Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Please be seated. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have just returned from heading a delegation that participated in the Team Canada Trade Mission to China. The official Northwest Territories delegation included Mr. John Bayly, principal secretary and my wife, Ms. Marie Wilson, who participated in the spouses' program. For those who may be wondering, the delegation's costs were covered by the federal government. We were accompanied by Mr. Darrell Beaulieu, who participated in the trade mission as a business representative of the Northwest Territories. Today, I would like to report to this House on the events of this trip to China and the meetings that took place there.

The trade mission provided two key opportunities for the Government of the Northwest Territories. It was an opportunity to explore first-hand what business opportunities may exist in China for Northwest Territories companies. Equally importantly, it was an opportunity for the Northwest Territories delegation to spend time with the other Canadian politicians, bureaucrats, private sector and banking representatives and Canadian business media representatives who participated in the mission.

On the domestic front, we took the opportunity while enroute to talk with the Prime Minister and his senior staff about economic development in Canada's North. I spoke to the Prime Minister about the Mackenzie Valley pipeline and Common Ground, the Northwest Territories' Economic Development Strategy.

We talked with investment banks and business executives from across Canada and from Asia about the Northwest Territories' positive investment climate and resource development opportunities. Energy is on the national agenda and all those who took part in Team Canada are aware of the issues surrounding it.

Media representatives who were part of the Team Canada Mission were also interested in hearing about resource development in the Northwest Territories. The trade mission gave us an opportunity to continue to inform and educate the press about issues surrounding the development of our oil and gas resources and a Mackenzie Valley pipeline, about

development of Northwest Territories diamonds and about our tremendous hydroelectric potential.

Once in China, we discovered a fascinating country with a huge population and a burgeoning middle class. It may come as a surprise to some to learn that China has an active diamond cutting and polishing industry. I had a number of meetings with Chinese mining and diamond industry representatives to share and exchange information.

The Land and Resources Ministry is the highest government authority regulating natural resources in China, including minerals and diamonds. I met with Vice Minister Shou Jiahua and with several key members of her ministry. The meeting with Vice Minister Shou was very informative. We discussed the sharing of information and expertise.

At the invitation of the Vice Minister, the CEO of "Diamond," one of China's larger diamond cutting and polishing companies, also attended our meeting, Afterward, this gentleman met with Mr. Darrell Beaulieu of the Deton'Cho Corporation. In his meetings, Mr. Beaulieu was briefed and assisted by Mr. Jian-Hua Sang, a Chinese mining and minerals specialist.

In Shanghai, Mr. Beaulieu joined us in a meeting with Mr. Nanhai Yan, the director and deputy general manager of the Shanghai Diamond Exchange. We toured the Shanghai Diamond Exchange. We discussed the advantages to China of setting up a diamond exchange. This discussion was very useful because we have been considering the future need for a North American diamond exchange that could be located in the Northwest Territories.

Air transport issues are a shared interest with the Chinese and were discussed with Chinese officials during their visit to Yellowknife in 1998. So, while in Beijing, I met with Vice Minister Yang Yuan Yuan of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, who is responsible for international cooperation. He and I talked about the potential of Yellowknife as a staging, stopover and/or emergency landing spot for the airline industry. This was an introductory meeting only, but it was significant because we were the only Canadian delegation to arrange for a meeting with the Chinese General Administration of Civil Aviation in China.

We met with Chinese officials at both the national and provincial levels including the governors and vice-governors of several western provinces. They represent the less developed and more rural jurisdictions in China and, in spite of the great differences in our populations, we share many problems including the need for environmentally responsible development.

While in China, we were fortunate to have the assistance of Mr. Cameron Zubko in arranging meetings for us. Mr. Zubko, who is from Inuvik and once worked for our Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, now lives in Beijing where he has established a consulting firm. It was a pleasure to have a representative on site in China who knows the North, its people and its potential. Mr. Zubko, whose experience includes working as the Northwest Territories representative in the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, helped us set up senior level meetings with Chinese government officials and offered sound advice on how to navigate through a system that in many ways is very different from our own. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him publicly for his able assistance throughout our trip.

