Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Please be seated. Just by way of a little bit of trivia, I understand today is the first full moon in 40 some odd years. I understand it is also a blue moon. It is the third moon in October -- I mean, it is the first full moon to fall on Halloween. That is what I meant. Item 2, Minister's statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to thank a friend of mine in Sachs Harbour for sending me this tie to wear in this House. Along with wearing this tie, he also asked me to send a message to the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development to make Mr. Handley aware that we can do some amazing things when we put our minds to it, especially items that we can make out of fur such as muskox.

However, Mr. Speaker, I think we have to realize we do have renewable resources out there. Realizing it is Halloween and all -- and this is not part of my costume for this evening -- but I think it is important if we have the initiative to do something with different products and try different things that we can. I think in this case, Mr. Floyd Sydney of Sachs Harbour has shown me we can make products such as ties and we can even make underwear with fur products.

-- Laughter

We should take the time to consider those types of endeavours. With that, Mr. Speaker, I will ask the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development what he is doing to ensure we consider these initiatives and we maybe consider financing some of these projects.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Krutko for explaining that. I thought it was your beard.

-- Laughter

A little long in the tooth there. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we leave this month behind and start a new tomorrow, I would like to take this opportunity to wish the children of Range Lake and all of the North a very safe and bountiful Halloween evening.

Mr. Speaker, one of my constituents experiencing this age-old tradition of Halloween for the first time in Canada is a family of my cousin and his two children. With the busy schedule I have had the last week or so, I have not had a chance to explain to my niece and nephew, who are two and four, the meaning of trick or treating and goblins and ghosts and so on but I expect to be able to do that tonight, as I will be spending my evening with them and hope to meet the children of Range Lake as they come to our door.

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if they will believe me because while they were planning to move to Yellowknife, I had assured them that by October 31st, we would be experiencing very, very cold weather and in all of my 23 years, I am not sure if we have had a Halloween as warm as this. I might have a little difficulty explaining everything but I do look forward to being in my riding. I also want to tell the people that I will be in number 1 Ward Crescent, which is right across from the stop sign from Wal-Mart. If any of my constituents want to talk to me about what has transpired in the House in the last couple of weeks, I will be there until at least nine o'clock and I do hope to talk to my constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to close wishing everyone a very safe and happy Halloween. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. We can expect treats when we knock on your door? Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to thank this Legislature and the Members in it for the confidence they have placed in me this morning. I will do my utmost to do the job that I have been given as best it can be done. I would just like to point out that this has been a long process, as has been mentioned before. I think the fact that we are here today ready to move on with the business of government is a demonstration of how consensus government works. It may not be perfect. It may not be without its warts and wrinkles but I believe it is an effective form of government and I would like to thank everybody. I look forward to continuing to work with everyone. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak on a part of my life that was very important to me before I became a Member of this Legislative Assembly.

As most of you know, Mr. Speaker, curling was a very big part of my life and I put in a lot of years playing the sport and also coaching and encouraging younger people to take up the sport. My accomplishments in curling have not been all that great but the rewards that I have received from the sport of curling have been quite amazing.

Mr. Speaker, in 1998, for example, I was nominated to represent Canada in a tour of Scotland along with 39 other Canadians to curl in a competition called the Strathcona Cup. I was over in Scotland for 28 days representing Canada and curling against Scottish teams. I am proud to say, Mr. Speaker, that at that time we won the Strathcona Cup for Canada.

About two months ago, Mr. Speaker, I was nominated for membership in the Governor General of Canada's curling club. The Governor General's Curling Club of Canada has only 100 members Canada-wide and it was quite an honour, Mr. Speaker, for me to be nominated to that curling club for my achievements and my input into the sport of curling.

In the recent events in the House, I was uncertain as to whether I was going to take a trip to Ottawa to receive the membership into this curling club. The membership is being presented on November 2nd, which is Friday. Now that things have been settled in the House, I want to inform the House and my constituents at home that I will be absent from this House for the next couple of days. I have decided to go to Ottawa and receive the membership in the Governor General's Curling Club of Canada. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Congratulations, Mr. Delorey. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to talk about the Government of the Northwest Territories' role in supporting by-law enforcement and crime prevention in the communities.

