keep up the good work and keep working together. Mahsi cho.

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Rabesca.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you spoke of literacy yesterday in your address, today I rise to bring forward a message on the same topic. Communication has been a part of our lives since the beginning of time. Our ancestry used many forms to communicate, in some cultures the drum is an important communicator, others used smoke and others used different forms of writing on different objects. My ancestors would communicate by writing in the snow, using charcoal to write with and many other signals and forms of writing. These are all forms of literacy. In today's world, one must know how to read and write in English to move ahead. However, we, as aboriginal people, cannot forget our history, our culture and most importantly, our language. Yesterday was Literacy Action Day across the north and I hope all our residents recognize how important literacy is for the survival of our language and our culture. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Barnabas.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will speak in Inuktitut. (Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to speak on the issue of elders' organizations. The elders' organizations do not have certain staff, such as secretaries. They do have funding and a lot of them do not have secretaries to report how they use their funding. I feel that the elders should have this support staff to make sure that what they are doing is reported. The elders are very important to us and now that they are starting to do a lot of things, such as elders' circles in the communities and through the legal system, we would like to provide support staff for the elders in the communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation ends)

--Applause

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I recall, when I ran for MLA, thinking before that it probably is not that much of a stressful job. I now know better. I now read more before 10:00 in the morning than I used to read every week. There are meetings before Session, after Session, at night, on weekends. Outside groups want your time and support for their issues. Some of the longer term Members, their children grow up before their eyes and they do not even notice. My children have sometimes mentioned to me that they are thinking of calling me Uncle Seamus instead of Dad.

Politics is a stressful life, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank all those MLAs who ran before and served the people of the Northwest Territories. What happened to the Members of the 12th Assembly? Where are they now? Many of the former Members are still working hard for the people in their own home communities. Henry Zoe is the executive director for the Dogrib Treaty 11; the former Premier, Nellie Cournoyea is the chairperson and chief executive officer of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation; Richard Nerysoo is the president of the Gwich'in Tribal Council; Dennis Patterson is the chairperson of the Baffin Regional Health Board; Fred Koe is the deputy minister of Aboriginal Affairs; and Tony Whitford is our Sergeant-at-Arms, as well as being the executive assistant to the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories.

I do not think you can say that any of these people have retired from political life. As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, some of them are probably a bigger pain to the government than they were when they sat in this House. The Members of the 12th Assembly who managed to get re-elected, have all been elevated to loftier positions of power. Their experience in working in the Assembly is a benefit and valuable. Some of the former MLAs are in private business. Michael Ballantyne runs his own consulting firm, although I have not heard of him getting any major government contracts, I am sure he is lurking in the corridors of power somewhere. John Pollard, after imparting his vast knowledge of finance to my honourable colleague, Mr. Todd from Rankin Inlet, has returned home to Hay River and is looking after his own business interests, instead of those of the Northwest Territories. Jeannie Marie-Jewell is in Fort Smith living a life of leisure and contemplating her next foray into public life. I have heard from unreliable sources that she is developing a penchant for biting M&Ms in half.

--Laughter

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member for Yellowknife South is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do I have any nays? Mr. Henry, you have unanimous consent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you colleagues. Brian Lewis can be seen wandering the streets of Yellowknife deep in thought, pondering retirement and ever ready to lend his voice to debate during the times of constitutional crisis.

I now know, Mr. Speaker, of the sacrifices of these former Members made on behalf of their constituents and the people of the Northwest Territories and wish to commend them and wish them well in future endeavours. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Members' statements. Mr. Kakfwi.