Mr. Speaker, China has indicated its interest in entering the global economy as a full member of the World Trade Organization, where it will enjoy all of the advantages of full membership and be bound by the rules and policies of this organization. With the opening of Canada's first diamond mine and the establishment of a territorial cutting and polishing industry, the Northwest Territories has just entered the global economy in diamond mining. We are poised to enter the global economy in the production of oil and gas and hydroelectric power for export from the Northwest Territories. The emergence into world markets is something that we have in common with China.

The Team Canada Trade Mission to China introduced us to this interesting country and impressed upon us that, with its growing middle class, China offers new and exciting opportunities to the Northwest Territories in trade and in the exchange of information and expertise. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi, and bienvenue. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to provide an update to all Members of this House on recent initiatives launched by the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation that help to solve seniors' housing problems within the Northwest Territories.

Results from the 2000 Housing Needs Survey show that 32 percent of seniors are in core need, compared to 20 percent for the rest of the population. Demographics indicate that the seniors' population will increase over the next several years. In response to these trends and concerns raised by some communities, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, in consultation with those communities, has developed a Seniors' Housing Strategy. This strategy covers a four-year period up to and including the 2003-04 fiscal year. During this period, we plan to construct 97 public housing units targeted specifically to seniors.

Mr. Speaker, the strategy was developed based on community input on the following criteria:

• • Community request;
• • Seniors' needs;
• • Over-housed seniors living in public housing while families remain on waiting lists;
• • Lack of public housing units targeted to seniors;
• • Lack of proper seniors' housing; and,
• • Culturally unacceptable seniors' housing that can be converted to singles accommodations.

On the basis of these factors, units were allocated where they were needed most. Thirty-seven units will be constructed this year, 12 in the following year, and 28 and 20 in years three and four respectively. The 37 units that are being finalized now are spread out over six communities. The six communities are Detah-Ndilo, Fort Good Hope, Paulatuk, Rae-Edzo, Tsiigehtchic and Tulita. Future years will see construction of units in Tuktoyaktuk, Hay River, Inuvik, Fort Smith and Yellowknife. The Housing Corporation is also discussing the provision of seniors housing with communities other than the ones mentioned here. These allocations will likely occur after 2003-04. I would also like to add that the Housing Corporation will take community specific, culturally sensitive issues into consideration when designing these seniors housing projects.

Other recent initiatives that we are launching to provide housing support to seniors include the Elders on the Land Initiative and the Seniors and/or Disabled Preventative Maintenance Initiative.

The Elders on the Land Initiative will provide financial support to assist seniors in core housing need, who live on the land on a full-time basis, so they have the opportunity to repair or replace their unit with a modest, simply constructed shelter. This initiative not only allows elders to maintain an independent traditional lifestyle, it will make their homes safer and healthier to live in. The assistance is limited to $30,000 plus freight per household and is in the form of a forgivable loan over a five-year period.

Mr. Speaker, another initiative developed to assist seniors, the Seniors and/or Disabled Preventative Maintenance Initiative, provides assistance to those who own and occupy their own homes and who require servicing and maintenance repairs to the homes to keep equipment and systems in a good state of repair. This program is aimed at those who cannot afford the cost of routine maintenance checks, to encourage low-income seniors to continue living in their own homes.

Mr. Speaker, in addition to consulting with the communities, I have also discussed these problems with my colleague, the Honourable Jane Groenewegen, Minister responsible for Health and Social Services and Minister responsible for Seniors, to ensure we received her valuable input. I firmly believe that we have moved as rapidly as possible to address the issues and that full implementation of these initiatives will assist in reducing the number of seniors in core need of housing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister Allen. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Madam Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our government has a vision of the people of the Northwest Territories -- that of "a vibrant, prosperous and unified Territory that we can all be proud of." As part of this, we recognize the importance of ensuring "safety, security and respect for all citizens, with a focus on women, children, elders and persons with disabilities." To achieve our vision overall, we must ensure that all residents are given the opportunity to contribute to their families and communities.

Mr. Speaker, on January 25th to 27th, the first ever Northwest Territories conference on disabilities issues was held in Yellowknife. I was pleased to have attended this conference with my colleague, the Honourable Jake Ootes, Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment. We both spoke to delegates on the various initiatives which our departments are undertaking to address the needs of persons with disabilities. I was pleased to be able to return to the plenary session on the last day to hear the conclusions that came out of the three-day conference. I found this to be very illuminating, as did, I am sure, Mr. Braden and Ms. Lee, who also took the time to attend.