Mr. Speaker, it is one of the stated roles of the Department of Justice to increase the capacity, role, scope and impact of communities in addressing their own justice issues. This is a very worthy goal, Mr. Speaker. However, Mr. Speaker, the community constable program has seen its funding decreased to zero this year, according to the main estimates of the Department of Justice.

This decrease to zero is presumably the result of the community constable pilot project coming to an end. This program was jointly funded by the federal government and according to the RCMP web page on the InterNorth site, the program has been a success in the North. The web page goes on to state that we are a role model for the south in this area. Mr. Speaker, this program was a success and I would like to know if the Department of Justice has taken steps to set up this program permanently.

Mr. Speaker, as the honourable Members are aware, the main funding for by-law officers for communities traditionally comes from the Department of MACA under community block funding agreements. Block funding arrangements tend to lead to situations where communities are forced to make difficult decisions with ever decreasing amounts of funding.

Mr. Speaker, at the present time, communities are forced to make decisions as to whether to hire by-law officers or recreation workers. They know that they cannot afford both. Yet there are ever increasing incidents of vandalism and crime in our communities, Mr. Speaker, and without specific focus on crime prevention at the community level, these crime levels will continue to escalate. It is very important, Mr. Speaker, that the Department of Justice and MACA work closely together to ensure there is a coordinated effort on crime prevention and enforcement in our communities. There is little point in the Department of Justice devoting so much in the way of resources -- community justice circles $733,000 in the current fiscal year -- if the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs does not give the communities sufficient resources to hire local enforcement officers. The community justice circles are in danger of sitting around in circles with nothing to do.

My understanding is that the RCMP is willing to help with training and facilities, Mr. Speaker, yet the communities struggle to find the funding for wages.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I ask for consent to conclude.

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

Mr. Speaker, the current budgets provided by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs are simply not enough. It is time for a more integrated approach to community policing, Mr. Speaker. A more integrated approach that will lead to a more seamless and accountable delivery of community policing and program delivery. An approach that would see the Department of Justice take on a specific role of administering and providing community law enforcement, funding and program delivery in a close, working relationship with the existing community justice service and community governments. In this way, communities will be able to see with certainty where responsibilities for local crime prevention and enforcement lie and take comfort from the fact that there is a continuum of law enforcement in place at all times. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak on an event happening across the Territories as we have hit the end of the month, October 31st, traditionally known as Halloween.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to make one comment that in Inuvik, there is something slightly different than what is traditionally practiced. It is being practiced this year in the Inuvik Community Lighthouse Church. It is called Hallelujah Night.

This is an event that is put on for children from the community to take part in activities that are safe and also promote a lighter hearted atmosphere than one that has traditionally been expressed through Halloween, that being evil spirits, Mr. Speaker, something that they try and encourage their children in a way that is somewhat different from the normal practice. I think it is an opportunity and it is open to the community. I hope they have a fun night as they will be having games. I believe the younger children will come dressed up as characters from Noah's Ark.

I wish them all the best in that. To all those that are partaking in the events of Halloween and trick and treating, I wish them a safe evening as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise here today to talk a little bit about the sustainability of our health care system in the Northwest Territories and specifically about the physician shortage that we currently face. Members of the Social Programs Committee have had a recent presentation from the Northwest Territories Medical Association and we discussed the number of physicians that we currently have in the Northwest Territories and what it would require for us to get up to what they consider a full complement of physicians. Currently across the Territories, we have 51 physicians. The numbers from the NWTMA would indicate that we need somewhere in the neighbourhood of 80 to 85 physicians just to provide basic services in the North.

Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that that is simply talking about the number of physicians we need in the larger centres who would then fly into the smallest and remote communities to provide service, so we are not talking about permanent physicians even in the smallest communities. If we were to go there, we would need even further numbers.

Mr. Speaker, one number that is often analyzed when we look at jurisdictions in Canada to see whether or not we have adequate numbers of physicians is the national physician to population ratio. The average in Canada is 185 physicians to 100,000. Mr. Speaker, we have the worst ratio in the country in the Northwest Territories at 92 to 100,000 people. The problem with not having enough physicians is that the ones who are here are drastically overworked, Mr. Speaker, and that generally means that they are not willing to stick around very long with those kinds of conditions.

