Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Miltenberger.

Members' statements. Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to pay tribute to an organization in my home community of Kimmirut. The group, Ikaarutit, was started one and a half years ago by volunteers and local leaders, Jeannie Padluq and Kowisa Arlooktoo. The name means, bridge or a way to crossover.

Ikaarutit raises money to pay for tickets for family members who cannot afford to visit very sick relatives or to attend funerals. To date, the group has raised and spent over $10,000 and have assisted in helping many families to deal with their grief and healing.

Mr. Speaker, at one point, the government helped to pay for compassionate travel expenses of those on income support, but this program was eliminated during the deficit reduction exercise a few years ago. I would note that this was not solely a result of budget cutbacks as there were also real issues of fairness as to who received program benefits.

My point is, Mr. Speaker, these two community leaders recognized a problem and worked to solve it in the community by creating this organization. This is a real example of community self-reliance and I am proud.

Mr. Speaker, my constituency office receives, on average, one or two calls a week from family members who cannot afford to go see a terminally ill family member in one of the Montreal/Ottawa hospitals or to attend a funeral of a family member.

Mr. Speaker, not including the expense of hotels and meals, the cost of visiting someone in the hospital from Kimmirut is over $2,100 return. Aggravating these already stressful situations is that usually the person in the hospital or the one who must make the visit is the main income earner for the family and must take leave without pay. Sick leave or special leave credits do not last long. Mr. Speaker, there are also the additional costs of ensuring that the family left at home is being looked after financially and otherwise.

Needless to say, Mr. Speaker, I personally know families that have lost loved ones due to cancer, other diseases or by accident and have become financially bankrupt during the process. There are many families close to the same situation as I speak. When constituents talked to me about this issue, the area they stressed was the apparent unfairness. Mr. Speaker, I notice I am out of time, I would like to conclude my statement.

The Member for Baffin South is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do we have any nays? Mr. Arlooktoo, you have unanimous consent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During my constituency meetings, they stressed the apparent unfairness. An example I will use is, because I live near a hospital here in Yellowknife, if I happen to land in the hospital for some reason, my family could visit me for a total cost of $8.00 return cab fare or possibly $2.00 worth of fuel if they took their own vehicle. This is compared to several thousand dollars and many days away from home for an individual in my constituency.

Mr. Speaker, I started out by paying tribute to Ikaarutit and I hope I have made everyone more aware of how important their work is. Unfortunately, they will have no shortage of families to assist which is all funded from donations from a cash-strapped community of 450 residents. They have asked me to pass along their appreciation to individuals who have assisted in making donations. Local boards and agencies, businesses and First Air, have been cooperative. I understand that due to the stress and difficulty of raising money, let alone of deciding whom to assist and to whom to say no to, the group has considered disbanding. I hope this does not happen.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here today to say that we are thankful to this group, that their efforts are appreciated and I encourage them to keep helping these families in real need. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Members' statements. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, since January, a group of swimmers have gathered together to form the Iqaluit Breakers Swim Team. There are nine swimmers altogether, from the ages of 13 to 17, and all of the swimmers are involved in the lifesaving and lifeguard program. The Iqaluit Breakers participated in the Kimberlite Classic Swim Meet held here in Yellowknife during the month of May. While in Yellowknife, they had an opportunity to compete against the Yellowknife Polar Bear Swim Club. Overall they raced aggressively and broke their own personal race times and proved to be competitive opponents. Mr. Speaker, since then the swimmers have asked if they could swim at 6:00 a.m., twice a week in addition to the three other swimming practices that they have had. As you can see, the whole experience has had a positive impact on the swimmers having achieved their goals that they have worked hard for, they are keener than ever and look forward to competing next year, in January and May, here in Yellowknife in different swimming competitions. Mr. Speaker, their coach, Karen LeBlanc, hopes to come here to Yellowknife this summer to participate in a Coaching Level II Certificate Program. She is hoping to recruit younger swimmers to compete next year in Iqaluit. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Iqaluit swimming team, the Iqaluit Breakers and their coach, Ms. Karen LeBlanc. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Members' statements. Mr. Rabesca.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the past many years, my predecessors and myself have lobbied strong and hard to provide an adequate and safe highway between Rae-Edzo and Yellowknife. This project has taken many years to get where it is today. This summer, according to the capital plan for 1998-99, we should see the start of the last 100 kilometres of reconstruction. We know this will take years before we have a completely paved highway between Rae-Edzo and Yellowknife, but this is only the start.

Over the last couple of winters, this road has become very busy with the construction of BHP, all the explorations and many hundreds of trucks travel this section to deliver their freight. It has become such an important link that I understand, over this past hauling season, there was approximately one truck travelling every three to four minutes apart on this road. This of course, does not include any local traffic from the communities or regular freight hauled on a scheduled basis. This road is very important to everyone.

With this in mind, it is the reasoning behind the Dogrib Rae Band's development plan for the new airport and staging area outside of Edzo. To date, this project has been funded through the band council's operations with training programs and donations. Last year, the band council stated this project and with little funding were able to complete approximately 25 percent. This year they will continue to improve this site and hopefully with support from this government and the private sector we will see an airport to service my community of Rae-Edzo in the near future.

