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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the time to thank volunteers from the Hay River Reserve. A constituent of mine went missing from the Hay River Reserve last week. On the day that I heard the news, I tried to contact several places on the reserve, including the band office and I could not get a hold of anyone. Everyone was out searching.

Mr. Ernest Tambour went missing from the Judith Fabian Centre on the reserve. This facility provides extended care services to the elderly and the mentally challenged. A ground, air and water search was conducted by Hay River Royal Canadian Mounted Police; RCMP police dog services from Peace River; Edmonton's RCMP air section; Hay River Coast Guard auxiliary; Hay River Fire Department; the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development; Evergreen Forest Management; South Mackenzie Correctional Centre, and a number of local area residents.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to say that Mr. Tambour was found unharmed. He endured six nights alone in the bush. He was taken to the hospital for observation and he suffered only sore feet. Today, he is out of the hospital. He is resting and has been visited by his family and friends, who are grateful for his safe return.

I would like to thank the volunteers who found Ernest and would like to take this opportunity to thank all the rescuers for their continued support in ensuring the safety of the people, and thank the residents who volunteered in the search. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since the Ordinary Members of this House came forward with the unanimous recommendation to urge the government to set up a Public Service Commission, I have had a lot of constituents call me to discuss it, and they were wondering what prompted this.

I think for me, my concerns about personnel issues, I have discussed them in the House before. I have had constituents come to me. One in particular who wanted to grieve a position that she was not included in the competition for but felt, in the end, that it would not be worth it, for fear of reprisal or being blacklisted. That is probably a legitimate concern in some instances.

They were also very concerned about the affirmative action statistics of this government. They just are not getting any better, Mr. Speaker. So we felt it was time to do something. We recommended a Public Service Commission. We have been working on this issue for a little while though, Mr. Speaker, this is not out of the blue. Our Ordinary Members' committee recommended, in April, to the Government House Leader that we do a comprehensive review of this government's human resource function.

Mr. Speaker, he sent our committee a letter. I will just quote from it. He said, "in summary, I do not believe the timing is right for a management audit of human resource management in the government. I suggest we review this idea in about a year's time."

I do not think we were very happy with the response. He also went further to suggest that possibly a working group be established that would take government staff and Ordinary Members' staff, have them review some personnel issues, and get back to us with a report.

Mr. Speaker, to be quite honest, we just feel that we could not represent the public interest effectively that way. We do not have the staff and the resources to do the job on this that it deserves, so we felt that, basically, any recommendations coming forward from this working group would be government recommendations and we would simply be rubber-stamping them.

Mr. Speaker, I can assure you concerns about personnel have been going on for some time. In the early 1990s, when the department was blown up, we decided to devolve the authority to the community level. Personnel related jobs and functions have been swelling. There are vast numbers of human resource people in government now and we have a smaller government.

In 1989, the SCONE Report, Special Committee on Northern Economy, recommended setting up a Public Service Commission. Yesterday, Mrs. Groenewegen tabled a report on child welfare services, recommending that the comprehensive Northwest Territories human resources development strategy be undertaken in this government. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The Member for Yellowknife South is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This was recognized as an issue in this report. It is not a new concern, Mr. Speaker. I think the Ordinary Members realize that all of the regions in the country except for Nunavut have Public Service Commissions. Our government currently loses one-third of all appeals any time there is a job grievance. Our affirmative action statistics are dismal and are not getting much better. Just in explanation to the public, that is why we felt it was time to take action. We felt we had to do something.

We have recommended a Public Service Commission. Basically, our constituents said to us, "Let us take the politics out of hiring." This was our response. We hope the government will take action. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize a well-known member of our community, yet it is with sadness that I deliver this message today. This week, the family members of Mr. Mike Piro mourned the death of their husband, father and grandfather. As well as the family, there are many people in the city of Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories and elsewhere who have learned of his passing, both with sadness and recollections of their memories of Mike over the more than 50 years he called the North his home.

Mr. Speaker, the contributions of Mr. Piro, his accomplishments and endeavours are almost too numerous to mention, but I will name a few. Mr. Piro was an organizer of the precursor to the Northern Frontier Visitors Association, an organizer of the World Championship Dog Derby, a founding and lifetime member of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he was a member of many clubs and organizations, the Rotary, the Legion, the Yellowknife Lions Club, Spirit YK, and the Seniors Society.

Mr. Piro also had many occupations and business interests, from Frame and Perkins, a garage and bus line, to the Prospector, a restaurant and bed and breakfast, where one could recently often find him sitting and enjoying the view.

All of these things would have surely kept a person busy. Mike always found time to fly. Flying was a passion. One of his hobbies was flying to and discovering old mines and artifacts, his goal being not only to locate, but also to preserve these historical sights.

