Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department has really been following all along an accepted situation where the federal government is responsible for all new road construction. What we are trying to do is encourage them to build some of these all-weather roads in cooperation with the GNWT. We are arguing that since they are the major beneficiaries from the oil and gas activity and the mining activity, that it is to their benefit to construct these all-weather roads. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have discussed the $500 million that the federal government took out of the Northwest Territories in oil and gas lease money for exploration this year. Half of that would solve our Non-Renewable Resource Strategy problems. I am wondering if this Minister has ever approached the federal government and said, "Instead of you building the roads, give us the money from the oil and gas leases", Mr. Speaker? Has he ever tried that tactic?

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Steen.

Mr. Speaker, my department has not been the main negotiating department with the federal government on the transfer of resources to the Territories. I believe the Premier and RWED have been more involved in this. However, I believe that these type of arguments have been put forward to the federal government. We do not really have any positive responses to this, neither denials nor responses. In fact, they are in favour of transferring responsibility of resources to this government. It would include then, of course, the benefits. However, they keep telling us, if I understand correctly, that it has to be in cooperation with the aboriginal groups that this is going to be done, the sharing of resources. I do not know if I am responding to the Member's question as you would like, but that is my understanding.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would argue that he has a key role to play, being the Transportation Minister. He is very involved in the Non-Renewable Resource Strategy. A lot of the keys to that strategy involve transportation. I am wondering if he has lobbied his Cabinet counterparts on that side of the House to take this approach to the federal government and say these are our resources. Give us the money. We will build the roads. We will look after ourselves, but you have got to give us the money. Has he taken this argument to our Cabinet? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that if we could go to the federal government and say these are our resources, we would not have to ask them for money. If they are our resources, we would spend the benefits from these resources as we see fit.

At the present time, the federal government is not letting go of the resources and of course they are the ones enjoying the benefits, the royalties and the taxes. Yes, we have tried the argument as such. However, the federal government at this point in time is tying resource sharing with the aboriginals along with us into the same discussion, if you like. In some way, I suppose you could say they are holding up the transfer of resources in that manner.

The fact of the matter is we would be happy to go to the government and say, "These are our resources and therefore just give us the money to build the roads and whatever", but we would already have that money if we had the resources. We would be in the same situation as the Yukon Government, where they have control over their resources so therefore they get to spend the royalties and taxes. We do not have that option right now, but that is what we are working on through the transfer of resources to this government.

Thank you, Minister Steen. Final Supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you. I know we are working on it. We have taken an approach that I would characterize as offering up the carrot. I am wondering when the stick comes out. When do we say enough is enough? We are getting nothing done here. We are getting nothing, Mr. Speaker. It is just beyond me that we can accept this argument. I do not see an incentive for the federal government to just hand over control of these resources without us making a good case and making it politically ugly for them to not do so.

I am wondering when this Minister will take it to our Cabinet to start making it politically ugly for them to not respond to us? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a Cabinet, we have discussed these types of issues on an ongoing basis. They are raised through many different issues that always surface, that we need control of our resources in order to have the funding necessary to build all-weather roads and that way encourage further development and exploration in our Territory. That is an ongoing thing.

I am sure the other Ministers present are well aware of the Member's question and the avenue that he is suggesting we use to approach the federal government. However, I think this is an approach that has been well used and the road is well paved all the way to the federal government in the ways of options to take over the responsibility, but that is the only paved road that I have seen so far. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister Steen. The time for question period has expired. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to item 6.

Thank you. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta is seeking unanimous consent to return to Item 6, oral questions. Are there any nays? We have a nay. Item 7, written questions. We have a point of order by Mr. Krutko.

Point of Order

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my point of order is in regard to information in that a question I asked to the Minister responsible for Finance, was there any information available in regard to excluded employees? He mentioned no, there is not. I have information here that says yes, there is. I believe the Minister may have misled us in regard to believing that there is no actual pay range for the executive assistant position. I have that information. That is my point of order.

Thank you. The honourable Member has raised a point of order. I shall take this under advisement.

The Chair is unclear at the moment as to what the point of order is. Would the honourable Member please state what the point of order is?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my point of order is I believe the Minister misled the House when he stated there is no pay range for the classification for the position of the executive assistant. I have that information. Also, in regard to the Executive Excluded Employees Handbook, it is in there. There is also the excluded group pay schedules, it is also in here. That is my point of order, stating that the Minister responsible for Finance misled the House by stating there was no such pay range for the position of the Ministerial executive assistants position.

This is a difficult situation here. I am at a loss as to whether the Member has a point of order.

My ruling is that he does not have a point of order because there was no violation of the rules of the House. There may have been a statement that was made that he does not agree with, but no violation of the rules. I would venture to say that it may be a bit premature to have made a statement such as that, that the Minister is misleading the House. My ruling is that there is no point of order, Mr. Krutko. Item 7, written questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a written question about the PeopleSoft Project. The government may recognize the question, as I have asked it before.

The PeopleSoft Project is consuming significant GNWT resources but does not seem to be meeting the original objectives for a new human resource system. The Minister is asked to provide the following information:

1. Chronology of the history of the PeopleSoft Project from the initial decision to replace GHRS to now.
2. A list of GNWT staff who have been involved with the project from its inception including the length of time they have been working on the project.
3. A list of all contracts and consultants hired for this project from its inception, including the place of origin and the total cost for each one.
4. A detailed list of all costs over $10,000 associated with the project from its inception.
5. A comparison of the original project cost estimates and schedule to the actual cost and schedule to date.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.