With this area being developed, the council's hope is to provide an alternate staging, as that will relieve the pressures this highway construction will have on all resupply to Yellowknife and the mines. I do hope we are starting this highway construction this summer. However, today I heard the Department of Indian Affairs will not let construction begin until an environmental review is complete. This, I can say, came as rather a surprise considering this project is now in its fifth year in the capital plan. The Department of Transportation has not completed this review yet.

I would also like to say that later today, I will be asking the Minister of Transportation questions regarding this project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Barnabas.

Members' statements. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak about tourism, and particularly to speak about tourism in the Yellowknife North constituency. Mr. Speaker, it is a well-known fact that there is very good fishing in the numerous parks and lakes along the Ingraham Trail. These are available by road, most of them within 30 minutes. I can attest that there is still trophy fish available in those lakes. To give you a good example, just this past weekend, Iqaluit MLA, Mr. Picco landed two huge pickerels in Prelude Lake. He informs me he waged a 20-minute battle with each of these fish. When I asked him how come he is such a good fisherman, he looked at me in a funny way, and he said, I am a Newfoundlander. So I guess that explains it.

Anyway, Mr. Speaker, I would like to invite tourists and visitors alike to visit these lakes and the Yellowknife North constituency and experience world class trophy fishing and angling, as evidenced by Mr. Picco's success. Thank you.

--Applause

Members' statements. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Roland.

Members' statements. Mr. Enuaraq.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today in regard to a very important issue here in the Northwest Territories and also in Nunavut. There are a lot of people who have physical disabilities. It could be in the form of physical, mental or otherwise. There are also people who are confined to wheelchairs. There are all kinds of disabilities that we can think of which limits some people to go around. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I want the work places, wherever they may be, particularly government departments, to be more accessible to people who are in wheelchairs so that people with limited mobility can access these buildings. We should be more than open to these people who would like to go into some departments because they have the same kinds of needs that we have. Therefore, I just wish some departments and workplaces to be more open to people with all kinds of disabilities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation ends)

--Applause

Thank you. Members' statements. All Members are doing well with their Members' statements, but I would like to request that some of the Members who do have written text to slow down when they are reading and allow the translators time to translate for the unilingual Members. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Picco on March 3, 1998. A reply made by myself in regard to the Canadian Departure Tax on March 3, 1998. The date this House adjourned, the Premier took a question on notice from the Member for Iqaluit concerning this Canadian Departure Tax. I believe the Member was referring to the Air Transportation Tax.

Mr. Speaker, Canada is changing the way it pays for its air navigation system. Transport Canada used to operate Canada's air navigation system as a federally subsidized public service. The federal government recovered about 85 percent of the cost of the air navigation system through the Air Transportation Tax. The tax was added to the price of air passenger tickets. The remaining cost of the system was paid for from Transport Canada's annual appropriation from Parliament.

NAV Canada was established as a private corporation to assume responsibility for the air navigation system from Transport Canada and to operate the system independently of government on a cost recovery basis. The transition to cost recovery is taking place this year in two steps. Phase 1 took effect on March 1st and Phase 2 will take effect on November 1st. As NAV Canada introduces its new service fees on air carriers, the Air Transportation Tax on passenger fares is eliminated. Half the Air Transportation Tax was removed on April 1st and the rest will go on November 1st.

How the air carriers decide to recover NAV Canada's new service fees from their customers is a matter of the carrier's corporate pricing strategy. The Air Transportation Tax was collected strictly on passenger fares. Now, the air carriers have new flexibility to recover the NAV Canada service fees from either their passenger or their freight revenues or some combination of both.

I would like the Member to know that, with the northern air carriers, the Department of Transportation mounted a vigorous lobbying campaign that has been successful in modifying the impact of the new service fees on northern air routes.

The lobbying campaign made NAV Canada recognize that the fee structure, as it was originally proposed, had a greater impact on northern than southern air routes. As a result, NAV Canada agreed to raise the weight limit of the aircraft to which the Phase I fees would apply from 5.5 to 8 tonnes. The higher weight limit exempted twin otters and similar sized aircraft from the Phase I fees. The department also won the important concession that the new fees would not apply to flights departing from northern and remote airports where the air navigation services are delivered by our CARS Program.

The next and last phase of the service fees will come into effect on November 1st. So far, NAV Canada has circulated a discussion paper on the Phase 2 fees that considers several options. It has made no firm proposal at this time.

With other Departments of Transportation and northern carriers, the department has proposed, (1) exempting small aircraft under 8 tonnes altogether in Canada, or (2) exempting small aircraft under 8 tonnes in the northern and remote areas of Canada. NAV Canada has not rejected either proposal and appears to be giving them serious consideration. We will have to wait and see. The department expects NAV Canada to release its Phase 2 fee proposal sometime in August.

Although, I cannot be specific at this time, I am reasonable confident that we will have similar success in influencing the Phase 2 fees as we have had with the Phase 1 fees. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Ms. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize the mayors in my riding, Aivilik. We have in the gallery Mr. Louis Primeau, SAO for Coral Harbour, beside him is Mr. Johnny Ningeongan the Mayor of Coral Harbour and Percy Kabloona from Whale Cove. Mr. Steve Mapsalak Mayor of Repulse Bay and Donat Milortuk who is a member of the Keewatin Inuit Association. Thank you.

--Applause