Thank you, Ms. Lee. Good afternoon, colleagues. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the nation-wide efforts of men and women who are working towards ending violence against women.

December 6th is the anniversary of the 1989 Montreal massacre in which 14 women were killed at the hands of a man who had a deep hatred of women. In response to this atrocity, the Canadian government proclaimed December 6th as a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Commemorative events occur on this day across Canada, including here in the NWT, to remember the women killed and to continue action to end violence in all its forms.

The White Ribbon Campaign is a national campaign that started in 1991 in response to the Montreal massacre. Its purpose is to end men's violence against women. The campaign, started by men, targets men of all ages to:

• • do educational work in schools, workplaces and communities on the issue of men's violence;
• • support local women's groups; and
• • wear a white ribbon during November 25 to December 6th - this ribbon is a personal pledge never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women.

Mr. Speaker, in these past few weeks, we have heard from Members of this House, as well as groups across the Territories, that violence in our society, in our communities and our families, continues to be a destructive force. I wish to take this opportunity to recognize the efforts of individuals and organizations to speak out against violence in all its forms.

I ask Members, leaders and organizations to join me in supporting the White Ribbon Campaign and community events commemorating the December 6th National Day of

Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. White ribbons will be available to Members prior to November 25th. As in the past years, the YWCA, in partnership with other organizations will be holding a vigil on December 6th in the Great Hall of the Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, as one Member has already stated in this session, speaking out against violence should not only happen on special days or weeks that we designate. It should be a part of our daily actions and reflected in the ongoing work of this Assembly. Participation in and support for these upcoming events is one way to continue our commitment to strive to eliminate violence against women. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Déclarations de ministres. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for Youth, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to formally invite all Members to a reception in the Great Hall later on this afternoon. This reception is to recognize all the efforts and dedication displayed by the Canadian Youth Against Impaired Driving 2001 organizing committee. The students of the conference organizing committee will also be providing Members with an update on their fund raising activities.

As the Minister responsible for Youth, and a Member of the 14th Legislative Assembly, I truly support an initiative such as this. From March 22 to 25, 2001, over 500 enthusiastic youth from across Canada will arrive in the City of Yellowknife to participate in this conference. An event of this magnitude will certainly raise the awareness against drinking and driving, not only at the territorial level, but also at the national level.

I look forward to working with the youth in ensuring that this message does get across to the people of the North, so that we can work to improve awareness of this fight against drinking and driving. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Déclarations des députés. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it has been over a year and a half since Royal Oak Mines was ordered into receivership. The workers at the mine and people in this community have had to deal with the emotional and economic scars left by the loss of jobs, reduced severance packages, and under-funded pension plan.

Mr. Speaker, the issue that will continue to hang over all our heads in this community for years to come, is that of the need for the environmental clean-up at Giant Mine. Mr. Speaker, this is a federal government problem. For over 50 years, Giant Mine operated under federal regulations and the federal government reaped the benefits of the royalties, but it is now the people of the North who are stuck with the huge liability of this potential environmental disaster. This environmental danger includes contaminated tailings ponds, the residue from fuel spills, and storage drums full of arsenic trioxide dust. Mr. Speaker, that is only on the surface.

What if the 260,000 tons of arsenic dust buried deep in the mine starts to seep into our watershed? The environmental implications are horrible. What commitment has DIAND made thus far to address these concerns? Well, for the surface reclamation, small contracts this year and last for under $500,000, which amount to a drop in the bucket towards the $16 million estimated cost of what is needed to clean up the surface.

What about the estimated $250 million cost over 20 years for the underground clean-up? Mr. Speaker, DIAND's response in June was to reduce this year's clean-up budget by over 30 percent to just $3 million and with the majority of that money going to the Colomac Mine clean-up.

DIAND's Royal Oak team, who was focussing on the clean-up of the two mines, even had to be dissolved in July due to the lack of funding. Mr. Speaker, I understand that recently the Royal Oak team under DIAND has been re-established, but there does not seem to be any long-term planning or direction. This issue is too important to leave to federal whims. Our government must make this a priority. We must demand that the federal government make the necessary commitments to address this environmental nightmare that looms over us all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to speak briefly to the issue of National Addictions Awareness Week. Like the issue of family violence, this is not a single issue unrelated to other major concerns that affect us as a Territory, that affects our communities or our families.

