Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to rise today to speak briefly once again about the new job evaluation system that is being brought in by the government. It seems to me, Mr. Speaker, there are rumblings from all quarters on this particular system and I am concerned about some of the disparities that seem to exist within departments. For example, I understand tradesmen with four-year journeyman tickets have been evaluated not much higher than clerical positions. This also leads to the concern as well with health, for instance, how the nurses and social workers are rated. If there is disparity within departments, is there disparity across departments as well? My understanding was the intent of this system was to ensure that there was a certain consistency throughout government for jobs that were at the same level of complexity and requirements for education and experience. I would hope the government considers this evaluation system at this point a work in progress, listens very carefully to the feedback and concerns being raised and take some steps to adjust the system to make it a truly workable representative system of evaluation that will have a buy-in from the employees and the union, as well as the government. It is a critical piece of work. It is long overdue. It is tied into pay equity. There is a lot riding on this and I would strongly encourage the government to make the steps necessary to, in fact, reflect the changes and see if we can move on with a system that does meet all the needs and demands. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is with further sadness from my constituency that I present my statement today, Mr. Speaker. Early yesterday morning, the people of Fort McPherson lost another one of their respected and treasured elders, Mr. Fred Blake, Senior, who was suffering from a weakening illness for the remaining few months of his life. Fred Blake Senior succumbed to his illness, but not without giving a fight to the end. Fred Blake Senior was born in East Branch on the Mackenzie River in 1917 and was the son of Arthur and Elizabeth Blake. Fred and his wife, Elizabeth George, were married in 1937 and had a family of 14 children, all of whom are still alive today. They also have more than 37 grandchildren.

As an active young man, Fred was always involved in his traditional way of life. That is how he raised his family, through hunting, fishing and trapping on a daily basis. He had plenty of energy left when he came back to the communities to join in football and also in square dancing and jigging.

For many years, Fred was the local water delivery man in Fort McPherson. He carried out his duties diligently and effectively. Although Fred was retired and collecting Old Age Pension, he remained active in the social structure of the community. He participated in square dancing, calling on a regular basis and Fred was present along with other musicians of the local community to always be there to entertain the community. Despite getting on in age, Fred continued to get back to the land every spring to pursue his traditional way of life at Husky River. He was also known as a nice old man who loved to joke and tease, especially to the younger people, making people laugh regardless if it was on the street or in his home. Fred was always there for everyone.

On behalf of my constituency and myself and family, I offer my sincere condolences and sympathy to Fred's family, his wife Elizabeth and all his children and grandchildren. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in an effort to try and get the community more involved in Inuvik in what I do here, I requested the Social Work Program of Aurora Campus in Inuvik to prepare a statement and a line of questioning for any of the Ministers that they felt was a concern in Inuvik. Mr. Speaker, I will follow with the statement prepared.

Currently, within Inuvik and the Beaufort Delta region, there is no detox available to those suffering from alcohol addictions. The health planning project, Community Profile of Needs, which was completed in 1996 documented that alcoholism was cited as a major social issue within virtually every community within the region. Further to this, detox was clearly stated to be a community need. It has, in fact, been openly identified by employers, government, superintendents, regional education authorities, as well as Aurora College, that alcohol abuse is impacting directly upon the educational and work environment in our region.

The Inuvik interagency committee has been actively advocating for a detox centre and had, in fact, been informed that one would be built and located within the new hospital complex. Recently, Inuvik received word that this was no longer the case and that one medical detox bed would instead, be provided within the regular medical unit. There is a big difference between a two to three day medical detoxification as compared to a social detox. As a result, residents of this area continue to be faced with the reality of having to travel out of their region to receive such necessary services. This creates barriers to health and wellness. The window of opportunity to help someone who is drinking is very short. Clearly, detox needs to be available within our region. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last night I had the privilege of attending the Commissioner's Award Ceremony here in the Great Hall, with about 200 people present. There were two presentations last evening, Mr. Speaker. The first was a bravery award to a young Yellowknife man, Brennan Debassaghe, who fought off a large dog in order to save his cousin who had become entangled in the dog's chain.

--Applause

The second presentation was to Justice Mark de Weerdt for exceptional public service over the course of his 40 years in the north and I want to acknowledge that Justice de Weerdt is here with us this afternoon.

--Applause

I can think of no one more deserving of this honour than Mark de Weerdt and I was pleased to be able to participate in the ceremony. He has been an inspiration and role model for two generations of northern lawyers. His skill, compassion, integrity and honesty complement his knowledge of the law. Some of his finest work over the years has been outside of the courtroom, helping to make this sometimes unwieldy court system more understandable and open to all. In the early years, his wife Ann was often left to raise their four children on her own, while Mark was flying around the north in a single otter for weeks at a time. Ann also found time to develop the CNIB here in Yellowknife and worked with the YWCA. Both of the de Weerdts gave a lot back to our community and the northern communities in terms of volunteer activity and in that respect, the Commissioner's Award really goes to them as a team.

With Mark's retirement last year, we bid farewell to the last of the original three justices of the northern court, but as Yellowknife demonstrated last night, out of sight is not necessarily out of mind. We will once again have the honour of having Justice de Weerdt's presence on the bench from time to time in the north. He was sworn in this morning as Deputy Judge of his old court, so he can return north for flying squad duty on circuits, just like in the old days. I want to thank Justice de Weerdt for making the trip back to Yellowknife for the award ceremony and I especially thank the committee for choosing him and young Brennan Debassaghe as recipients of this award. As I said before, I can think of no two people more deserving. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud today to speak on what I consider to be an inspiring achievement by constituents in my riding. In the summer of 1996, after three years of planning by the ministerial committee, the long talked about idea of a youth centre in Hay River was realized. The main goal for the organizers of the centre is to create and maintain an environment to promote the spiritual, physical and social development of youth in Hay River by presenting them with positive choices, role modelling and strategies for dealing with life's issues, based on Christian principles.

Another continuing goal of the centre is to offer our young people a safe haven to enjoy activities in an alcohol and drug free environment. The youth centre organizes and offers a wide range of activities for the young people of Hay River. In addition to in-house activities such as movies and computer access, the centre also organizes youth to assist in community events such as the Heritage Days Festival and First Night Festival.

In order for a centre of this size and range of programming to operate effectively, a staff of 25 community volunteers under the auspices of Ms. Andrea Webb, oversees the facility. Ms. Webb also acts as counsellor and confidante to the youth that come to the centre. Mr. Speaker, it is comforting to know that the youth in my riding have a place to go and find answers and guidance in an environment that is well suited to young people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause.