Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Good afternoon, Members. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is not an exaggeration to say that tragedy has touched each of our lives over the past month. Last Saturday, several hundred people gathered at Sir John Franklin High School in Yellowknife to celebrate the life of Terry Bradley. Even though many were still feeling the shock of his sudden absence from their lives, Terry was remembered fondly as a man who devoted his life to education.

Mr. Speaker, Terry arrived in Yellowknife in 1991 when he accepted the principalship of JH Sissons School. He also found time to serve in an administrative role for the French first language school, Ecole Allain St-Cyr. Those who knew him recognized this as a labour of love that culminated in the grand opening of a new French school in 1999.

Kids loved Terry and so did their parents. Terry's creativity and patience inspired a generation of young people, instilling in them a desire for lifelong learning. As Minister, it was a pleasure to be part of the tribute paid by Education, Culture and Employment in June, 2000 to Terry and his wife Marie-Claire for their dedication and exceptional contribution to the growth and development of French language education in the Northwest Territories. It is a tribute richly deserved.

Mr. Speaker, Terry will be missed but his legacy will live on. A week ago today, the Northwest Territories held its collective breath, waiting for word of a plane that had gone missing between Yellowknife and Fort Liard. When word came that the plane had been found, everyone hoped for the best while preparing themselves for bad news. Sadly, the news was both good and bad. While three people survived the crash, Mr. Speaker, sadly, Sean Toner, Sally Bertrand and Daniel Lomen did not.

Mr. Speaker, Sean Toner will be remembered as someone who touched many in Fort Smith with his friendly, low-key approach to life and to people. He loved the outdoors and spent a lot of time hunting with friends. Sean received most of his elementary and high school education in Fort Smith. He was in the second year of the Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic Program at Aurora College. He was employed by Beaver Enterprises at the time of his passing.

As many of you already know, Sally was the band manager in Fort Liard. She also delivered the Income Support Program in the community on behalf of ECE. Sally is described as someone with an outgoing personality who was a pleasure to work with. Our sympathies are with her husband and young family.

Mr. Speaker, another passenger on the flight was Kim Deneron. Kim survived the crash and is listed as recovering and stable in an Edmonton hospital. A graduate of the Aurora College Teacher Education Program, Kim went on to acquire her Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Saskatchewan. An excellent role model, Kim is in her second year of teaching in Fort Liard. Kim, each of us, and especially your students, are anxious to have you back in the classroom.

Mr. Speaker, our thoughts go out today to all of those who have experienced loss and sadness as a result of these events. On behalf of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and Aurora College, I would like to extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends of Terry, Sean and Sally and Daniel. We would also like to wish a speedy recovery to Kim, Stanley and Brad. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about my work in this Legislative Assembly. I was elected by the people of Hay River in 1995 and acclaimed by the residents of Hay River South in 1999. Since then, it has been my privilege to serve as a Member of Cabinet and I have embraced the work of my portfolio with enthusiasm and with passion for the issues.

When I got elected to Cabinet, I brought with me a record for standing up for what was right, taking the high road and leading by example. Perhaps partially as a result of my work in the previous Legislature, my activities have been particularly closely scrutinized. I am not going to get into the matters that have been considered by the special committee or the ones that will be considered in committee of the whole at this time, but the recommendations have been brought forward in the House and I do respect the work of the special committee. I want to say that I will not be participating in that discussion or the vote today.

I feel that in order for any Minister to be able to perform their duties effectively, they need to maintain the confidence of their colleagues in Cabinet and the Members of this House. It is clear from this report that I no longer have that confidence.

Mr. Speaker, there has been no actual conflict between my duties as an MLA and my business dealings. There has been no fraud or mischief upon this government or the people. There has been no flagrant abuse of my role as a Minister or the resources of this government.

However, Mr. Speaker, the taping of the conversations with the Conflict Commissioner is wrong in the nature of a private wrong or a breach of privacy, for which I apologized and I apologize again today. It is, I submit, human frailty to have taken my defence to the point where I would tape conversations and act entirely out of character for me in my dealings with you and other Members of this Assembly.

I would like to thank my colleagues who supported and elected me to this position. I want to thank my constituents for their support and patience when I have not always been able to be in Hay River over the past two years. I would like to thank my department and the people I worked with closely in my roles and responsibilities for Health and Social Services, Seniors, Persons with Disabilities and Women. I particularly enjoyed my Grandmothers Council and my staff and I also want to thank my husband and my children who have always been my biggest supporters.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on the other side of the House on behalf of my constituents and on behalf of the people of the North. I know that my track record of service has not been entirely negated by the unfortunate circumstances surrounding this report, however, I will work hard to rebuild the confidence of my colleagues and hopefully sometime I will be back. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this year marks Canada's air cadet movement's 60th anniversary and while the official birthday was April 9, 2001, activities will be held by individual squadrons throughout their anniversary year, which ends May 30, 2002.