Mr. Speaker, like any other fundamental issues dealing with people, a lot of the solutions exist at the community level, involve the family, the parents, the community, having children born healthy, having simple decisions made that will effect the life of those who are going to be born. Mr. Speaker, while we can support and encourage people in our communities to be careful, do not do drugs, do not drink, we, as a government spend millions of dollars trying to assist, support and deal with, on an intervention basis, the problems that result from addictions.

As a government, Mr. Speaker, as with family violence, we have to demonstrate to the people that we are working together, that health and social services is working with education, is working with housing, is working with employment, with renewable resources. There are issues that have to be dealt with as a collective, unless the government can in fact put these recourses to work together to demonstrate a coordinated return and effort in dealing with these issues. It is very difficult to tell the communities to encourage people to deal with these issues when we do not provide the necessary support in a careful coordinated way.

As with family violence, Mr. Speaker, we have to never forget this issue, but as a government, we have to demonstrate to the people that while there may not be lots of new money, we can do a better job spending the money we have as we work with the families and individuals in this very important area. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Déclarations de députés. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in regard to the public perception of how a senior bureaucrat in this government can be out there campaigning for a federal party in a federal election, yet all other government employees in this government are restricted. I, for one, feel that is not fair. It is either we open it up for everyone, or we exclude everyone. Mr. Speaker, I feel that by doing this, we are jeopardizing our relationship with other parties in Canada and also the federal government's obligations and commitments that we have with them. Whoever we get in a federal election should not be interfered with by a senior person in this government. All of our employees cannot take part. Yet, Mr. Speaker, when we have territorial elections, federal elections, people know in our communities that you cannot be party to an election if you are a government employee.

Mr. Speaker, we have fought against the federal government on issues like gun control from this House. We have fought on issues in regard to the incremental cost for division against the federal government. Yet, we have not seen anything coming forth in that area. Other areas we have confronted the federal government on are in regard to the oil and gas and diamond industries and trying to antagonize them from putting money into these resources. To date, we have $3.7 million which, as we all know, comes from an aboriginal fund which is funded through Indian Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, we do not have an economic agreement with the federal government to date. Yet, our head chief of staff is running a campaign for the same government we have been fighting with for the last number of years over issues on behalf of the people of the Northwest Territories, with no outcome.

I know for a fact there have been other issues we have had to deal with in regard to the $100 million cut that we took in our transfer payment from the federal government, which is affecting the health care and the programs and services we deliver to the residents of the Northwest Territories. I, for one, do not feel this is fair to our employees. If we are going to do this for one employee, we have to do it for all of our employees. They are protected under the Public Service Act and we have to do something about that.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Déclarations des députés. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My constituents continue to be concerned about the level of medical services available and the lack of certainty for the availability of doctors. This is a valid concern. I would like to say that my constituents and I certainly understand that this pales in comparison to the situation that smaller communities in the Northwest Territories have, where there are in fact no doctors, and they are forced to come to Yellowknife for medical services or travel elsewhere. Why is this the case?

Mr. Speaker, jurisdictions across North America are struggling to maintain their level of medical services. Sustained competition for qualified medical staff is hurting us. We know there is a worldwide shortage of medical practitioners, registered nurses, particularly in specialty nursing areas, general practitioners, and shortages of doctors in specialty areas such as radiology and pharmacy to name a couple.

Medical professionals now have their choice of positions almost anywhere in the world, Mr. Speaker. Not only do we, the Northwest Territories, have a recruitment problem, we have a retention problem, as territories and provinces continue to outbid each other for these services. Northern Ontario cities, and that includes such remote and isolated villages as Thunder Bay and Sault St. Marie, Mr. Speaker. The Province of Ontario has realized this dilemma and taken some steps to help. Medical graduates who are willing to settle in any of northern Ontario's outposts, can receive up to $80,000 in free tuition and incentive payments, along with free office space. Where does that leave the Northwest Territories?

There is no doubt we are in a chronic and long-term shortage of doctors and medical specialists. We cannot afford to keep upping the ante. Instead, I believe we can and should be looking at alternatives to what is now a very rigid and institutionalized style of medical support.

