Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi, and welcome. Marie, I am glad that you now have the opportunity to come and watch from a different perspective. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would like to welcome everyone who has taken the time today to come to see the special events that occurred. Now, I would like to ask the Members' indulgence to take a break and join the Minister of Finance in the Great Hall to meet the constituents and discuss matters.

-- Break

I will call the House back to order. Item 7, oral questions. The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Premier. It is in regard to the statement I made about oil and gas and the concerns I have raised. We have to do more to improve the education and more to meet the requirements that are going to be needed to take on the opportunities that will come from oil and gas development. Also, we must ensure we have the resources to improve the facilities and infrastructure in the Mackenzie Delta-Beaufort Sea region.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to rephrase this question to the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. Is this government committed to do what it has done for the diamond industry with the oil and gas industry? For example, putting somewhere in the neighbourhood of $12 million into the diamond industry for training and developing a secondary industry, and also providing dollars and guarantees to businesses. Will the Minister tell us if he is willing to go that far for the oil and gas industry?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly when we met with the oil and gas industry in Calgary last week, they were very clear that two main issues to them were the availability of equipment and the availability of workers to work in the field.

Aboriginal people, on the other hand, have also made it very clear to us that they want an equity position in pipelines, companies and so on. So, in answer to the question, yes we will consider investment in the oil and gas business. We will consider any good options. I am sure Mr. Ootes, the Minister of Education, is already working on some ideas in terms of how we will do training in the oil and gas business.

In terms of assisting companies on the business perspective within our means, then certainly we want to do that. We are not going to treat oil and gas any differently than we do diamonds. They are both non-renewable resources. They both hold a lot of potential for us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister tell me if the department is developing a non-renewable resource strategy structured strictly towards the oil and gas industry, so we can see for ourselves where this government is going with the oil and gas industry? Also, we can see how we as a government will be putting resources into the different sectors, such as training, since you did mention the Minister of Education. We can also see that there are resources to help small businesses take advantage of these developments.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development is taking the lead on an inter-departmental approach to oil and gas. We have an inter-departmental committee that is representative of eight areas, which includes research, analysis, communication, project infrastructure, investment and northern business development, environmental considerations, community impact, human resource development, financing, and the revenue consideration and secondary industry.

We are doing it exactly the way we did with the diamond industry. We want to look at how do we as a government, not just one department but all of the affected departments, how do we work together to make sure we maximize the benefits for Northerners? We are taking the lead on that. It is an ongoing committee. It has held a number of meetings across, up and down the valley, and we will carry on with that until we are satisfied we have maximized the benefits. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with the coordination and involvement of industry, the people from the different municipalities in the Beaufort Sea, the community leaders and the aboriginal leaders in the Beaufort Sea-Mackenzie Delta who will be affected by these developments, I feel it is critical this government moves fast on this effort.

It is essential we ensure we are ready for these developments as we know there is already some significant activity taking place, with more on the way. Is the Minister committed to funding a regional conference in Inuvik to deal with oil and gas in the next couple of months? We are looking at possibly November or December.

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

Mr. Speaker. I think the idea of having a conference in the Delta in Inuvik in the fall is an excellent one. Yes, we are committed to finding the resources in this area to make it happen. My understanding is the industry is also very interested in participating with us. I think with some discussion how we want to structure it with the aboriginal groups, then we are ready to begin planning. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Mr. Minister, for that. I would like to ask the Minister to keep the other Members for those regions and myself informed on where you are going as a department. I would also like to ask that you keep the Beaufort leaders aware of the activities that are taking place, so we can try to coordinate this in a fast and smooth manner.

With that, I would like to ask the Minister to ensure that we continue the dialogue and consultation, and that it continues to remain open until we arrive at the conference.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we appreciate the support and the cooperation we have received from the Ordinary Members. We fully intend to continue with that commitment, both to Ordinary Members in this House as well as to aboriginal organizations and industry. I think with all of us working together, we can achieve a lot. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Handley. Item 7, oral questions. The Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Could I have that question again please?

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Lafferty, would you be so kind as to repeat the question?

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister for Transportation, Mr. Steen.