Mr. Speaker, locally in Yellowknife, we did move from fee for service to salary, which has provided some help to physicians but it has not seemed to help us in the area of recruitment numbers. We have a lot of work to do here, Mr. Speaker. I know the NWTMA provided the Department of Health with an MD resource plan and as of yet, has had no official response to this plan. They delivered it last February, I believe, so today in question period, I will have questions for the Minister of Health and will specifically ask him when he plans to respond to this resource plan. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, homelessness has become a big issue across Canada and we are not immune here in the North. I think it is becoming more and more apparent to the casual observer walking through downtown Yellowknife that we have a growing problem. If you talk to the non-government organizations involved, the situation has indeed become critical.

Over the summer, Members may have heard a concern about emergency family housing and a request from the YWCA to have the Housing Corporation fund some additional units in Yellowknife. I would like to thank Minister Allen and the Housing Corporation for recently signing a contract with the YWCA for ongoing funding for an additional three emergency family housing units.

It is really important, Mr. Speaker, to hear the word "ongoing" in there because this is not just a one-year agreement. It is an ongoing agreement. For NGOs, that is the most critical issue. It is more critical, in some cases, than getting the amount of money that they asked for in the first place.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the non-government organizations of Yellowknife and their partners in government who have been working together as the Homelessness Coalition and who have developed the Yellowknife Community Plan to Address Homelessness.

The coalition is made up of a broad cross-section of NGOs and government agencies. This type of cooperative effort is remarkable. It should be recognized and encouraged.

I am happy to see that some government departments have joined the initial small group to work together. It is only with this kind of coordinated approach that our resources are maximized to find real solutions to the homeless situation.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories needs to ensure a higher level of participation and more cross-departmental cooperation. Like other governments in Canada, we need to recognize the problem of homelessness and how it is growing. It has become so serious that I think we need to take a look at making a Minister responsible for homelessness in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, later today I will take this opportunity to table the Yellowknife Community Plan to Address Homelessness, as developed by the Homelessness Coalition, dated July 1, 2001. The document was developed following extensive community consultation and research. The plan consists of three primary components: first, community planning, capacity building and research; two, programs and services for the homeless; and three, housing capital projects.

Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that the federal government has agreed to fund this program over a three-year period but that three-year period is almost half finished.

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 are no nays, Mr. Dent, you may conclude your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, honourable Members. Mr. Speaker, to date, no Government of the Northwest Territories funding has been committed to this specific plan over and above the existing programs and services, other than the three additional family units. The funds committed, for instance, to the Side Door project and other initiatives were from federal funds.

It has taken the coalition halfway through the federal three-year plan of the time allowed to use that federal funding just to get to this point because they do not have the capacity to move this forward. They require support and buy-in from this government to pursue this as vigorously as is necessary.

One way we could participate better is to make sure that we have complete cooperation with the group by having membership there. Currently, while some departments are members, the Housing Corporation maintains only observer status on the coalition. The department should fully participate. Sending an individual as an observer does not give the coalition someone who can make decisions and commitments to the plan.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that our government needs to demonstrate its commitment to dealing with homelessness. We need a ministry and we are also going to need some money. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, October 26, the Yellowknives Dene First Nation Diavik Participation Agreement Implementation Committee celebrated the launching of the committee and the official opening of their office. October 26 marks the one-year anniversary of the official signing of the participation agreement.

At the celebration, five graduates from the class of 2000 received secondary scholarships valued at $500 each. The five scholarship award recipients are Angela Beaulieu from N'dilo, Paul Betsina from N'dilo, Lonnie Erasmus from N'dilo, Pauline Mackenzie from N'dilo and Jason Tezetcheli from Dettah.

The scholarship award recipients must have completed grade 12 with an overall average of 65 percent and must be members of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. They also must provide a transcript of their marks as part of the scholarship award. Diavik provides the scholarship fund as part of the participation agreement, Mr. Speaker.