Mr. Piro was surely an interesting and generous man, and the city of Yellowknife was fortunate that he chose here, of all the places he had been, to call home. He will be missed by many. I have asked an old friend of his if he had any special stories or recollections about Mike. He said, "Stories, I have lots. Recollections...what can I say? He was a great guy. A really, really great guy." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Indeed, the condolences go to the Piro family on their loss. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Inuvik is celebrating two major events this summer. The 30th anniversary of the Northern Games and the 12th anniversary of the Great Northern Arts Festival.

The Northern Games are taking place from July 25 through July 30, 2000, in its original birthplace of Inuvik. These games have been part of our community since 1970. The games were headed up by a small group of volunteers who still dedicate their time and efforts every year to make it a success. The founders of the Northern Games include Edward Lennie, Nellie Cournoyea, Billy Day and Reverend Doug Dittrich. The contribution of these outstanding volunteers ensures that the traditional cultures of our people are kept alive.

The events include traditional everyday activities such as muskrat skinning, goose plucking, tea boiling and bannock making. Some of the Arctic sports include the blanket toss, the two-foot high kick, knuckle hop, and the muskox wrestle, amongst other popular events. There is a good-woman and good-man contest. This title is bestowed to the overall male or female winners of all of the events.

The organizing committee is pleased to extend their thanks and appreciation for financial contributions they have received over the years from Heritage Canada, the Governments of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, as well as numerous corporate contributions from a variety of businesses.

These contributions have allowed the organizers to bring its contingents and special guests from as far away as Labrador, Nunavut and Northern Quebec, Alaska and from the Beaufort Delta region.

Another annual event that takes place in Inuvik is the Great Northern Arts Festival, which is celebrating its 12th anniversary from July 21 through July 30, 2000. This event started in 1989 with co-founders Charlene Alexander and Sue Rose. As a result, the festival has been a major success ever since. The primary purpose of this event is to foster the education and training of northern artists, and to promote northern art and artists worldwide.

This ten-day festival includes a variety of exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations and cultural events. The arts festival is open to all artists from all walks of life, whether professional or amateur. It is the largest gathering of northern artists in Canada. Artists from the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon, as well as guests from other parts of Canada continue to participate in this art celebration.

I congratulate both of these special events on their...

Sorry, Mr. Allen. The time for your Member's statement has expired.

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

Thank you, Mr. Allen. The Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I congratulate both of these special events on their anniversaries and all of the people who help make this a success every year. These two special events certainly help promote the town of Inuvik as a prominent tourist destination in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, July 1, 2000, I returned to Tuktoyaktuk and attended Canada Day celebrations. These activities started at 10:00 a.m., July 1, 2000, but had to be suspended later in the evening due to weather. The wind came up and blew dust and sand all over, then it rained.

Mr. Speaker, the Tuktoyaktuk recreation committee members are very persistent. Canada Day activities continued with the scheduled traditional games being held on the next day, July 2. Again, it rained before activities could be concluded, and the outdoor games had to be suspended.

Mr. Speaker, the Canada Day committee and the patriotic volunteers and residents of Tuktoyaktuk were bound and determined to complete Canada Day celebrations as planned. I left Tuktoyaktuk on Monday, July 3, 2000, to return to Yellowknife for the Session. However, my constituents inform me that Canada Day activities were finally completed on the evening of Monday, July 3, 2000. Therefore, it could be said that in Tuktoyaktuk, in the land of the midnight sun in the year 2000, Canada Day was 72 hours long. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Laughter

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Steen. We will have to send an official note to the weatherman. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a good friend of mine from Winnipeg, Strinny Reddie, who is in the gallery today, along with his son-in-law Joey, his granddaughter Jasmine, and Romy, a friend from South Africa. I tell you, these people would be very happy to pay a hotel tax to come and visit our beautiful land. Thank you.

-- Laughter

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are to the Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Handley. They relate to my statement on diamonds and the UN Security Council resolution that there should be a worldwide boycott on Sierra Leone diamonds.

Mr. Speaker, my first question to the Minister is, what steps has the Government of the Northwest Territories taken to develop a process to certify Northwest Territories diamonds?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have been working very diligently with the industry on certification of diamonds. We have developed our own certification program. Generally, it seems to have met with acceptance from industry and I expect that we will be implementing it shortly.

As well, Mr. Speaker, we are also working on a program to monitor the trade and exchange of diamonds and the transportation of diamonds in and out of the Territory to make sure the diamonds that are here are truly Canadian Northwest Territories diamonds. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister confirm that the process the Government of the Northwest Territories is looking at introducing will include a chain of ownership? In other words, an audit of where the diamonds have come from so we can prove there has been a continuous monitoring of the diamonds and that they are indeed from Canada?