Seamus Henry Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister responsible for MACA, my honourable colleague, Mr. Steen. Yesterday, Mr. Speaker, in this House in committee of the whole the MACA budget was presented and was passed. There was some information that the Minister's officials provided at that forum and I had the opportunity to check some of those figures and I am a little confused. I was wondering if the Minister could help me with some figures from his budget of last year. I believe it is important when we consider the calls from the teachers and from nurses in all the communities about underfunding and I just want to be sure that the funding is provided on an actual basis. My question to the Minister is, could he provide to me the amount of money that was provided to the NWT Association of Municipalities for the last fiscal year ending March 31st? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. The Member for Yellowknife South is seeking information that is in the committee proceedings and I must rule the question out of order since you are seeking information about a proceeding in a committee which has not yet been reported to the House and you did make reference to the committee. Oral questions. Mr. Morin.

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have to redirect my question now to the Premier. Mr. Premier, do you have any written instructions, or do you have any mutual agreement with

your Cabinet Ministers that they should be in question period when question period is on? Thank you.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Mr. Antoine.

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is an agreement with the Ministers that they requested to be not in the House at certain times because of certain commitments and there is no written agreement of that sort, but there is an understanding that there has to be a written request that they be in House and that they be excused, so there is an arrangement that we have that will have to be complied with. Thank you.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Oral questions. Question period is over. I will allow you a supplementary, Mr. Morin.

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier once again on the issue of Ministers. Does the Premier agree with his Minister of RWED when he states that Members of this House when asking questions are quibbling and it is trivial questions. Does the Premier have the same view, or does the Premier agree with his Minister? I am not asking you for an opinion, I am just asking if you agree with your Minister of RWED. Thank you.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Again, to remind the Members that once you have a preamble, you ask a supplementary on that preamble and in this case it is not. The question was asked and this is a new question that has been asked. Mr. Morin, I believe the question was with regard to the conduct of the Ministers and the new question is, you are asking a question about a Minister's department, the workings of the department. Mr. Morin.

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the conduct of the Ministers and whether or not in they are in the House or whether or not they think that the questions of Members of the Legislative Assembly are quibbling and trivial, I would ask the Premier does he agree with his Minister that the questions that we ask as Members are quibbling and trivial? Thank you.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Mr. Antoine.

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we take the questions of the honourable Members very seriously in this House and we have to conduct ourselves as such and I think that even though I may speak the English language fairly well, it is my second language so quibbling may mean a lot of things, I guess, if you are looking in the dictionary, but I do not think it means trivial. I think the honourable Member reading the Hansard mentioned saying that he was quibbling, and earlier today he mentioned that he meant that he himself was quibbling as well, so it is a mutual quibbling, I guess. He asked if I agree with him that I was quibbling, I have to check what quibbling means, but if it means something trivial then I do not agree with that. I do not think it is trivial. I think it is very serious any time an honourable Member asks their questions to the Cabinet. Thank you.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

To remind the Members, I still have a list of names of Members that wanted to ask questions that were not given the opportunity to ask further questions and it indicates that Members are doing preambles and then another preamble and another preamble. When an Ordinary Member does that it does restrict other Members from that opportunity to ask questions. I would like your cooperation to ensure that you do a preamble as pre-supplementary. Other Members may wish to ask questions and, again, even though we are only half our former size as a group, we still ask a lot of questions and we always end up with a list of Members that did not have the opportunity to ask more questions. Item 7, written questions. Mrs. Groenewegen.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Written questions. Item 8, returns to written questions. Item 9, replies to opening address. Item 10, replies to Budget Address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in committee of the whole of bills and other matters. Committee Report 1-13(7) and Bill 17, Appropriation Act, 1999-2000, with Mr. Krutko in the chair.