The movement came into being in 1941 in response to a critical need for trained young men to fly in defence of freedom. Since then, nearly one million young Canadians have participated in air cadets.

In partnership with the armed forces, the movement has provided wonderful opportunities for many of our youth. In fact, Mr. Speaker, although it may be hard to tell from my hair colour now, once upon a time, long ago -- long ago -- I was one of those young people and was fortunate enough to obtain my private pilot's licence because of air cadets.

Some interesting facts that Members may not know is that one out of every five private pilots in Canada at the present time is an ex-air cadet and 63 percent of commercial airline pilots flying today got their start in air cadets. Approximately 28 percent of the flying, technical and administrative members serving in Canada's Air Force today have had some air cadet training.

Mr. Speaker, last year one northern cadet earned his wings and is now a registered private pilot, while another completed glider flying training. The Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut boast four squadrons and roughly 150 young Northerners proudly wear the air cadet uniform.

Each squadron is supported by trained reserve officers of the Canadian Armed Forces as well as a group of dedicated civilian volunteers, parents and sponsoring organizations.

The focus of today's air cadet movement is on citizenship and leadership, with an orientation towards aviation. Through cadet training, young people from ages 12 to 19 learn the value of initiative, self-reliance, discipline, teamwork and leadership.

Mr. Speaker, as a point of interest, Yellowknife's squadron is the only group of cadets in Canada who still keep a 24-hour vigil at the cenotaph on November 11th, a tradition that the cadets feel must be continued.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the officers, instructors, parents and the air cadets for their dedication in helping young Canadians successfully meet the challenges of our Territory and our country.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and all Members join me in congratulating the air cadets movement on its 60th anniversary this year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Dent. I trust you will be recognizing people in the gallery a little later on that very issue. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring some attention to a segment of our population that very much deserves our accolades. Mr. Speaker, the people I am referring to are the firefighters throughout the Northwest Territories. Whether they be career firefighters or volunteer firefighters, these brave men and women who give selfishly of themselves in the very worst of times should be recognized by our government.

Mr. Speaker, during the recent tragedy in the United States, a newscaster commented that in an emergency situation when everyone else is running away from the area, the firefighters are running right into the emergency. Nothing could be more true. Firefighters risk their lives for us on a daily basis without giving a second thought for their own personal safety.

Mr. Speaker, in the case of the Hay River Fire Department, the department is comprised entirely of volunteers. They currently have 24 members. For the year 2000, Mr. Speaker, these brave men and women tended to 54 fire calls. They also had 160 ambulance calls, which included motor vehicle accidents. In addition, they transported 165 medevac patients.

Mr. Speaker, these statistics are extremely impressive when you consider that these volunteers are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is in addition to working full-time jobs and having families.

Mr. Speaker, I propose that this government should institute a recognition program for our firefighters that properly acknowledges their many years of dedicated service to their communities.

Mr. Speaker, there is currently no tangible form of recognition bestowed on our firefighters from our territorial government. I propose that this government design special medals to be presented to our volunteer firefighters for five-year increments of service. I further propose that this government match the federal government's initiative of a tax-free allowance for our firefighters. In addition, I propose that our firefighters receive a special licence plate that distinguish these individuals in their communities.

Mr. Speaker, I recently met with the Hay River Volunteer Fire Department to hear their concerns. Overwhelmingly, the thing that I heard from them, Mr. Speaker, is that...

Mr. Delorey, your time for your Member's statement has expired.

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

Thank you. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There being no nays, Mr. Delorey, you may continue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the overwhelming thing that I heard from them is that yes, a recognition program would be wonderful, but above all the best thing that we as legislators could do for them would be to provide them with the equipment they require to do their jobs. This says a lot for the way they see their role.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that it is high time that this government step up to the plate and provide our firefighters with the recognition they so rightfully deserve. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to inform my constituents in Inuvik Boot Lake that my office in Inuvik will be closed, only for the reason that my assistant is down here in Yellowknife assisting me for this week and learning the ropes around this Legislative Assembly. I think it is an opportunity for her to learn the process so that when she does deal with my constituents when I am away from my community, she will be able to better assist them.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to send greetings back to my wife and children. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to briefly talk to the issues of hydro, specifically hydro in the South Slave.

