Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that reply. How soon will the honourable Minister communicate with the Kitikmeot Health Board in the Kitikmeot region? If he did, when will he get back to me? Thank you.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can possibly, before we commit to doing that, before the end of this week and get back to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I recognize the commitment of the Minister, but will the Minister ensure that the air conditioning is in place before mid-summer sets in? Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there was from what I recall, significant costs involved due to the structure of the facility when they first undertook to look at that. I cannot definitively say if it is going to be done. I will make the commitment that if it can be done in an affordable and efficient way that we can assist them to try and do that, but I would like to first of all hear from the board on the continuing concerns that heat during the summer months is a problem for patients. If that is the case, we will try to work with them to try and remedy the situation. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, significant cost, but we are paying the utility to utilize it. Will the Minister ensure the patients of the Kitikmeot region that this government is willing to ensure that we have a quality boarding home because we are paying for it? Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in respect to all facilities that we fund, we would try and ensure that it has the highest quality possible in its operations. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Krutko.

The Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Aboriginal Affairs is trying to inform the public via this forum here to bring up different issues of concern and updating on the different claims issues and self-government negotiations within this forum, as well as making presentations to the respective aboriginal First Nations and Metis organizations at their meetings. It is an ongoing process, Mr. Speaker that we, as the Government of the Northwest Territories, have a position in these areas and we are trying to express that position in all of these areas. With regard to Mr. James Ross' business of trying to facilitate this discussion, it is another option people have. He provides a service and if different individuals, this government, different companies or industries are interested in taking up Mr. James Ross' business proposal, it is really up to them which gives them an avenue to explore and talk about the issues regarding aboriginal treaty and land claims issues. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the whole area of awareness in the Northwest Territories and the honourable Member called it unique, for me, it is not unique. It is common for me because as an aboriginal person with that background and coming from that arena in politics, it is not unique for me. It is common for all of us. It may be unique for other people who are not familiar with the situation in the north. In that way, it is unique. However, Mr. Speaker, this department, as well as this government, has supported the land claims, is supporting the inherent right to self-government and we are at the negotiating tables and we are discussing these really key issues with the support that we have with this whole initiative. At the same time, Mr. Speaker, there is a constitutional development process that is going on and you cannot separate that process away from what is going on with self-government negotiations. There is an awareness factor that has to be considered and that this information on the whole revolving involvement of the self-government negotiations at the table has to be shared with the north. The reality is that this whole government here after division and after self-government negotiations are concluded, this government will not be the same government.

This has to go out to the communities and we are attempting to do that through the Constitutional Working Group where we are having workshops in the communities. We have developed a book called, Common Ground, and a newsletter which lay out a couple of approaches on how to do it. There are a lot of components that people have to know in the communities about treaty rights, aboriginal rights and the inherent right to self-government. That is going on. Exactly how much money is going to the whole process over the years? It is quite a few. If you start looking at the land claims negotiations and how much money was spent toward it, the self-government negotiations and how much money was spent toward it and the whole constitutional development process, there are huge sums of money that we have spent in to develop this process to share this information and to create a dialogue in the communities. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs is a very small department. We have about 20 personnel in that department. We have a fairly small budget of which we are stretched pretty thin in terms of trying to cover all the bases with regard to being at the negotiating table for land claims as well as self-government arrangements. We have a very small budget for grants and contribution and exactly how much money we have going toward educating the public with regard to what the honourable Member is asking for, I do not have that at my fingertips. I will have to dig it up from my department and get back to him. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.