Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Please be seated. Good morning everyone. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On many occasions in the early days of our new Assembly, Members have talked about the concept and ideas for the vision, objectives and strategies of the 14th Assembly. Defining that vision and how we can make it happen was among this Assembly's earliest tasks.

In February, we enjoyed the hospitality of the community of Fort Providence for four days. We compared, argued and compromised with the values and agendas of 19 freshly elected, vigorous and highly principled politicians. We did not fully achieve our goal that week.

Subsequently, Mr. Speaker, we met for another two days earlier this month to finalize our work. Today, I address the House as the Chair of Caucus to advise the people of the Northwest Territories that our document has cleared its final revision and is now at the printers.

Mr. Speaker, our plan is to release this important document next Friday, March 31, 2000. It is called "Towards A Better Tomorrow", and it takes its inspiration from the words of a prayer by Fort Providence elder Mitch Landry, at the tremendous feast the community hosted for us.

The Honourable Joe Handley, House Leader of the government, will join me and Caucus deputy chair Steven Nitah, the Member for Tu Nedhe, in its release and in taking our message out to the people of the Northwest Territories. We will also be distributing copies to every mailbox in the Northwest Territories, and making direct contact to a broad range of other governments and agencies. We want to talk about the plan and get some response and reaction.

Our expectation is not that we will get instant approval from everyone. That would be too easy. Rather, we hope this paper will spark a renewal like fine spring weather in our optimism and outlook for the future. I look forward to rising in the Assembly next Friday and tabling the document that will help us towards a better tomorrow. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On this very fine Friday, I would like to take the opportunity to recognize and honour an important segment of the people whom we serve and represent; our youth. As the Members may have noticed, we have a huge number of young people in the gallery who, I believe, will be recognized later on at the appropriate time on the order paper.

Mr. Speaker, we have been hearing a lot this week about which side of this House works harder. I am not sure who would win that battle, but as a new Member on this side, I can say it has literally been meeting after meeting around the clock in the last few days and weeks.

Mr. Speaker, I once had a dessert called "Death by Chocolate", which was very good. I wonder sometimes if we are collectively engaged in an exercise of "death by paper" or "death by meetings". When I feel buried in these meetings and papers, I get empowered by the happy thoughts and positive energy I receive by remembering the young people I have come into contact with since I decided to enter into a political life.

I have had the occasion to visit local schools to speak to them about what we do as MLAs, and to read to them during their literacy week. The look of curiosity and fascination in their eyes are something to treasure. I experienced the same look from the group of young people I met in Fort Providence during our Caucus retreat when they came to visit me at our hotel on the last day there.

I know it is for the well-being and secure future of these young citizens, not only in my riding of Range Lake, but throughout our vast Territory that we often engage in rancorous debates on both sides of this House. I do not think we need to wait for a special day to do this.

I would like to take a moment to recognize the youth of our Territory on behalf of everyone in this House. The group of seven children in the gallery is especially dear to me, Mr. Speaker, for their unusual enthusiasm for political process.

Brooke and Dana Harris wrote and sang a song for me, which was aired in one of the riding profiles on Northbeat.

James and Aurora Williams came out in the early hours of a very cold morning to do what is known as a burma-shave. This is a code word for those greet and wave sessions by the roadside during our campaign.

Mickey Marshall and Kayla Chang became fascinated with all of the campaign material, and would often come to my office to stock up on the buttons and posters. I had no idea what they did with them all, but I do know one of the posters is still hanging in Mickey's window by Wal-mart.

Andrew Hoover was volunteered by his mother to go door-to-door with me for an hour. He liked it so much, he stayed...

Ms. Lee, the time allowed for your Member's statement has expired.

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

The Member for Range Lake is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Ms. Lee, you have unanimous consent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Andrew Hoover was volunteered by his mother to go door-to-door with me for an hour. He liked it so much, he stayed for another four hours on the last day of the campaign.

I would also like to recognize the Fort Providence youth, who are not here in person, but to whom I would like to send greetings. They are Audrey-Lynn Landry, Chelsea Elleze, Rebecca Landry, Dori-Ann Lefoin, Simon Elleze, Samantha Perron, Melissa Elleze, Eva Yakinneah, and Shauna McLeod, who I understand watches the Session on television every day.

Mr. Speaker, I am thrilled to see these budding politicians of tomorrow. I would like to tell them to dream big and work hard. I would ask the Members to join me in welcoming them to the House and in sending greetings out to all of the youth in the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk briefly on the issue of quality of blue-chip information in the government.

