Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to provide the Assembly with an update on issues related to the operation of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation after April 1, 1999. As the Members of this Assembly are aware, last fall I introduced a bill intended to allow the Northwest Territories Power Corporation to continue as a single corporation after division. A related bill was also introduced to amend the Public Utilities

Act to allow for all regulatory matters for the Power Corporation to continue to be regulated by the Public Utilities Board. The purpose of this legislation was to enable the Power Corporation to incorporate under the Canada Business Corporations Act and be jointly owned by the Governments of Nunavut and the new Western Territory.

This bill received second reading in the House and was subsequently referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations for consideration. Over the winter months, the Standing Committee held public hearings on these bills in Yellowknife and Iqaluit. During the course of these hearings, the parties involved in the division process; the Office of the Interim Commissioner of Nunavut, the Western Coalition and Nunavut Tunngavik made presentations concerning their respective positions on this matter. It was clear from these presentations that there are a number of differing views on this legislation and the model proposed for the continuation of a single corporation.

Mr. Speaker, for this reason, the government is recommending that the House not proceed with further consideration of these bills in Committee of the Whole after the report has been received from the Standing Committee on Government Operations. It is more important at this time that we work with the parties to address their concerns and to resolve the critical issues they have raised in order to find a continuance plan acceptable to all parties.

To that end, Mr. Speaker, I have spoken with the Chairman of the Western Coalition, Mr. Roland, and I recently met with the Interim Commissioner, Mr. Anawak and the President of NTI, Mr. Kusugak. These meetings provided an opportunity to clarify some of the issues and concerns. Based on these discussions, officials from all parties met to develop a process that would address the issues and establish common ground for the continuation of a single corporation. To achieve this, the parties have agreed to engage a facilitator to help the parties work through the issues. Officials are now working to finalize the terms of reference and identify an appropriate facilitator. It is expected that this will be done by the end of May.

While we are undertaking this process, it is important to recognize the time constraints facing us in preparation for April 1, 1999. Given the tight legislative timetable facing the Assembly, some type of resolution will be necessary during the summer months to allow legislation to be introduced in the House this coming fall.

Mr. Speaker, the government continues to believe that a single Power Corporation, whose primary purpose is the safe, reliable and affordable delivery of power best serves the interests of all the residents of the NWT, both east and west. With the commitment of all of the parties to work through the issues standing in the way of consensus, I believe that we can achieve this important objective. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.