I congratulate the scholarship recipients and wish them the very best in their studies. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, when the 14th Assembly was first elected and sat down in our first Caucus to look at what our ideas and our values and our priorities and our visions were going to be, we talked to some extent about communication. We set out in our vision document, Towards a Better Tomorrow, a certain way of expressing what we wanted to do. We said: "We will consider your input, build on the framework and develop a comprehensive action plan."

We say, Mr. Speaker, that we will be a more open and transparent government and in all aspects, we say to people that we want to hear from you, the public, the stakeholders in our society, in our economy.

What do we want to hear, Mr. Speaker? Do we want confirmation only that we are doing the right thing? Do we want to hear from the public, the stakeholders that there is support for what we are doing and that there is only one way -- our way? Or are we prepared to hear more contrary or alternative viewpoints and give them the consideration and inclusion, Mr. Speaker, that they are due?

The dictionary defines consultation as to ask the advice or the opinion of, to deliberate together or confer. There is action and energy in the process. It is a two-way street, I would assert, Mr. Speaker.

I am particularly concerned about this government's consultation process and approach. The concern is illustrated in one citizen's comments in reference to a recent committee hearing, "My overall impression is one of a government that has quit consulting with its citizens. It announces and defends new initiatives. I feel stonewalled."

Mr. Speaker, we have seen the results of this approach with a couple of major pieces of legislation. We have a couple more big ones coming in, specifically the Human Rights Act and the Wildlife Act, that I know are going to be contentious and should be well-heard and well-debated.

Mr. Speaker, in looking at how this government has consulted on major initiatives, it is clear that a better understanding and process for consultation is needed.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is especially apparent in the reviews that are now underway in the Wildlife Act that there is consultation going on with only one side of the ownership and the management side of the Wildlife Act. This is where the department has put considerable funding into aboriginal consultation. There are other people in the Northwest Territories who deserve equal voice, Mr. Speaker. I hope we are learning and that we need to learn quickly so the government approaches initiatives in a more collaborative, inclusive and comprehensive manner. Our citizens are not part of the problem, Mr. Speaker. They are part of the answer. Government needs to show that it is listening to all Northerners and should be responding accordingly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as has been stated by some Members here, I too am glad that the most recent chapter in this Assembly has come to a close. There are many things that I am now looking forward to; the ability to speak to my constituents' issues on the floor of this House, not missing so many community events because of other travel commitments, spending more time with what is left of my family. My eldest son married this summer and lives in Edmonton now. My second son, Jeffrey, who was supposed to be in college this fall, has actually gone to Kiev in the Ukraine in Eastern Europe as a volunteer missionary. Thankfully, I still have one little person at home and with her recent election to student council, I need to get home to re-establish my political presence before she takes over the town.

Mr. Speaker, I also look forward to reconnecting with friends and constituents and having a relaxed time without the pressure of knowing that I will be catching an airplane the next day. I know that it will also be a relief for my husband, who has had to do double duty during the past two years. The role of Regular Members and Cabinet Minister is quite distinctively different and there are advantages to both and some disadvantages. I look forward to the ability to speak to many issues and speak to the issues of the government from a different perspective now. Thank you so much.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to take the opportunity to recognize Katie Garrison. She has been a page in the House for the last week. I want to thank her for coming over and representing Hay River in the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South...Centre...Frame Lake. It is that full moon. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier of the Northwest Territories following up on my Member's statement earlier today. Many other jurisdictions in Canada, both provincial and particularly the federal government, recognize the growing problem of homelessness. Will the Premier recognize that problem is also a problem in the Northwest Territories and designate one of his Ministers responsible for the issue of homelessness?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will take the suggestion made by the Member and consider it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Premier agreeing to consider the suggestion and recognize he may want to discuss this with his Cabinet colleagues. Could he give me a timetable for when he may be able to conclude that consideration? Would it be one week, one month? What sort of timetable are we going to look at before we hear the response?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Perhaps I could commit before the beginning of the next session. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question today, as I had indicated earlier, is for the Minister of Health and Social Services, Minister Antoine. It is about the resource plan, the MD resource plan that was submitted to his department by the Northwest Territories Medical Association. They published it last February and to date have had no official response from the department. I am wondering if Mr. Antoine can tell me when he plans to respond to this resource plan officially. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can appreciate that an action plan is being developed and we decide what type of service delivery model we will use, but clearly we are so far behind in the physician to population ratio -- in fact, the worst in the country -- that this is really an emergency. I do not think the answer that this is really going to take some time is appropriate. We do not have time, Mr. Speaker. I am wondering if the Minister will acknowledge that indeed we have to address recruiting more physicians very quickly and we really do not have time to wait any longer. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for the Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier I spoke about the issue of by-law enforcement and the escalating crime rates and prevention in the communities and it was hard to decipher which Minister is responsible and who I should direct my concerns and my questions to. This issue does not recognize lines between the Departments of Justice and MACA. I will direct my question to MACA, however, because it is my understanding that they are the funding source to the communities for the positions of by-law officers.