The title of the conference, Count Me In, speaks to the need for including people with disabilities in all aspects of family and community life. This includes ensuring disabled people help identify program supports and services that will improve their quality of life. It also speaks to the need to create greater awareness in our northern society about the issues facing those with disabilities, and how our communities can involve and provide them with opportunities.

The conference represented an important step in making sure that the views of people with disabilities are indeed heard and considered in program planning by both government and non-government agencies. "Count Me In" brought together a number of people, groups and agencies with an interest in this area, including frontline caregivers, people with disabilities and their families from across the Northwest Territories. Community groups, service providers, aboriginal organizations and all levels of government are now more aware and informed of their needs.

During the conference, the findings of the recently released report, Living with Disability, Living with Dignity, were presented. This report provided valuable information for government and non-government agencies, which deliver programs and services, as well as for people with disabilities, their families and caregivers. Participants discussed the report's findings and moved the dialogue on to identifying the actions that should be taken to improve service delivery and supports.

Count Me In allowed the opportunity for people to provide information on available resources, share personal stories and experiences of living with a disability in the Northwest Territories and discuss how quality of life and program supports can be improved. The outcomes of this conference, together with findings of the disabilities report, will send a clear message about the needs and priorities of people with disabilities and we are looking forward to receiving the final report of the conference. As a follow up, we have received letters from many of the conference delegates detailing some of the personal challenges and circumstances that they face in their own life and we will be taking the opportunity to respond to each and every one.

In the budget address, the Minister responsible for Finance indicated that the allowances for disabled persons who receive income support will be raised in order to help cover additional costs that disabled Northerners face in their daily lives. Also, as Minister Allen stated, the Seniors and/or Disabled Preventative Maintenance Initiative has been implemented to assist persons with disabilities who own and occupy their own homes and who require servicing and repairs to their homes in order to properly maintain them. Our government wants to continue to work with representative organizations such as the Northwest Territories Council for Disabled Persons in order to address these and other needs of persons with disabilities.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank the Northwest Territories Council for Disabled Persons and their partners for organizing this important event -- for their key role in and contributions to the Living with Disability Report and for their ongoing commitment to ensure the needs of the disabled are not overlooked. I would also like to thank all of the conference participants for helping all of us understand how important it is that everyone is "counted in." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister Groenewegen. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to acknowledge the efforts of a leading NWT businessperson, Mr. Stefan Simek, and his company Ferguson, Simek and Clark, who have been involved in the development and contribution to cold weather climate engineering technology and construction. They established their firm in Yellowknife some 25 years ago and today they have a staff of some 60 people in Iqaluit, Whitehorse, Edmonton, but the majority of them are here in the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, they are significant contributors to our economic development with a well-deserved reputation in cold weather climate engineering and technology. Some 15 years ago, Mr. Speaker, the NWT government got involved in supporting trade missions within the circumpolar community, led by Mr. Simek and his company and their vision and drive.

They went on to gain experience in the Russian Federation through the design and construction of a Canadian village in the Republic of Sakha, and have developed an enviable reputation for their cold region construction projects within the circumpolar community.

Currently, Ferguson, Simek and Clark is investigating opportunities in the Chukotka region, which has a population of more than 80,000 indigenous people in small remote communities, very similar to our situation. They rely largely on reindeer herding in that part of the world.

Last month, FSC hosted a delegation from the Chukotka province of the Russian Federation to the NWT. This included Governor Roman Abramovitch and his colleagues from the Siberian Oil Company, Sibneft, and seven other members of their administration. The Governor and his party also travelled to Wekweti to observe community life, and the engineering and infrastructure that we have put into that part of the country. As a result of this visit, Mr. Speaker, FSC hopes to open up future construction opportunities in that part of Russia using NWT business expertise.

It is estimated that various circumpolar cold climate engineering construction projects like this have benefited Canada and the NWT to the tune of some $100 million. Like all developing economies, we need to diversify ours and exporting our technology is a great way of doing this.

Mr. Speaker, this government needs to be supportive of this kind of initiative, and I hope we can look forward in the future to the support of companies like FSC. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. 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, my statement today is with regard to the NWT health care review underway by the Minister responsible for Health that is becoming known as the Cuff review.