My constituents are asking about alternatives. What can we do, Mr. Speaker, to allow midwifery in communities and promote the services of nurse practitioners in our clinics and see alternative medical therapies introduced? I intend to pursue this later today through further questions to the Minister responsible for Health. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Déclarations de députés. Item 3, Members' statements. The Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Lafferty. Déclarations de députés. Le député de la Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this week from the 12th to the 18th is National Addiction Awareness Week. In the Deh Cho, many of the communities have taken time to organize activities to bring awareness to this issue. I want to mention a few of the activities that have taken place in the communities I represent to show how important this week is to the people of Deh Cho.

In Fort Providence, they kicked off the week with a fire feeding ceremony. They have held a sober walk, sobriety recognition awards, movie nights, and sharing circles. On the Hay River Reserve, they have also hosted fire feeding ceremonies, AA meetings, sober walk, a health information fair, and a family dance. In Kakisa, they are also having a sobriety appreciation dinner and a movie night for the children.

I would like to thank all the organizers for their efforts and encourage everyone to participate in the next couple of days, as the week is not over yet. I also want to take the time to recognize and thank a few people from the communities who I believe have dedicated a lot of their time. Most of these people are not paid people in the field of addictions. However, they find that it is a worthy cause and have dedicated a lot of their own efforts.

In Fort Providence, we have Allen Rohiten, Margaret Thom and Joachim Bonnetrouge. In Kakisa, we have the husband and wife team of Julian and Ruby Landry. On the Reserve, Mrs. Georgina Fabian. While we all recognize that most of the addictions are easy to identify, alcohol, drugs, nicotine, gambling, although some would contest whether Bingo is really an addiction, there are symptoms out there that are not easily recognized. They are plaguing the people of the community and also this government.

FAS, for instance. The Minister of Health has indicated there are communities and schools where the students are affected by FAS up to 40 percent. These addictions also result in low self-esteem in the communities, and violence. This government, along with the communities, has to attempt to deal with the core problems that are in the communities and leading to a lot of these addictions. High unemployment, overcrowding in the houses..

Mr. McLeod, your time for your Member's statement has expired.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Thank you. The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays, Mr. McLeod, you may continue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I bring up the issue of lack of resources because on two occasions this week, I had an opportunity to speak to the community health representative. She has indicated that her wages amount to a net take home pay of $500 every two weeks. I think that is too low. I think that is not a justifiable amount for somebody who spends their life dedicating and raising the profile of these issues and being a frontline worker. Alcohol workers in the communities that are represented, both indicated that they have not had a raise in over 10 years. I question how much support we are giving our frontline workers. Although 64 percent of this government's budget is dedicated to the social envelope as we call it, how much of that is a result of addictions?

In closing, I want to say that addictions is a serious matter. We all have to work together. We have to continue to raise the profile of this issue, and I want to thank all of the people in the communities for their dedication and perseverance in assisting people to overcome some of these problems. Thank you Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Mr. McLeod. Member's statements. The honourable Member for the Sahtu, Mr. Kakfwi.

Mr. Speaker, as the Member for the Sahtu and a Member of the Legislature, I want to talk about accountability. As Members of the Legislature, we are elected, as the Member for Inuvik, Mr. Roland said yesterday, to be truthful, up-front and accountable. I say that yes, that is true and it applies to every Member who stands up and speaks in this Legislature.

I ask the question, who will be accountable when Members of this Legislature stand up and make statements that have no basis in fact, that are in fact untrue, and who made unfounded, unsubstantiated allegations? Who will be accountable for Members who stand up and make statements that tarnish the credibility of this Legislature? We expect all Members to be up-front and truthful, or is it just Members in Cabinet?

I say that all Members should be expected to be truthful and up-front and that when Members make statements that are not true, make allegations that have no basis in fact, yes, I agree they should be truthful and stop making unfounded and false statements, and apologize when they do so inadvertently. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Premier for setting this up. I too agree that we must all be accountable for our actions as Members of the 14th Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that I have been very accommodating. I have waited patiently for the other side of the story and I am disappointed, Mr. Speaker, that the other side of the story has not come forward. Mr. Speaker, I think Members of this Assembly, Members on this side of the floor have even provided options that could be done to try to clarify this situation. In fact, a letter was sent to the Premier dated November 14, in which we gave three options to clear up the situation.

Mr. Speaker, the Premier has continued, in my situation at least, to be evasive. I will quote, Mr. Speaker, from unedited Hansard of November 14, 2000, page 1460. In response to my question, the Honourable Stephen Kakfwi stated in one of his responses:

"I have said before that I know Members can say outrageous things. They can say things that are not based on fact. They can create legislation that does not exist and make reference to it".

