Yes, you did clarify that, but there was no question there. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, IBA payments, like other income that is not earned, is normally deducted off of income support payments. The regulations we apply and that are in use, and that were instituted years ago, indicates that unearned income must be deducted from income support payments. It has been our policy that IBA payments are considered unearned income. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

With regard to the question of are we looking at this particular issue, there are a number of areas in income support that I feel should be looked at. This is one area that I have asked the department to start looking at. I believe our officials are already doing some work in this end. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that the department is revisiting the definition of what unearned income is. In this particular case, I would ask whether the source of this, which is very much linked to the benefits that a First Nation person may receive for activity in their area, is this something that is being looked at in a different light? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, I have asked the department to look at a number of areas with respect to income support. The issue of impact benefit agreements is one particular area. We are in the process of looking at this particular area. It has traditionally been an issue of designating it as unearned income. As a result, it is deducted from the income support payments.

The issue is one of interpretation, I suppose, by other individuals. We are fairly clear on our position, but then it comes down to a question of policy on this, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think this is all very constructive. I would like to further ask, in the course of this review or examination, would the Minister welcome any input from Members or from other people across the North? Is there a way we might all have some input into reassessing what I think is a very critical piece of work for a number of our constituents? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member can appreciate, I would like to get our own work completed first and take that initial step to review the particular issues that I feel would be worthy to look at and then bring it forward to the Members. I appreciate the Member's comments. It will have value to have some feedback on this and some input. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are directed to the Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board and are a follow-up to my Member's statement.

Since the start of the debate, I have always supported the need to split the Workers' Compensation Board and the NTPC. To not do that will lead to administrative, legislative and, I think, political nightmares, as we have discovered with the Workers' Compensation Board as one institution for two Territories.

My question to the Minister is, will the government be seriously looking at taking a leadership role in determining the future of the Workers' Compensation Board and take the same steps that were taken with the NTPC and in fact split the Workers' Compensation Board for the benefit of the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in response to the Member, we are looking at that issue. For clarification, the agreement that was signed in 1999 between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Interim Commissioner provided for negotiations if either party wanted to extend or change the current agreement. The current agreement does not run out until 2002. We are currently negotiating with Nunavut on a number of issues regarding the extension of a joint arrangement. If those negotiations are not successful, then Mr. Miltenberger may very well get his wish of seeing two separate Workers' Compensation Boards. Hakuna Matata.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on this particular issue, it is hard to accept do not worry, be happy.

-- Laughter

The concern, Mr. Speaker, is that Nunavut seems to be setting the tone and direction here and that the territorial government is sitting passively by, accepting the decisions made by Nunavut as it did with NTPC.

My question to the Minister is, will we in fact take the same kind of leadership role that Nunavut has demonstrated and make a political decision? It is in our best interest to split the Workers' Compensation Board. Why do we not do it now? Do the planning that is necessary as opposed to dragging this out. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not convinced it is in our best interest to split the Workers' Compensation Board. We have entered into negotiations with Nunavut on the potential of a continuation of a shared Workers' Compensation Board. The assessments I have so far, and I will be happy to share those with the Member, show that it is to our advantage to maintain one Workers' Compensation Board in terms of the rates and in terms of the other benefits that are provided through this.

It is a complicated one. We need to look at the number of claims, where the payments are coming from and so on. I would be happy to share that information with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it makes no political sense. We were told that it would not be in our best interest to split NTPC, that there would be a five percent rate increase. Now I have heard that division is going to happen and there will not be a rate increase. I have great suspicion of the numbers and the rationale to keep one large organization if there is bureaucratic survival in this.

Mr. Speaker, my question is, as part of this legislative review that has been undertaken, trying to come up with one piece of legislation for two territories with different political realities, will this issue be looked at? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board, Mr. Handley.