A number of good issues have been raised about this review in this House already, Mr. Speaker, but the focus of my concerns boils down to two questions: one is whether or not the Minister is clear about what it is that she is trying to get at through this review. Second, whether the Minister and the Cabinet are really prepared to make some tough decisions and choices that will most likely come out of this review.

Mr. Speaker, as a Member of this Legislature, the state of our health care system is by far the most frequently raised issue of my constituents. There is a real problem in the way we currently manage our health care and we are running out of time to deal with it before we see a real decline in the quality and availability of essential health care services to our people.

The thing is that everyone I have talked to, whether they are patients, doctors, nurses, board members, administrators or departmental officials, et cetera, has an insightful opinion and idea about what is wrong with it and how they can fix it. However, I am not sure if all of these are reconcilable.

As have other Members, I have had occasion to talk to Mr. Cuff and I am also aware that Mr. Cuff has spoken to many of these individuals and other stakeholders. I am sure he is beginning to see the scope of the monumental and complex problem he is dealing with. Because this is so important to all of us, I am prepared to give Mr. Cuff and the Minister a chance to come up with a plan of action.

I believe this is one study that should have happened long before now.

My concern, however, is that a good plan of action means nothing without a resolve to do something about it. So many government studies fail to produce any result and people are tired of it.

The reason why this is so, Mr. Speaker, is because inevitably recommendations in these reports need a lot of money, a lot of courage or both. So my point and my advice to the Minister is, be careful about what you ask for because you might get it. When you do get it, be sure to find enough courage or money or both to carry them through. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement today concerns a request from Fort Providence for the establishment of a community services board in that community. Mr. Speaker, it is the opinion of the Fort Providence leadership that a thorough review of the service delivery to Fort Providence in the areas of health, social services and education be undertaken in the community of Fort Providence.

The Government of the Northwest Territories currently delivers health and education services to Fort Providence through two regional administrative bodies based in Fort Simpson. The community of Fort Providence views the current arrangement as being impractical and ineffective. The net effect of a system that supposedly maximizes community input is actually the complete opposite. There is actually very little decision making on matters that concern Fort Providence residents the most. In fact, the regional bodies have little, if any, strategic influence and absolutely no operational input over their organization they supposedly direct, Mr. Speaker.

The regional bodies essentially act as a rubber stamp for bureaucratic decisions made in Fort Simpson and Yellowknife. Far too much power and discretion lies in the hands of the unaccountable CEOs. The community of Fort Providence believes that a properly constituted community services board could help resolve these issues.

Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, it should also be possible to undertake these changes in a way that does not effect the Government of the Northwest Territories fiscal constraints by combining the service delivery administrator funds at the local level and close attention to administrative overhead in Yellowknife, it will be possible to create a well-resourced and robust local administrative agency in Fort Providence that can deliver effective health and education services in addition to being accountable to both residents of Fort Providence and to the Government of the Northwest Territories Minister.

Mr. Speaker, community services boards are not appropriate for all northern communities. Some are too small, some are not interested. However, Fort Providence is a community of over 800 people with a capacity to undertake this challenge. Mr. Speaker, I believe this government should take a creative and open approach to making a community services board happen in Fort Providence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Merci, Mr. McLeod. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of global warming has come up with greater and greater frequency in the press and is of greater and greater concern to all the people of the world and the North is no different.

Mr. Speaker, Ms. Donella Meadows of the Global Citizen gives some very sobering facts. The place to watch for global warming, a sensitive point, the canary in the coal mine, is the Arctic. If the planet as a whole warms by one degree, the poles will warm by about three degrees, which is just what is happening.

Ice now covers 15 percent less of the Arctic Ocean than it did 20 years ago. In the 1950s, that ice averaged ten feet thick, Mr. Speaker. It is less than six feet thick at present. At the current rate of melting, in 50 years the northern ocean could be ice-free all summer long.

That, says an article in Science, January 19th, would be the end of polar bears. In fact, many creatures of the Arctic Ocean are already in trouble. Until recently, no one knew that there were many creatures in the Arctic Ocean. In the 1970s, a Russian biologist named Melnikov discovered 200 species of tiny organisms, algae and zooplankton hanging around the ice floes in immense numbers, forming slime jungles on the bottom of bergs and plankton clouds in every break of open water.

Their carcasses fall to the bottom, Mr. Speaker, to nourish clams which are eaten by walruses. Arctic cod live on algae scraped off the ice. The cod are eaten by sea birds, whales and seals. The king of the food chain, hunting mainly seals, is the great white bear.

