Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I raised a concern in regard to the water system and the costs that have increased in the community of Fort McPherson. Mr. Speaker, the thing that alarmed me in walking through the Great Hall was taking a look at the visitors' book, where visitors who come to this gallery put their name in the book and also a comment or two.

Mr. Speaker, I was surprised to read the comments from the mayor of Fort McPherson, "The meeting never went well", and the comment from John Smith, the same comment but adding "a lack of government support" in that important phrase.

We are here to serve the people, not to serve ourselves, but yet Mr. Speaker, from the meeting that was held yesterday and the comments that I read in the visitors book in the Great Hall, it clearly states that there was no outcome to the satisfaction of the mayor of Fort McPherson, the SAO, and myself as the MLA for the riding. Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of questions to be answered. Why was it that information was withheld from the community of Fort McPherson and the residents of Fort McPherson on the building practice of the Department of Public Works and Services?

The information was only revealed after I made a personal sit-down with the Minister to ask for a list of items and information for the communities. When the community met with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, they were told, after asking for detailed cost breakdowns on a monthly basis, that the information could not be provided.

Yet every month they receive in the mail an invoice for maintenance of the Fort McPherson water plant for $67,000. No questions asked. Pay the bill and be quiet. Mr. Speaker, this problem has been apparent for over two years and this government has made it their priority. Saying it is not a priority of government or saying that it does not stand the test to require emergency funding is not called for. Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister responsible questions on this matter later.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to talk about the Auditor General's report to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly that we will be getting to in committee of the whole. Every year, Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General provides a report to help ensure accountability to the spending of public funds. In effect, they follow the cash right to the program and service delivery level. Typically, the Auditor General makes observations or recommendations to government. It is then up to this House and up to the public to ensure these issues are addressed and corrected.

Mr. Speaker, this goes for traditional line departments as well as crown corporations of this government. After all, Mr. Speaker, it is all public money. To quote the Auditor General Report year ended March 31, 1995, Mr. Speaker:

"Territorial corporations have a different accountability relationship to the Legislative Assembly from that of government departments. Many have boards of directors and other interested stakeholders. Governments have an obligation to make sure that public spending through public agencies meets the same standards for achieving results as departmental spending."

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General, in this year's report, makes some revealing observations in the area of the Northwest Territories Development Corporation. This year's report, Mr. Speaker, taken in isolation, I am sure the public will wonder:

1. How the Development Corporation can over-expend public money without approval;
2. How the Development Corporation can provide no information as to whether or not they are achieving their mandate; and
3. How they can operate on the basis of a confidential record-of-decision issued by FMB in 1989, Mr. Speaker.

However, taken together with the Auditor General's recommendations from the past five years, the public is likely to wonder how the Development Corporation ever survived this long, given an obvious lack of accountability for public funds.

So, Mr. Speaker, when the government responds to the Auditor General's observations and our committee's recommendations this year, before we take them at their word, let us keep in mind their track record. Mr. Speaker, we say that the auditors are the ones who come around after the battle's been lost, stabbed and wounded. I say, Mr. Speaker, this government continues to defy all odds and drag itself back to the field of battle year after year undaunted. It is truly amazing, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I am pleased to ask my colleagues to share with me as I extend my congratulations to Mr. Fred Carmichael on his election last evening as the new president of the Gwich'in Tribal Council. Also, to Mr. Wilbert Firth who has been elected vice-president. As you know, Mr. Carmichael is a well respected, well-known aviator and an individual throughout the Mackenzie Delta and across the Northwest Territories. I am confident both will provide strong leadership and be able to represent the Gwich'in people of the Mackenzie Delta very well. I look forward to working with both Fred and Wilbert in their new leadership roles with the Gwich'in Nation.

I also wish to recognize the efforts of Mr. Richard Nerysoo, the outgoing president, for his years of hard work and dedication he provided to the Gwich'in people of the Mackenzie Delta. I wish him well and all the best in his future endeavours. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize a group of young people in the gallery who are studying about government. It is Madam Le Doze's grade 5 French immersion class from J.H. Sissons.

-- Applause

Thank you. Bienvenue. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize in the gallery David Hessdorfer, the recipient of the Governor General of Canada Fire Service Exemplary Service Medal.

-- Applause

Thank you. Members, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize in the gallery a former Member of the Legislative Assembly and a Minister of the government, now a senator for the Northwest Territories, our good friend, Senator Nick Sibbeston.

-- Applause

I thought he was going to make a speech there for awhile. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Oral...I am sorry, Mr. Braden. I will return to Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Speaker's prerogative. Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is always a pleasure to see families here in the Assembly and along with my colleague, the Minster for Transportation, I would like to recognize from the riding of Great Slave, Mr. Hessdorfer, his wife Joyce, son Craig and daughter Sheila.

-- Applause

Thank you. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would like to welcome everyone who has taken the time to come and visit us. Welcome to the Assembly. I hope you stay for question period, which is next. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the issues I have to refer back to is the Minister's Forum on Student Financial Assistance. Out of that came some recommendations that the focus should be on northern schooled and aboriginal students and that the amount of money to be given to students was to be raised and that the redesign be provided within the financial framework. Mr. Speaker, we have done that. We have provided more money for students. We have focused on more than schooled students and aboriginal students and we have done that within the financial framework. As a matter of fact, we added $500,000 to the framework, Mr. Speaker. So to live within that, we had to recognize what we could do within the program. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It sounded to me like the Minister was saying no, he will not stand behind the promises made. Mr. Speaker, the Minister says that he had to make these changes to live within the financial constraints of the program. Last year, his department lapsed over $800,000 in student financial assistance.

Mr. Speaker, how can this Minister say that we could not deal with these very few students who would be affected by this and still stand behind the promises this government made? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, last year, as Mr. Dent says, and that particular department was under another Minister at that time for a ten-month period. The enrolments are done in the fall and close to winter, Mr. Speaker. So the lapsing of the funding obviously was a case of inappropriate allocations. Now, Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that we have modeled this system and our model is coming in on target. We do not expect to lapse a lot of money this year, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

-- Applause