Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is no allocation of dollars towards that. It is an effort on our part to start identifying areas that we can ensure Northerners do get jobs. It ties into the human resources development plan. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Ootes. Supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think this illustrates a concern that this side of the House has. We seem to have a lot of nice strategies with no money attached. We refer to them as "wish lists." Can the Minister tell us specifically, am I right in thinking this is a strategy with no money attached as of yet?

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have responsibility, Mr. Speaker, as employment Minister, as the Member well knows, and I am not going to sit there and suggest that we are not doing anything. This may be termed a strategy. We may not have the money, but we can certainly start working on identifying areas that employment should be created in. While we do not have the money, it is tied to the non-renewable resource development strategy. In the interim, we are working on programs like the maximizing northern employment and the human resource development plan. That is a plan of some $12 million, as I stated. We do not have that money. It is a proposal to the federal government as part of the non-renewable resource strategy, but it does not stop us from proceeding with trying to create employment here in the North. We have already identified in our money - which Members approved last spring -- an amount of $500 thousand. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Ootes. Final supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this really illustrates the concern I am talking about. We have constituents calling us saying we saw Mr. Ootes in the paper talking about priming the boom $12 million plan. There are no dollars attached. Are we not creating false expectations and raising hopes without the money? When will the Minister table this strategy and show us where the money is coming from? Where is the beef, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe that I have emphasized certainly to those reporters who have interviewed me, that this was a proposal that we have been developing over the last six months as part of the non-renewable resource strategy. It is important for us to continue to proceed to develop it. It is a developing process we are into here. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. It is regarding the issue of the bison problem in Fort Providence.

This is not a new issue. Many letters have been written to the department, yet we still have bison walking through the community, tearing up fences, attacking dogs, causing property damage. It is not a rare occasion that this happens. It is on a nightly basis. I am starting to think that the bison are scared of the dark because they are all in town every night.

I would like to know what the Minister is planning to do about this problem. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our officers are working with the local wildlife committee -- I do not recall the exact name -- to resolve this problem. Hopefully as the weather changes, they will forget their urban ways and move back out of town. If necessary, and if it is at the direction of the wildlife committee, we would have to destroy some of the bison. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the bison were introduced into the Providence area by the government in the 1960s. There is a concern now that one of these animals might hurt or kill someone. Who would be liable? Is the department willing to accept that liability?

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would have to take that as notice. I do not know who the liability would rest with. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. The question has been taken as notice, Mr. McLeod. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is addressed to the Premier. Yesterday, I raised the issue in the House that there was compelling legal evidence that pointed to the fact that Cabinet had probably contravened its own legislation, the Public Service Act, in coming to an agreement with the chief of staff.

During that debate and questions yesterday, the Premier made the following comment, and I refer to page 1415 of unedited Hansard for yesterday: "There is no job description for executive assistants. There never has been."

Mr. Speaker, I have here in the Ministerial Administrative Procedures Handbook, section 10, titled the Ministerial Executive Assistants, about nine pages of outlines, duties, responsibilities, pay ranges, and such.

My question to the Premier is was he blissfully unaware of this particular section of the administrative handbook for Ministers, or was he misleading the House? Could he clarify, please?

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Before I ask the Premier to respond, I will say that there were two parts to that question. The first I shall allow. The second part of it I will rule out of order. The part about misleading the House shall be ruled out of order, but the first portion of the question I will allow, if the Premier wishes to respond. Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday Mr. Miltenberger referred to a legal opinion that he had in his own hands that says, and he made the allegation...formulating his own opinion based on the legal opinion, saying very clearly that Cabinet had allegedly contravened its own legislation. Mr. Speaker, we have no copy of that legal opinion in this House. Further reference to it I believe is not proper. It should be tabled, as we had asked the Member to do yesterday. I do not believe it is proper for me to answer a question based on a legal opinion that none of us in this House have access to. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Premier obviously chooses not to answer, but the reality is every Member of AOC has a copy of the legal opinion. The Premier has misspoken once again.

There is a very clear unequivocal statement made by the Premier: "There are no job descriptions for executive assistants. There never has been." That formed the basis for his argument...

-- Interjection