In light of the statistics that are coming out regarding crime and the escalating crime rates, what are he and his department doing to assist communities to enable them to hire by-law officers? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we can continue to fund the municipalities for by-law enforcement. I believe they are now called protection officers. The level of funding, I am not certain of. It has been a constant problem in the communities to provide certain protective services. Again, we need to review some of the community budgets, which we have begun in some communities, to see where we can improve that level of service. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister, as this issue is something that does not recognize any boundaries, it crosses over many departments that may view having this responsibility, I would like to ask the Minister if he is working with any other departments to develop a coordinated approach to deal with the issues of crime prevention and by-law enforcement, specifically the Department of Justice?

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I must be fairly constant in my answer and I must say that no, we have not at this point. We have not been working with the Department of Justice. It is two different areas of the judicial that I am not familiar with. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my riding, I believe there is only one community that has a community constable and no other communities can afford a by-law officer. I believe the community that has the community constable is struggling to find funding sources. I would like to ask the Minister if his department assists any communities in the North with salary dollars to hire by-law officers or community constables? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, there are some municipalities that do receive funding for protection services. How the communities administer that fund is entirely in their budget process and their administration but there is some funding to provide for protection services. To what degree, I am not familiar with.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The funding the Minister is speaking about is rolled into a general revenue fund. It is up to the community to decide what the priorities are. Many times they are forced to decide between a recreation worker, a water treatment plant worker, town foreman or a by-law officer. I would like to ask if this Minister is intending to increase the funding specifically geared towards by-law officers?

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this point, I think all departments are under severe pressure and constant pressure, I might add, to review several budgetary items. I am sure each department, including my responsibility as Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, will review and see how we can lead the municipalities into trying to reprioritize some of their important administration. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, in my statement, I discussed aspects of a communication and consultation process. I would like to put a couple of questions to the Premier in his capacity as Minister responsible for the Executive and performing a coordination function for the government overall. I would like to ask, Mr. Speaker, does the government have a policy that prescribes the consultation process on legislative initiatives? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will take that question as notice and get back to the Member.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. The question has been taken as notice. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, I heard the Nats'enelu people talking about the need to have more northern tanned hides available. RWED would be very interested in any proposal to establish a tannery.

In fact, we have tried it in the past on a number of occasions. People want fur and hides that are tanned in a traditional way and it is a very labour-intensive way of doing it. However, if there is a good proposal, I would be interested. In fact, I am asking RWED to talk to Nats'enelu about what the possibilities might be. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

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

Yes, Mr. Speaker, in about '94 or '96, somewhere in that period, RWED -- or Renewable Resources at that time -- did start a tannery program here using very simple basic materials, but materials that would help make it easier than the traditional way of tanning in order to attract more people into it. We had trained a number of people and then the interest seemed to die away. There were not a lot of people who were willing and ready to take training or devote themselves to this very strenuous task of tanning hides. If there is a renewed interest in doing that, then we are very definitely interested in it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I too have a question for the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development in a similar area of questioning with regard to trying to find programs to enhance the fur industry, the craft side of it; beaded jackets, muskox ties and also people who are in the cottage industry of making slippers and other crafts like fur pants. There is the quality of craftsmanship out there, but we do not seem to be doing much by way of assisting them through program dollars, resources. We assist in the diamond industry. We assist with training for oil and gas.