Mr. Speaker, I spoke of legislation, the Access to Information and Protection Act. That is not a phantom piece of legislation, Mr. Speaker. We even quote section 23(4)(e) which refers to what kind of information we would be allowed under the Access to Information Act.

Mr. Speaker, he could have dealt with this up-front in one day, in a matter of an hour, but no. The leaders of this government have chosen to try to side step the issue, to swim in the grey areas, they say, but that has not been clear. I even took the Premier up on his offer to see the contract for myself. As of yet, I have not been granted approval to see that. How can I make my mind up or make a decision on half of the information? I was hoping that the Premier and the Cabinet would supply the other half of the information so that we could clear this up. By purposely not doing that, we have created confusion. We have created conspiracy theories and we are losing confidence, Mr. Speaker. Again, I hope that the Premier will have the opportunity and do the right thing and show that information to us. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Déclarations des députés. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Mahsi, Mr. Nitah. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we are coming to the end of session, I thought that it was important to re-raise the issue of the literacy strategy that this government is working on. I hope indeed that the next time we get together to meet, we will be discussing how to implement the new strategy, because I think that it is one of the most critical issues we face today, Mr. Speaker.

Indeed, I met a gentlemen the other day at a function who asked me what I thought the most important challenge was for us to rise up and meet in the Northwest Territories. I thought about it for a few minutes and decided that I thought training was going to be very important for us, Mr. Speaker. We are faced with the potential of immense economic opportunity but these opportunities will pass us by, Mr. Speaker, if we do not have, folks who are trained. He said to me that yes, indeed, training will be critical and we will have to work with industry to ensure that Northerners are trained.

However, he suggested to me that it was important to realize the industry would find a way to hire southerners if we were concerned only with training our people who did not have a basic level of education and did not have literacy skills, Mr. Speaker. I think that it is important for us to realize that we put a lot of money and a lot of effort into education, into adult basic education and into literacy.

BHP, Mr. Speaker, has recognized this and they are embarking on their own literacy strategy and spending considerable dollars in this area. We cannot continue to be focused on protectionist strategies. Socio-economic agreements are fine, Mr. Speaker, and they are a good idea to get us started, but eventually we are going to have to be competitive with the south if we hope to employ Northerners and hope to ensure that these benefits do not pass us by.

I would suggest that we have been employing somewhat of a push strategy for getting our people hired. I think we want to concentrate, Mr. Speaker, on the pull. Let us educate our people. Let us concentrate on literacy, so that when we train them, we are training the best people possible.

Mr. Nitah spoke earlier about the need to wage the war on poverty. Mr. Speaker, I believe that he is right. I believe the war on poverty starts with education. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Déclarations de députés. Madam Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on the eve of the last day or the last day, I do not know for sure, I would like to take this time to congratulate you and your office for the positive accomplishments you have achieved over the last year, Mr. Speaker.

Changes, especially positive changes, come very slowly in institutions like this. I believe we must recognize them when they come. For example, I commend you for the ease with which you introduced the traditional Dene outfits for our staff here. It was done so smoothly that we take it for granted, and it seems as though it has always been here. I think the significance of that is recognized by everyone, everyday when they turn the TV on.

Mr. Speaker, for one who is limited from speaking out by virtue of your office, I must say your actions speak very loud and clear. To give more examples, I congratulate you on the appointment of the first woman Sergeant-at-Arms, Nicole Latour-Theede, and the three very prominent positions of Conflict of Interest Commissioner, Carol Roberts; Official Languages Commissioner, Phoebe Tatti; Access to Information and Privacy Commissioner, Elaine Keenan-Bengts, who are all women, Mr. Speaker. I congratulate you and the Board of Management for recognizing that it is not hard to find excellent women who just happen to be the best man or person for the job if you look for them.

There are other changes we noticed, Mr. Speaker, that we take for granted which has become a reality without a lot of fuss. I congratulate you for enlarging our parking lot without damaging too much of the environment surrounding us. I have noticed that you have introduced name tags for staff and visitors. I am not sure if there have been any complaints, but from where I sit I see that as a change.