That was the system until the ice started to thicken thin. In 1997 and 1998, Melnikov returned to the Beaufort Sea and found most of the plankton species, many named by him and for him, were gone. The ice was nearly gone. Creatures that depended on plankton, like the cod, were on the ice, dens for seals or for travel like bears were gone too.

Mr. Speaker, the Arctic is changing faster than scientists can document. Inuit hunters report the ivory gulls are disappearing. No one knows why. Mosquitoes are moving north, attacking murres which will not move from their nests, so they are literally sucked and stung to death. Caribou can no longer depend on thick ice to support their island hopping in search of lichens that sustain them. One biologist who spots caribou...Mr. Speaker, I request 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. Miltenberger. You may continue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, caribou can no longer count on thick ice to support their island hopping in search of lichens that sustain them. Hudson's Bay polar bears are thinner and are producing fewer cubs. With the ice going out earlier, their seal-hunting season is shrinking. The town of Churchill in Canada has more jail cells for bears than for people, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this global warming is an issue. It is something that has come up that affects us directly as Northerners. It is land that covers some of the constituencies in this House. The questions I will be asking later today to the Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development will be, are we doing our share in terms of dealing with global warming in the Kyoto Accord?

-- Applause

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to bring attention to a matter that should be of great importance to every Member in this House. Mr. Speaker, the issue that I am referring to is family violence. Every Member of this House stood up and proclaimed an end to family violence. This very important initiative was brought to light once again from October 30th to November 5th during Family Violence Awareness Week.

Mr. Speaker, the Family Support Centre located in Hay River is a very well run 12-bed facility that provides shelter and counselling for women and children seeking an end to family violence. In addition, Mr. Speaker, the Family Support Centre also operates what is called a second-stage house in Hay River for women who have been through their program and want to commence independent living.

Mr. Speaker, these facilities and programs are very costly to maintain. In addition, this year has been more taxing for the centre given the recent increases in fuel prices. The Family Support Centre has not had an increase since 1996 to their budget, despite several requests for an increase to cover operating costs.

Mr. Speaker, the Members of this House have all shown a willingness to do whatever is necessary to put an end to family violence. I suggest to you that a way to do this would be to put the money where our mouths are. Mr. Speaker, the Family Support Centre deserves our support as they continue to do good work to put an end to family violence.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will have some questions for the Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have a lot of priorities, especially in this government, and one of the priorities is improving the quality of education and ensuring that we have an educated workforce. Mr. Speaker, I think it is also important that we assist those students when they are going back to school, either through Arctic College programs, high school and secondary education.

One of the biggest challenges that we face, especially for a student, is the whole area of child care and child care subsidies. The students of the Fort McPherson Arctic College Program have requested myself, along with this House, to find a way to review the way the Student Subsidy Program that is presently being carried out. They feel that because of the long delays with regard to accessing and delivering the program, it has caused several students to drop out due to not having the resources to maintain or sustain suitable people to baby-sit. These are the ladies and the young mothers who are trying to go back to improve their lives by attending the Arctic College programs.

With regard to the students, in some cases it takes up to four to six weeks to get paid from this government -- in some cases even longer. Students are losing out in retaining good babysitters, and at the end of it all they leave school and have to take care of their children themselves.

One of the things that they are requesting is that the funding that is presently going to pay for the Day Care Subsidy Program should be administered at home, at the community level where presently we have income support workers. In Fort McPherson, we have the Gwich'in Education and Training Society, which is a local education organization delivering programs and services on behalf of the federal government.

What the students are requesting from this government is, is there a way to improve the delivery of programs and services to students, especially for single mothers. With regard to this issue, students feel that we have to do more to improve programs and services and take down those barriers that students are finding themselves in. With that, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister responsible for Education questions on this matter. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this week I tabled a document, Inuvik Twin Lakes Profile. Today I wish to highlight one of the important visitations in the riding of Inuvik Twin Lakes.

I am speaking of the Ingamo Hall Friendship Centre. Ingamo Hall provides various programs and services to the elders and the youth of Inuvik. A prime example of this is that every second Thursday of the month, Ingamo Hall hosts an elders luncheon where the youth assist in serving food to the elders.