Every day, Ministers and deputy ministers are making significant decisions on the programs and services. Decisions that often have huge impacts on people and dollars. In the private sector, most decisions are made based on good, quality blue-chip information. Things like understanding of their market, precise financial information, detailed understanding of their employees and their skills. Mr. Speaker, since first coming to the Assembly in 1995-96, I have been asking for similar types of information. I wanted more than vague reassurances as to how well decisions would be made and why they were being made.

Over the past few weeks, I have once again been reminded that we still do not have this quality of information in all areas of the government. I would like to cite three examples, Mr. Speaker.

The first one is position numbers. The government regularly says people are our most important resource. It follows that the government should have a good understanding of what human resources it has and where. In 1996, standing committees wanted to know how many people work for the government and where. It seemed to us like a simple question. In fact, it became a six-month, arduous exercise from reconciling numbers from an electronic system and comparing them to where people actually were and where they worked. As a result, government moved away from full-time equivalents, and decided we should keep track of positions.

In April of 1997, FMBS was finally able to produce a report that was supposed to be an accurate reflection of the number of staff, the employee, department and location. As I mentioned yesterday, Mr. Speaker, I recently requested information on the departments, position and location. I was given information in December and was told it had been double-checked by departments.

Mr. Speaker, I did not really think this was a big issue, since it was numbers pulled off of the accurate PeopleSoft system, a system we have spent millions of dollars on and have a large staff employed to maintain.

Mr. Speaker, I was very disturbed when I saw the final figures and the significant differences between what is on the PeopleSoft system and what the departments say are the real numbers.

The second area is financial information, Mr. Speaker. The fiscal outlook and projected deficits seem to be moving targets of the tens of millions of dollars, often it seems overnight. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in 1995-96, numbers offered by FMBS changed by $50 million in the course of six weeks. I remember that time period well.

In the fall of 1998, the Assembly was told things were really good and significant supplementary spending subsequently took place, near $100 million, if my memory serves me correctly. Five months later, we were told those figures were not quite what we thought, and things were not as rosy. In fact, things were looking a little grim.

Apparently again this week, fiscal position has differed from that paper by $19 million.

The third area, Mr. Speaker, is written questions. During the February Session, I had asked a number of written questions requesting basic operating information. For example, I asked Public Works and Services to tell me how many contracts were over budget and by how much. Mr. Speaker, what they gave me was about six trees worth of every contract they have, which tells me nothing. It does not tell me what contracts were over budget and by how much. Mr. Speaker, that is the kind of information that should be readily available. It came up more than six months ago. I was also told in every written response how hard it was and how much work it was to provide that kind of basic, standard information.

If we are going to make good decisions, we need blue-chip information. I would hope this government would make a greater effort to provide basic information, and tell us in a clear way, and honour the promise they made for straight answers on simple questions. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is regarding economic opportunities for First Nations people, especially people who have land claim settlements. Mr. Speaker, the Gwich'in negotiated their claim some eight years ago, yet sections of that agreement are not implemented. That is the responsibility of this government.

Mr. Speaker, I am speaking of chapter 10 of the Gwich'in Agreement, which is the economic chapter. It clearly identifies that the government carries out public activities in the settlement area, and gives rise to employment and economic opportunities when the government elects to enter into contracts with respect to those activities.

It continues to stipulate that the Government of the Northwest Territories procurement and negotiating policies and processes are to maximize local, regional and northern employment and business opportunities.

Yet, I was alarmed to hear of a contract that went out to the Inuvik Regional Health Board regarding security reception services. Chii Construction, which is a company with the band in Inuvik, which is a Gwich'in organization, had the contract for the previous three years. They did, in my eyes, a good job and they had the experience. Yet they were not successful in their bid, considering they were the lowest bidder and they had the work experience.

On top of that, Mr. Speaker, they were not told there was a process to appeal. After making an attempt to appeal their case, they were told there were no policies in place with the Inuvik Regional Health Board to appeal the contract.

I find that alarming. These are public funds put forth by this Legislature to carry out activities for this government. Yet we talk about partnerships with aboriginal First Nations and improving the lives of these people, but it seems that whenever they take the step and strive to improve their economic opportunities and enhance the lives of the people they represent, they are losing out. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member for Mackenzie Delta is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Krutko, you may conclude your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, there is no real process or avenue for this government to ensure the obligations that are in place in the Gwich'in Agreement, which is a public document that is protected by the Constitution. This government is not making any effort to change its policies to ensure we receive the maximum potential that has been negotiated which is that this government improve the lives and conditions of aboriginal peoples.