So you have done a lot, Mr. Speaker. You did it very quietly. I would just like to encourage the government to move as swiftly and positively and without much fuss in improving lots of great things. So, I congratulate you and thank you.

-- Applause

In situations like this, two-and-a-half minutes is not enough.

-- Laughter

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in a very little while, next month, our communities will be going to the polls for municipal elections. They will also be taking part in the federal election shortly.

In regard to the municipal elections, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage people to run for leadership positions and be active in the voting process, both federal and municipal. There are also community corporation elections in some of my communities as well.

The point I wish to make here, Mr. Speaker, is that I am not sure whether I would like them to follow our examples in this House. I have been told from back home, that we seem to spend a lot of time squabbling over what salaries are for our EAs, what the roles and responsibilities are of our staff, rather than major issues that are bothering this Territory, such as economic development opportunities, our social problems and our health problems. The people I speak to at home would like me to urge people, the Members here, to concentrate on more serious issues in this government. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Déclarations de députés. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I had hoped to make a statement on the plight of our disabled residents in the Northwest Territories and especially Hay River. I feel a little disabled myself today because I have not had the time to put into this Member's statement what I had wanted to because of the length of our sessions and the number of meetings we have been having. I think it is important that I do mention the plight of these disabled people.

Mr. Speaker, there has been a committee formed in Hay River comprised of residents with disabilities. They felt this was necessary in order to have their needs addressed. Mr. Speaker, they do have many needs that we as a government have to be aware of and prepared to deal with.

In Hay River, Mr. Speaker, there are many buildings that are not handicapped or wheelchair accessible. In some cases, people with disabilities have a hard time accessing the medical services that they require and, Mr. Speaker, some of them need very special treatment.

Mr. Speaker, Hay River is the only tax-based municipality in the Northwest Territories that does not offer people with disabilities any property tax relief. The Town of Hay River, Mr. Speaker, and this government cannot seem to come to an understanding or an agreement as to who and how the subsidies should be administered.

Also, Mr. Speaker, the fuel subsidy program for seniors that is administered by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is not offered to people with disabilities who own their own homes. Mr. Speaker, I believe it is high time, in view of the skyrocketing fuel prices, that we offer persons with disabilities some badly needed assistance. In this way, we could help them help themselves and, in a lot of cases, feel a lot better about themselves.

Mr. Speaker, this is not acceptable, given that approximately 80 percent of our people in the Northwest Territories with disabilities have a personal income of less than $20,000. Of this group, 48 percent have a personal income of less than $10,000. I would think surely that we as a government would not be adverse to helping this segment of our society. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I stand and want to recognize the hunters and trappers and also the harvesters in the Mackenzie Delta and specifically my riding of Inuvik Twin Lakes, recognizing that they are going through difficult times trying to sustain a livelihood that we are so accustomed to. I just want to stand here and wish them well for this trapping season. Hopefully they will have a prosperous season as well as a safe one. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Braden on November 1, 2000 regarding public sector salaries.

The tentative agreement reached with the Union of Northern Workers, and that is currently in the ratification process, will provide for an increment to the pay line of 3.8 percent in the first year and 2.5 percent in the second year. These increases maintain the competitive position the GNWT holds in comparison to other public sector employees in Canada.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. McLeod on November 1, 2000 regarding the liability of the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development should the bison in Fort Providence injure or kill someone.

Liability depends upon the facts and circumstances of the incident from which a claim for damages arises. Generally, the Government of the Northwest Territories is not liable for damages caused by the actions of wild animals and would not be held liable for the actions of wild bison in Fort Providence.

The bison in question were introduced into the Fort Providence area by the federal government in 1963. RWED sets the quota for the number of bison that may be harvested, in consultation with the community of Fort Providence and undertakes some research to understand the impact of those harvests on the herd. However, the department does not manage individual bison within the herd nor does it control their activities or movements.

The department has expressed its willingness to work with the Hamlet of Fort Providence and the Fort Providence Resource Management Board (FPRMB) to develop a plan to deter bison from occupying Fort Providence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Dent on November 1, 2000. The question was, will this government deliver on promises made by employees to members of the public or to aboriginal governments.

The question is very broad and the Member did not provide information on any particular circumstance that may have given rise to the question.

However, it is clear that when an employee takes a position that is consistent with the law of the GNWT and Canada, is reflective of current GNWT policies, Cabinet and the Legislative Assembly's direction, and is within the GNWT's financial capabilities and the employee's authority and mandate, then that position will be acted upon by this government.