In January, Ingamo Hall organized and hosted an Elders Sober Gathering to acknowledge several of the elders in the Mackenzie-Delta region. There were 97 elders in attendance, along with their families and other community members. There was a total of 1,107 years of sobriety at this gathering.

Youth activities are also very visible at Ingamo Hall. The Ingamo Hall youth group have been actively involved in promoting awareness regarding various issues in Inuvik. They have participated in the Take Back the Night Walk and Candle Vigil, and also hosted the AIDS Awareness Walk. The youth has accumulated approximately 1200 volunteer hours by assisting in a variety of activities held at Ingamo Hall.

Ingamo Hall also offers cultural programs and activities such as drum dancing, beading and sewing, traditional cooking and Arctic sports to residents. Not to leave out probably the most favourite activity open to all residents of Inuvik, which is the regular Tuesday night bingo.

I wish to applaud the efforts of the staff at Ingamo Hall. Without their dedication and efforts, these programs would not be the success they are today. These individuals include Gloria Allen, Jamie White, Bette Lou Bergeron, and all the other members of the staff at Ingamo Hall. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a Return to Oral Question asked by Mr. Roland on February 14, 2001, regarding the chief of staff position and the pay range for executive assistants working in the Government of the Northwest Territories.

The chief of staff position, like many other senior level positions, is an at pleasure appointment and does not have a formal job description. These types of positions do not lend themselves to traditional job descriptions upon which to base a Hay point evaluation. Instead, salary and benefits are negotiated and established through an employment contract.

Similarly, executive assistants do not have formal job descriptions and are not evaluated through the Hay Job Evaluation System. Again, this is because duties of and qualifications for these positions vary widely with the different functional and political requirements of each Cabinet Minister.

The salary range for executive assistants to Cabinet Ministers is $63,139 to $71,592. In some circumstances, the salary range is exceeded. For example, where an executive assistant is there on a transfer assignment from a position in another department at a higher salary, he or she will continue to be paid that salary.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT is aware of the anomaly that is created by including positions such as executive assistants and the chief of staff in the public service. It is for that reason that the GNWT is currently considering amendments to the Public Service Act to bring clarity to the issue of political staff.

Thank you, Minister Handley. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize and welcome someone who has spent many hours in this House in the past, Mr. John Ningark, former Member of this Assembly and former Deputy Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Steen. (No translation provided). That means welcome colleague in Inuktitut. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize in the gallery someone who has spent many hours making sure I got elected to this House in the first place. She is a friend and advisor and confidant. Her name is Joy Stewart. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. 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 group of students from Weledeh School. They are from the grade 6, 7 and 8 class, as well as their teacher, Cecilia Boyd. Mr. Speaker, I assure that if every one of these young people complete high school and college or university, we will guarantee them a job. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

It does not get better than that, Mr. Handley. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The National Metis Youth Role Model Program provides an opportunity to recognize the achievements of Metis youth and share their successes with others across the country. A member of the community of Yellowknife, a constituent of Great Slave, Ms. Amber LeMouel has been selected, along with five other Metis youth from across Canada, to receive this award. The ceremony will take place in Regina this weekend, Mr. Speaker. Amber is a very busy young lady. She is off to Australia tonight to continue her university training. As Amber will be attending school, a member of her family will be receiving this. Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing a very talented and very deserving young member of our community, Ms. Amber LeMouel, and her mother, Evelyn.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. We wish the young visitor bon voyage over to the other side of the world. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Vital Manuel, originally from Fort Good Hope, who is a constituency worker of mine. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Yes, Vital has served time as a page as well, so welcome, Mr. Manuel. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Ms. Stewart, the daughter of the former Speaker, the Honourable Donald Stewart. Also, of course, my colleague, Mr. Ningark, the former Member for Natilikmiot, in Nunavut. I understand that at one time, he was the boss of our distinguished Finance Minister, Mr. Handley, so you are here to keep an eye on him.

-- Applause

Welcome to the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the budget speech, the Minister responsible for Finance announced relief for northern residents for high fuel costs. This announcement has been welcomed by many of my constituents, but details have been very sketchy. I would like to ask the Minister more about this initiative.

I was wondering, Mr. Speaker, if we could find out what is proposed as the income under which people would receive this rebate?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Finance, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the intention of the government is to use the core need income thresholds that have been developed by the Housing Corporation as a base for which we would provide the fuel rebates.

