Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to share with Members of this Assembly some interesting statistics regarding the Inuvik Twin Lakes riding. These statistics were compiled in a socio-economic profile I had prepared on Inuvik Twin Lakes. The purpose of this profile is to provide both a clear view of the riding composition and its uniqueness.

Some of the interesting statistics for the Inuvik Twin Lakes riding include:

• • Nineteen percent of the households receive either employment insurance or income support, which is significantly higher than the territorial average of 8.5 percent;
• • Home ownership in Inuvik Twin Lakes is slightly above the territorial average of just below 50 percent;
• • Twenty-six percent of the households and 19.7 percent of the Inuvik Twin Lakes population appear to have made recent use of public housing;
• • The public housing population includes proportionately high numbers of those who are 65 and over, and proportionately few of those were under the age of 18;
• • Sources of income include:

1. o Hunting and trapping, which represents 22 percent;
2. o Income support, ten percent;
3. o Private sector employment, 52 percent,
4. o Public sector employment, 60 percent,
5. o Private pension benefits, 19 percent,
6. o Canada Pension Plan benefits, 10 percent, and
7. o EI benefits, 11 percent;

• • Twenty-two percent of the households indicate that hunting and trapping is a source of income or food.

In summary, the area is obviously an affluent majority in Twin Lakes, considering those who have regular employment in either the public or private sector, many of whom own their own homes. However, there is a sizeable minority consisting of between one-fifth and one-quarter of the households in the population of Twin Lakes who live in public housing or cheap rental housing, recipients of income support and those who are heavily dependant on EI benefits.

As you can see, as with other ridings in the Northwest Territories, Inuvik Twin Lakes is unique in its own right. As legislators, we must ensure that this uniqueness is recognized in all decision making. Later today, I will be tabling this document in the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Nitah. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Antoine. The condolences of the House do go to the families whose members passed away, and certainly the congratulations on the longevity of the elder who celebrated her 100th birthday. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I listened very intently this morning as the Minister of Health and Social Services presented her statement on the Health and Social Services System Action Plan. I have to say, Mr. Speaker, that I am somewhat concerned by the tone that is expressed in the Minister's statement.

I hear point after point concerns about the operations of boards; boards represent a complex, fragmented system; accountability relationships are fractured and that it is difficult to enforce standards of care. The real concern, Mr. Speaker, is that as we go through this, it seems almost like the Minister is setting the stage. She has already decided that we do not need boards and should be moving to dissolve them.

I would urge the Minister to be very cautious about that, because I think the majority of people in the North do think that boards are worthwhile. I would point to the example of the education boards and how they seem to be working quite well with the Department of Education and the Minister of Education in order to accomplish the goals that are set for them in statute and by their constituents. I think that we can achieve the same if we find a way to better support the boards.

The way this statement was laid out today would tend to indicate that we maybe should have some concern about the report that the Minister has commissioned. We have had numerous reports done for this Legislative Assembly since the 12th Assembly that I am aware of, and very seldom has the Department of Health responded to the recommendations therein. Had they responded in a timely fashion earlier, I think we would not have had some of the problems we are facing right now, which I think are largely because the support to the boards has not been provided.

I would like to say that I hope this is not a situation where the Minister has already made up her mind and is moving towards eliminating boards, because I think that boards are made up of good people. People who need support to do an important job. They do not need thinly veiled accusations of incompetence. By and large, Mr. Speaker, they are volunteers who dedicate their time.

They also need to know that they can get a timely response from the department when they propose actions to bring their board's spending in line with the limitations set by the department. They need to know they are going to get a timely response when they propose an annual budget. They need to know they are going to get a timely response when they propose an action to eliminate some of their deficit, and not a continuous amount of study and a statement from the department that no one knows what the spending is.

We cannot wait until everything is done at the end of June. Boards need to know that they are going to be supported by the Department of Health now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and celebrate a very positive and optimistic budget delivered by the Minister of Finance yesterday. There are times in this House on this side when it feels very much like we are mired in negative energy and we cannot see what is ahead of us and all of the things that may be good.

Mr. Speaker, I realize I will have a chance to discuss the budget in more detail in our budget review and I hope to make a more detailed reply to the opening address. Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that I was on the phone all night long talking to my constituents. Once I explained the detail of some of the initiatives of the Minister in the House, the response has generally been positive. In particular, the fuel rebate and the proposal to fast-track Highway No. 3. I want to make note of the fact that this infrastructure money will go to all highways, not just Highway No. 3.

Mr. Speaker, I can also advise you that I talked to a major commercial truck operator in Yellowknife who told me that he saw a lot of good in this proposed highway spending. He is prepared to accept a slight increase in the cost of doing business that may result from the highway toll. I think he understands that this highway proposal money is an investment and not excessive spending without reason.

Mr. Speaker, the most important thing I want to state is the prominence and the attention paid to badly needed spending in social agendas. Mr. Speaker, I applaud the government for coming up with the Literacy Strategy and extra money on early child development and additional money on health care. These are very important and they are exactly the things that our constituents have been asking for. All the Members in this House have been asking for it for the past year.

Mr. Speaker, I realize we do not have enough money, but that would not be a good excuse for inaction. Mr. Speaker, I believe that this budget is about what we can collectively do for our people as an Assembly, and not about sitting on our hands and talking about not doing the things we need to do because we do not have enough money, or the big brother in Ottawa is not giving us enough.

Ms. Lee, the time allocated for your statement has expired.

Mr. Speaker, may I have unanimous consent to conclude my statement please?

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you very much colleagues. I just want to conclude by saying that, Mr. Speaker, for at least one glorious day, before we get down to the negative part of the budget, I would like to recognize the courage and resolve displayed by the Members and the Premier for this very ambitious and bold, but at the same time very forward-looking and balanced budget. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 3, Members' statements. Order, please. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a constituent and a member of the Stanton Regional Hospital Board, Mr. Joe Auge.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we cannot forget the other people in the gallery. At this time, I would like to recognize the other people who are sitting in the gallery. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think it makes a difference if the constituent has relocated on a temporary basis for medical treatment and requires just transportation to and from the hospital for that treatment, as opposed to someone who has relocated here and who lives here. Obviously, we do not provide that kind of service for residents of Yellowknife. I am not certain whether Mr. Lafferty's constituent has relocated to Yellowknife permanently or is just here on a temporary basis. Certainly for constituents who are taking advantage of the Vital Abel Boarding Home, they do receive ground transportation to and from the hospital for treatment. If alternate temporary accommodation is sought while receiving treatment, it would certainly be something that I would consider would be the cost to and from the hospital. Thank you.

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