I would be happy to provide more specific information to a more specific question. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Bell on November 3, 2000 regarding payroll tax remittance.

All of the $8.8 million collected in payroll tax in 1999-2000 consisted of tax remittances. Over 90 percent of payroll tax registrants remit the tax on or before the due date, with the bulk of the remainder remitting shortly thereafter.

Recognizing the administrative burden faced by small businesses, the Department of Finance attempts to be flexible in ensuring compliance. However, the department, in following up, does remind late filers of the interest and penalty provisions in the Payroll Tax Act.

Thank you, Minister Handley. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Bell on November 15th regarding whether the recommendations from the report of the Student Working Group on Student Graduate Employment would be enacted by Christmas break.

As mentioned in an earlier response, the Department of the Executive is working with NorthWin to quickly implement an online student employment Web site. This Web site will allow students to apply online for summer employment. The contract for the Web site is being awarded this week. While there will be an attempt to get the site up and running by late December, corporate human resource services will also be advising students of how they can submit applications either in person or online during the Christmas break for possible summer employment in 2001.

In terms of the other recommendations in the report, they will be reviewed by a committee of human resource practitioners over the coming months with the objective of revising and improving the student summer employment program for summer 2001.

Mr. Bell also asked about possible employment over the Christmas period for students. While some students may be home early enough to obtain a short period of casual employment, the mandatory leave days mean there is limited casual work over the Christmas break within government. Thank you.

Thank you, Premier Kakfwi. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a return to an oral question asked by Ms. Lee on November 7, 2000 regarding the hotel room tax survey. The contract is for the amount of $20,000. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Handley. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Honourable Roger Allen and myself, we would like to take this opportunity to introduce people from Inuvik. We do not have an opportunity like this very often. Mr. Brian Desjardin of the town of Inuvik and Christine McLeod, who is a youth councillor, are down here attending the Tech 2000 Conference.

-- Applause

Bienvenue. Mots de bienvenue aux visiteurs. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize some constituents of mine, Mr. Speaker. Sue Ireland is in the gallery and, incidentally, she is also the Hansard editor. Her mother is up visiting, Darlene Archer, from beautiful Thunder Bay, Ontario. Welcome to her. I understand that Sue's seven-month-old daughter Morgan is also in the gallery. She is quite a fan and listens to a lot of Hansard as mom is transcribing. Join me in welcoming them.

-- Applause

Yes, indeed, they are well represented. Welcome to the Assembly. Mots de bienvenue aux visiteurs. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would like to welcome all of the visitors who have come to watch the proceedings. Welcome to the Assembly. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. Mr. Speaker, for some time right after the closure of Giant Mine, there was a lot of work done by this government to get the federal government to pay attention to the environmental problem left by the closure of Giant Mine. I know Mr. Kakfwi lobbied federal Ministers Anderson and Nault extensively to do the right thing and get the clean-up underway.

Mr. Speaker, has the Minister of RWED met with these two federal Ministers recently to press for the expedient start to a clean-up at Giant Mine?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have met with both the Minister of DIAND and the Minister of Environment in early October, I do not have the exact date, and did raise the concerns we have with regard to Giant Mine with them. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At that meeting, was the Minister able to get some commitment from the federal Ministers to proceed with the clean-up of Giant Mine in a reasonable timeframe?

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

Mr. Speaker, the commitment I received at that time from the Minister of DIAND is that they would put money back into the process for the cleaning up of Giant Mine. The amount of money they are willing to put in this year is up to a maximum of $285,000 for surface clean-up. The Minister also indicated to me that they were doing some initial work on the underground problem as well.

With the Minister of Environment, I raised the issue more in terms of this being a serious environmental site and that there was a need for it to be considered when Canada looks at cleaning up any major sites that exist across Canada. In my view, this is a major one. He acknowledged that it was, but did not give me any commitment that it would be on the short list or a list for early actions. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, $250,000 is a drop in the bucket compared to the $16 million needed at Giant for the surface alone. We know that it is over $200 million for the subsurface and we have still got major problems with Colomac. Did the Minister for RWED manage to get DIAND to commit to putting at least a reasonable amount of money into next year's budget so that this process can get back on track?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of DIAND does recognize the problems we face. He recognizes the cost of cleaning up the mine. He did not give me any firm commitment of how much money would go into their budget for next year, but he did indicate that they would continue to work on this particular project.

