Thank you, Mr. Delorey. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Welcome, Mr. Furlong. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Mr. Ed Jeske, who is a former teacher from Sir John Franklin High School, who also taught me how to drive about 20 years ago.

-- Laughter

Welcome, Mr. Jeske.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Jeske also taught me how to drive some 40 years ago. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize a very special visitor in the gallery, Mrs. Whitford.

-- Applause

To everyone else who has taken this opportunity to visit us, welcome to the Legislative Assembly. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is addressed to the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, I was approached by a constituent of mine who is disabled, and as well, the recipient of a new pair of glasses. He had received a pair of glasses from the Stanton eye team.

Mr. Speaker, when he showed me the glasses, I can only say that I was shocked by the quality. The edges of the glass were all chipped. As well, there were fractures along the edges. These were brand new glasses.

I want to thank the Minister for her assistance in dealing with this particular constituent. But I am concerned, Mr. Speaker, that this may be indicative of greater quality control problems and service, hopefully not just to the constituency of Fort Smith or the disabled, but a concern across the North.

I would like to ask the Minister if she is going to check on this to ensure there is a radical standard of quality for all recipients of this service. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am very much aware of the issue the Member raises in the House today and in the form of this question.

The constituent he spoke of was prescribed eyeglasses, which were ordered through the Stanton eye team. They came to him through the Family Vision Centre. When they arrived, they were damaged, and the constituent rightly passed these on to his MLA who passed them on to me.

I had them on my desk in my office. I saw first hand the condition of the eyeglasses. I concur with the Member that there was something seriously wrong with the workmanship in these glasses.

I hope that this is an isolated incident. However, if anyone else has similar issues where constituents have received eyeglasses which were not up to normal standards, I would be pleased to hear about it and would undertake to deal with the company on this.

I hope this is an isolated incident. I understand the constituent in question will have new glasses by the end of this month. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Supplementary Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. While I share the Minister's hope that this is an isolated example or incident, I would like to ask the Minister if she would commit to making sure, through her department, that the service providers are notified about the expectation of adequate service to all the people they serve. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe this was an isolated and unfortunate incident. If it became apparent that there were numerous cases of this, I would undertake to communicate with the providers of the eyeglasses.

I think there is a process that has been followed. It was an unsatisfactory purchase. The merchandise has been returned. It will be replaced. If there appears to be a broader issue and a broader problem, it may require direct communication with the supplier in the future. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister, hopefully in the not too distant future, will be coming to Fort Smith. I would ask that she add this issue to her briefing book. I am sure it will come up from the particular constituents involved. Once the word is out of the Minister's concern, I am sure others will be there with their concerns as well, not only about eyeglasses, but a whole myriad of related health issues. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. There was a question in there as to whether or not the Minister would add that to her briefing book, but it was more of a comment.

Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we have been busy preparing budgets for the upcoming fiscal year, I know the finance Minister has travelled down to Ottawa to speak to Ministers in Ottawa regarding our fiscal situation. I would like the Minister to update this house as to whether or not his discussions in Ottawa were successful in getting more dollars for the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The visit to Ottawa and the meeting with Finance Minister Martin was successful as a first step towards getting more money for the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Martin listened very well and carefully, and I think with some enthusiasm, to our description of the resources and the resource potential we have in the North.

As well, he listened very carefully to our concerns regarding the performance of the formula. I think it was a good first step, with the intention that we will be following up. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister inform us what the next steps will be? Will they be in time to help us out with our present budget? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The Minister responsible for the Department of Finance, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Finance has committed to having a senior member of his staff, a member responsible for provincial-federal, territorial-federal fiscal relationships, come to Yellowknife to sit down with our finance people and go through the formula and our reasons why we feel it is not working well. We intend to have that done next week.

As well, we have made a commitment to provide the federal Minister of Finance and other Ministers with more information on our resource development potential. We hope to have a draft of the economic strategy, that is a work of a steering committee representing a lot of people, in his hands within the next two or three weeks. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister spoke of the economic strategy that he will hopefully be able to present to the Ministers in Ottawa. Can the Minister inform us that this strategy will be shared with this Assembly as well, as we prepare to provide information to Ottawa? Thank you.