Mr. Speaker, the Taltson River system has been identified as an existing hydro generation facility. It has the capacity to be expanded. There has been a significant amount of work done by the government in terms of reviewing the technical issues and the marketing issues but, Mr. Speaker, I believe it is now time for the government to come to Fort Smith and meet with all the concerned groups, the community leaders, the aboriginal governments and the citizens of the region so that we can discuss the issue to see what is possible, to see if in fact there is support for this and what the plan would be to move this ahead. It is critical at this point, given the emphasis on energy and on hydro, that this be done in a timely fashion.

I have written to the Premier a number of weeks ago and he was going to consult with Minister Handley. Later today, on that particular issue of hydro, I will be asking the Minister some questions.

As well, Mr. Speaker, on the issue of hydro in the South Slave, I understand that recently the Alberta government has dusted off the plans for the dam across the Slave River. Mr. Speaker, when this was looked at over 15 years ago, what was contemplated was a riverbank, the riverbank dam that would have generated close to 2,000 megawatts of power. There would have been enormous impacts. The downstream impacts -- I shudder even to think what they would be on the Slave, on the Mackenzie, on the whole Northwest Territories. Now we have a recently signed reserve and treaty land entitlement arrangement with the Smith Landing people. Will all their land, or big portions of their land, be flooded?

Mr. Speaker, the whole issue of hydro is one that we have to pay very close attention to. While the Taltson has the potential to be a good project, it is small, it is manageable and its impacts would not be hugely significant in terms of the environment. The issue of the Slave River is one that should be of significant concern to every Northerner because we are going to be the downstream recipients if that were to go ahead as initially proposed. There are major environmental implications that I think would have an irrevocable and negative impact on the Northwest Territories.

Later today, I will be asking the Minister if he could speak to those issues. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to the attention of this House an issue that I have raised several times. There are petitions tabled in this House with some 135 signatures from the residents of Aklavik requesting that they replace the curling rink, which has been condemned and has been shut down for several years. The facility is over 25 years old.

Mr. Speaker, I have raised this issue several times in this House. There have been public meetings with the hamlet council and officials from MACA in the community of Aklavik to see if there is a possibility of ensuring this will come to light. In the meeting that was held in Aklavik last spring, it was clear that in 2002-2003, there were going to be monies available to develop the rink and also in 2003-2004, to begin the construction and completion of that curling rink.

Yet, Mr. Speaker, nowhere in the new capital plan expenditures that have been raised through this new concept of allowing the deputy ministers to determine which capital will be built in our communities without input from the MLA or from the communities. Yet, Mr. Speaker, we state that there needs to be community input, there needs to be more openness. We talk about community empowerment. We talk about regional initiatives but this is a good example of how communities and the government could work on projects to improve the life and social conditions in our communities.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I have written letters to the Minister responsible with no replies on this matter. With that, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister a question on this matter later on. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As it is officially Small Business Week in Canada, I would like to make some comments today on small business in the Northwest Territories and some of the problems they face.

We have many small businesses here in the Northwest Territories. The majority are located in the larger centres of Yellowknife, Inuvik and Hay River. However, we have many small businesses in our communities. The small business owner is required to be familiar with all aspects of running a business. This includes being familiar with the products and services one is providing, marketing of their goods, dealing with customers, maintaining and understanding financial records, dealing with lenders, banks, accountants, lawyers and government.

While many of these small business owners are providing excellent products or services, they lack some of the management skills or resources to effectively operate their business. Statistics associated with the failure of small businesses confirm that approximately one-third fail within the first year of startup. By year five, approximately two-thirds are out of business.

Mr. Speaker, the reason for such failure is lack of management, experience and resources. Small businesses that start up often find themselves undercapitalized, which results in immediate problems. When combined with minimal or no support after startup, the blueprint is for failure.

Mr. Speaker, I am aware of instances where early into the fiscal year, small business owners, or those wanting to start a small business, are informed by our government representatives that there is no financial support available. They are informed that all current funds for the year have been allocated and there will be no funds available until next year. They are being told to come back in March and make application for assistance then and hopefully there will be financial assistance available to them. In a small community where the government is the only game in town, this becomes very discouraging.

Mr. Speaker, this government encourages and works hard to assist big business. Therefore, it must have the same attitude towards small business by encouraging, and not discouraging, development of our small business sector. Mr. Speaker, since the economic development agreement between Canada and the Northwest Territories expired in 1996, program dollars...

Mr. McLeod, your time for your Member's statement has expired.