Mr. Speaker, I might also add that at the same time, I also discussed with him the responsibility that, in my view, the federal government holds for this piece of property and the environmental clean-up. I am continuing to push that with him, that this is a federal responsibility and, although we have been forced to put money into it, we should not have to assume that as the Government of the Northwest Territories. It should be done by the federal government.

Thank you, Minister Handley. Final supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It sounds from the answers to the questions I have received so far today, that there is no timetable that we can point to with any certainty for this to be undertaken. Will the Minister commit to working with the federal Department of the Environment and DIAND to ensure that the public of the Northwest Territories can hear that this clean-up will be undertaken in a meaningful way, so that we know that within five or ten years we will have a solution here?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Minister Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I commit to raising this on every opportunity I have to continue to make sure it is on our agenda and will be pushing the federal government to make a commitment for the overall clean-up of the mine.

In the meantime, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to say that, as a government, we are prepared to put some money into this in the interim, even though we feel it is DIAND's responsibility. It is the federal government's responsibility. We will do some work ourselves to protect worker safety and also to do some immediate clean-up in the short term. We cannot afford to just leave this unattended while we negotiate whose responsibility it is. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister Handley. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister responsible for the Public Service Act and the Public Service Regulations. It is in regard to my statement about public perception out there where there are certain employees within the government who are taking part in the federal election. Mr. Speaker, all other employees within this government are not able to take part because of the restriction on all government employees, that they are restricted under section 34.2 of the Public Service Act.

So, I would like to ask the Minister, does he have any idea as to how many employees of this government are taking part in the federal election?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board Secretariat, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have a lot of employees in the Northwest Territories and many communities, not just in Yellowknife, but all across the North. The employees of the Government of the Northwest Territories have certain rights that are laid out in the Public Service Act. I really do not know how many are taking part in various political activities. Mr. Speaker, I will take that question as notice and provide the information to the Member.

Thank you, Minister Handley. The question has been taken as notice. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the social assistance regulations are pursuant to the Social Assistance Act and the income support delivery must be consistent with both the act and the regulations because income support is a statutory program. The policies were developed to provide communities with consistency in administration of the program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is a project underway for harmonization between the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and the Department of Education on their social program to make the program consistent. That is underway at the moment, Mr. Speaker, and we expect to bring that forward that harmonization to make consistency an issue. We should be bringing that forward in the near future.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe what I said, Mr. Speaker, was that the issue of income support would be, if there is delivery and control, that it would have to be done through the self-government negotiating process, which we have in process in this government. Of course, the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs is the lead on that. Thank you.

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

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

I cannot answer the question in that sense, Mr. Speaker. The departmental officials are following the act and the policies that are in place. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Ootes. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lakes, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question at this time is directed to the Premier. Mr. Speaker, as in my Member's statement, this is an issue that has been going on and it is regarding the contract. The Minister gave me a suggestion and said that I could go and view this contract. That has not happened to date. I made the call. I tried to see if we could set up a viewing and that is not happening. So he has given me an empty suggestion.

I would like to know from the Premier, will he once again provide that information to Members of this House to finalize this issue? Let us clean it up. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Committee on Accountability and Oversight has sent me a letter. The chair has written me a letter indicating that the committee is prepared and is supporting the suggestion made earlier this week to proceed with amendments to the Public Service Act to provide clarity to the roles and responsibilities of the political staff.

So we are in agreement with the committee. The chair has also indicated that he understands that a contract cannot be provided for reasons of privacy and so has asked for certain information to be provided to the committee. Mr. Chairman, we are preparing that information for the committee.

I want to point out, Mr. Chairman, that the information that the Member has asked for has in fact been provided on a number of occasions. There was a meeting with the Accountability and Oversight Committee last Friday, which I believe Mr. Roland was not present at, where the deputy minister, the most senior civil servant in this government, has said categorically:

"We cannot put in a contract anything that goes against an act or regulations of this government, that is, we cannot contract out of the Public Service Act and we have not done that."