We talk about public funds. I would like to again mention that this contract is public money. Yet there is no appeal process. There was not one aboriginal person on the board that reviewed the contract. We talk of fairness and whatnot. The majority of people in Inuvik and the Inuvik region are aboriginal people, yet not one aboriginal person took part in the review of these contracts. That is an injustice, when you are not being judged by your peers, but by people from outside the region.

I will be asking the Minister responsible for Finance some questions on policies and procurement to ensure aboriginal people receive their fair share of economic opportunities in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take this moment to recognize an elder from my constituency, Mr. Joe Farcy, who passed away on Saturday, March 18, 2000. Mr. Speaker, Joe was born on April 4, 1912, and raised in the North Channel area at the mouth of the Mackenzie River. He spent many years trapping on the Horn plateau area. As a youngster, he worked as a woodcutter for the SS Distributor and the mission in Fort Providence.

Joe loved the bush life. He was a trapper, a hunter and a fisherman. Mr. Speaker, from 1955 to 1985, Joe served on the band council under the leadership of Chief Vital Baton Rouge and Chief Phillip Simba. Joe always acted and served in the best interests of his people. He was a friend, a good adviser, and an elder for the community. Joe was pre-deceased by his wife Theresa and children Morslan, Phillip, Fabian and Alex. Joe is survived by his three sons, four daughters, 26 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Once again, on behalf of my constituents, I offer our condolences, prayers and support to the Farcy family.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The condolences of the Legislative Assembly are extended to the Farcy family. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, since it is Friday and all, I would like to start off by sending greetings back to my wife and children. I would also like to take this opportunity to try and look at this forum we are in, in a different light.

Mr. Speaker, being a hockey player, and it is said that due to my age, I have gone from speeding around the rink to coasting around the rink, I would like to draw some parallels to this forum. Mr. Speaker, what I felt like yesterday when we found out information about the interim budget, I felt like a player that was sent a blind pass. I was in the tracks and looked behind to receive the puck and was hit by a wall.

Mr. Speaker, that was the feeling I had yesterday as we found out information regarding Municipal and Community Affairs. I do not think this was a purposeful thing. Most of the time, your own team-mates do not set you up to be hit hard. They try to get you the puck so you can score a goal. Hopefully, this was an event that was unintentional. In fact, as they say in the game of hockey, when you get hit hard, you get up and you skate again, but you remember the number of the player who hit you. Mr. Speaker, I remember the number.

I remember my days in contact hockey. One of the best feelings I had as a defenseman was when I knew I had my opponent lined up in my sights, and he was in his tracks. Mr. Speaker, the game is not over. We are early in the first period, and I have my head up. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Indeed you have your job cut out for you with defensemen like Mr. Handley and Mrs. Groenewegen. They make it pretty tough to score a goal. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my constituents in the Nunakput riding, I would like to recognize our young athletes who participated in the Arctic Winter Games. I would like to congratulate the following individuals, who won gold, silver, and bronze ulus:

• • Charlton Wolki from Tuktoyaktuk was part of the silver medal midget hockey team;
• • Matthew Anikina from Tuktoyaktuk won silver in the Alaskan high kick, and bronze in the one-foot high kick;
• • Phillip Jacobson from Tuktoyaktuk, junior male in Arctic sports, won gold in the one-foot high kick, gold in the knee-jump, silver in all-around, silver in the two-foot high kick and bronze in the Alaskan high kick;
• • Noah Pokiak from Tuktoyaktuk, junior male in Arctic sports, won a bronze in all around, and a bronze in the two-foot high kick;
• • Sharon Alanak from Holman Island, open female in Arctic sports, won gold in all-around, and gold in the two-foot high kick;
• • Eli Nasogaluak from Tuktoyaktuk, open male in Arctic sports, won gold in head pole; and
• • Irwin Elias from Tuktoyaktuk, open male in Arctic sports, won gold in one-hand reach and silver in one-foot high kick.

Mr. Speaker, I hope the Members will join me in thanking all of these athletes, both those who received medals and those who did their best for their participation and professionalism they showed in representing the Northwest Territories in these games. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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