I think we have to start looking at a program specifically designed for the fur industry. I would like to ask the Minister, are you looking at any new initiatives to establish a program on its own to assist the cottage industry dealing with fur products?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I take the Member's concerns very seriously because the traditional economy is very important to many of our people. I think producing northern products from fur and other northern materials is more than just an economic activity. It is cultural. We have, through the NWT Development Corporation and RWED, undertaken a number of areas of support, Mr. Speaker. We are still working on opening Tuktoyaktuk and Aklavik fur shops. There are discussions going on with the Development Corporation right now. Dene Fur Cloud is in operation. The Nats'enelu do their own marketing and are showing a great deal of promise. In fact, D'Arcy Moses just returned recently from a trip to Germany with the Governor General where he is promoting northern products, aboriginal products. The Arctic Canada Trading is moving some fur but not large amounts. So there are a number of initiatives and if there are interests in communities and if the projects seem viable, then definitely -- either through RWED or through the NWT Development Corporation -- we are interested. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is a segment of our population that has some very unique skills and I think we have to build on that, especially with respect to crafts and being able to produce things and also being able to promote it. Mr. Speaker, I am looking more in line of what they have done in the Eastern Arctic and how they are able to take a segment of their economy, especially the seal harvesting aspect, and they have been able to go miles with that. That is one of the areas where I think we as a government can also consider maybe adopting a similar process to deal with fur products, like how they were able to deal with the seal products. Has the Minister had a chance to meet with his colleagues from the east to see if that program can be adopted here in the west?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have talked very generally with my colleagues in Nunavut on this issue. I am going to Nunavut some time in mid-November and will certainly make a point of following up on that at that time. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Has the Minister, through his Department of RWED, met with the federal government in trying to look at the new economic development agreement and ensuring that we have a program specifically designed to assist the fur cottage industry in the Northwest Territories?

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

Mr. Speaker, my department, RWED, has been working very hard in trying to negotiate an economic development agreement with the federal government over the past two years and they continue that effort. The traditional economy is very much a piece of that economic development agreement, if we are successful in negotiating one. I agree with the Member, it is an important part of our economy. We cannot get too focused on oil and gas and diamonds and forget that piece. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to put a challenge out to the Minister to show me physically that he really supports this industry. I would like him to wear this tie for a day in this House just to show us that he really supports the fur industry.

-- Laughter

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. In the light of the day, yes, Minister Handley, you may or may not answer that question.

Mr. Speaker, I would be very pleased to wear that necktie. Next Halloween would probably be appropriate. Thank you.

-- Laughter

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member has a suggestion of using seniors for day care programs. Some time ago, a federal program was made available to us, Mr. Speaker, to work seniors and those over the age -- I believe it was 50 to about the age of 60 back into the workforce. We decided that we would advertise that particular program and funding availability for that. A number of school divisions took advantage of that and are employing those individuals within the school system. I believe there is a total of about 17. This is the type of program that communities could look at as a possibility.

For the past year, the funding may have already been committed, but I believe if we approve a budget in the coming year, there may be possibilities next year in that whole area. It is federal transfer money, Mr. Speaker, and I believe it is available for about a two-year period. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we did approve an early childhood development plan several months ago. It is a $2 million program per year to look at the support for young children between the ages of birth and six, by the time they get into school. One of the plans in that was language nests and that could be an area that, certainly if communities felt it appropriate, that seniors, elders and those with language skills could come into the program. We do have and we are encouraging and part of the program is to address the language issue for young children.

I think the Member has a very good point in what he is bringing forward here. We do need to concentrate on this and we do feel that we already have the mechanism. It may need a bit of refining in that area. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The plan that was approved some time ago has a number of components to it, Mr. Speaker. As I said, one of the components was the development of a language nest, whereby young children would join their parents and others to look at the language restitution and development, Mr. Speaker. We feel that is the start of a good program in dealing with community problems for young children but additionally it may prove -- naturally, we have to be concerned about the available funding that we have and we have to live within that at the moment. Certainly it can be the start of a concerted program in communities. Thank you

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Nitah.