The Member was not in the room when this information was being provided. Mr. Speaker, we have said consistently we have been advised by our staff that what Cabinet has done or is doing is consistent with the laws and regulations provided to this government. We have said that the contract does not refer to the individual in question as the deputy minister. The contract does not refer to the individual in question as the deputy minister. What the contract does is, in the section, refer to an appendices, which refers to deputy minister-type benefits. The contract says she is a chief of staff and that she is an executive assistant to the Premier and that is the function.

It says that where there is reference to deputy minister, it should read chief of staff, instead of DM, in regard to conflict of interest requirements. This is what we have already provided to Members and the response is being prepared right now to the chair of the Accountability and Oversight Committee, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Before we proceed to supplementaries, I just want to caution Members to be very careful about references to meetings that are outside of this Chamber that may or may not have been in-camera but still have not reported to the House. So just be cautious on how references are made to other meetings that may have been attended. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I feel that I have to clarify that since the Premier has raised the issue. The Speaker does have my letter stating where I would be. I was....

-- Interjection

Order, please. Order. Order, Mr. Roland. I am just cautioning the House not to take liberties that may conflict with rules, your rules. So, please, if Members will abide by that and not refer to other meetings that may or may not have been reported to the House yet. Proceed, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess he can make a comment and get it recorded and I cannot. The fact is, Mr. Speaker, we have asked him for this information and he has, I believe, just quoted from the document saying that where it said deputy minister level, it should say executive assistant.

Seeing that he has quoted from the document, will he table it in this House now, since he is using pieces of the actual information in that document? He is leaving us at a disadvantage and he is going to supply what information he wants to hear. So will he table that now that he has quoted? Table it as it is and not revise it as he has stated. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In all respect to your requests that we adhere to the rules, I was simply quoting statements made by Liz Snider, the secretary to Cabinet, in response to questions that were made. I was not making references myself personally from the contract.

As I have said consistently, the contract cannot be tabled and cannot be provided to Members as is, due to privacy reasons. We have an obligation, I believe under the Act to protect the privacy of employees of this government. This is personal information that is entrusted to us by employees. I would ask the Member to respect that, to quit implying that I am...

A point of order has been called. Mr. Roland, your point of order please.

Point of Order

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My point of order is the fact that the Premier has quoted from a document that we do not have access to, therefore limiting my ability as a Member to do the work that I have before me. He is refusing documents. He has quoted from the document, Mr. Speaker. He has referenced it in this House. I believe his obligation now is to table that document as it is. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. I do not believe you have a point of order. I think your question was directed, "Would you table it?" and perhaps the Premier, in his own way, was getting to that question and you interrupted him. I am sure he was fast approaching the answer to it. So your point of order is disallowed. Mr. Premier, would you care to conclude your answer?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just to clarify a minor point, the deputy minister, or the secretary to Cabinet, Liz Snider, had made some statements to Members earlier in the session and I was simply quoting her at that time.

Order, please. I am going to have to ask if you would answer the question. We are beginning to sound like a debate and I do not think that is within our rules. The question was asked and I realize the Ministers can answer any way they choose, but it is now going beyond an answer.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, since the Premier quoted from the document, from the contract, I believe that now he is obligated to table that in the House. Will he do so, so that we can do our work? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have been quoting what the secretary to Cabinet has stated to Members of the Legislature earlier in the week. I was not quoting from the document. I was simply reiterating what the good Member missed because he did not attend a certain meeting earlier in the week.

But let me be clear. The contract, as I understand it, does not spell out the roles and responsibilities in detail that the Members want. That is provided, in fact, through the ministerial guidelines, what an executive assistant does. So in that regard, the contract is of no particular use to the Members in any case.

But, the chair of the Accountability and Oversight Committee, on behalf, I understand, of all Members of the Legislature, has asked for certain information: classification of the position; salary range of the position; discretionary benefits; and, I believe employment responsibilities. And as I have said, we are preparing that information. So what is the Member's problem? I do not understand. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Final supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My problem is the fact that I believe I heard the Premier say in the contract where it states deputy minister should be executive assistant. Is he revising history? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. I am not sure of the question. I am not sure of the question, Mr. Roland. Could I ask you to restate the question, please?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, for the record, the Premier stated earlier that in the contract where it stated deputy minister it should read executive assistant. As I understand that, Mr. Speaker, the contract is written then at a deputy minister level. Is he trying to revise history here now by saying it is an executive assistant position and that is how it should be written in the contract? Is that the fact?