The core need income threshold is a threshold that was established and is maintained by the Housing Corporation to determine the income levels under which people would be eligible for assistance for their housing purchase and maintenance costs. We felt this was a good base for the fuel rebates as well. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the budget speech, the Minister said the fuel rebates would be $320 for those who owned their homes and $150 for those who rented. I have been called by constituents who wanted to know if this would be a flat amount or if it would be graduated according to income.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Finance, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is important for us to get the rebates out to the homeowners and apartment renters in the Northwest Territories. We are looking at this as being a flat amount. The reasons for that again are to keep the administration simple and efficient for us to administer, and therefore be able to get it out before the end of March with the least administrative difficulties and cost. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would hope that the Minister would reconsider that. I know I have had constituents who have said if a family with an income of $70,000 is going to qualify for the full $320, why would a family with a $73,000 income not qualify for at least a portion of that and do it on a graduated basis? I would ask the Minister to reconsider. I do not believe the administration would be that much more onerous to set up a graduated scheme, so the amount that was paid per family depended on income. Will the Minister reconsider and actually introduce a graduated scheme? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Finance, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the intention of the rebate is to help those who are in the most need of help. The easiest, most efficient way of doing that is to use some sort of income threshold for a household. I realize looking at need can be very complicated, but we wanted to have a system that could be administered easily and would enable us to be able to get the help out to people as quickly as possible.

Mr. Speaker, we need to have a cut off somewhere. No matter how we do it, it seems we will have some people who feel that their income is just above that threshold and they really need to have some help. We really have to have a threshold. It was felt that this one was the most efficient one in terms of administering it and one that was the fairest to most people.

Of course I will consider alternatives. As we speak, our staff are looking at this, but I have to say that given the need to get the rebate cheques out quickly, we need to have something that is fairly efficient to administer. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Final supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hope that the Minister follows through on that promise to have another look at this issue. I would hope that when we are comparing easy administration for this government versus fairness for our constituents, fairness will win out.

I wonder if the Minister could advise, how were the amounts of $320 per household and $150 per renter household determined?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Finance, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we took a look at the cost of fuel increases over the last year. If you take heating oil, it has increased from 41.4 cents to 57.4 cents in Yellowknife. It is different for every community, of course, but the amount of the increase for people in detached dwellings or in homes is roughly one-half of the estimated $640 increase that people would face in home heating costs on average. So on average, it is half of the average heating cost increase. In the case of apartment buildings, we had to look at it a bit differently and do an estimate based on the rental increases that have been put in place by landlords over the last winter. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for Education in regard to my Member's statement. The students at Arctic College in Fort McPherson are requesting we do a review on the Child Subsidy Program. In light of that, one of the questions is if there is a possibility that the funding would go to the students to be paid for their babysitting, administration, to be delivered locally through the Income Support Program for the Gwich'in Education and Training Society. Also, they are requesting that the students be paid on a biweekly basis, so they can retain the babysitting services or people that they have sitting for them.

I would like to ask the Minister responsible for Education, is there a possibility that this program, which is presently being delivered out of Inuvik, could be delivered in Fort McPherson by one of the two agencies mentioned, the Gwich'in Education and Training Society or the income support workers?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This program is under the Early Childhood Program, the day care user subsidy program. Payments are made to income support and others for day care subsidies. It is unfortunate that this is occurring to students who are dependent upon this and I will check into this issue. I already started to enquire today. Once I learned of this, I made an enquiry to see what the reasons are for the delay and what the process normally is in this particular case of the day care user subsidy, Mr. Speaker.

As well, of course, we are looking at the Early Childhood Development Program. The day care area has been one of my areas of interest to ensure that we provide expedient and good service, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the areas that seems to be a real concern or problem is the length of time it takes for this government to have those subsidies delivered to the students. I would like to ask the Minister, would he also consider looking at the possibility of trying to streamline this process so it could be conducted a lot smoother than it presently is?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Yes, Mr. Speaker. This definitely is an area that we need to do some work on. I want to ensure that cheques are received expediently by those who are in need of them and that we do have an efficient system in place. As I mentioned, we are looking at the Early Childhood Development Program and one area that I have taken a particular interest in is the child care area. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister make an attempt to see if it is possible to deliver the program through the Gwich'in Education and Training Group that presently delivers scholarship programs and other programs that they administer on behalf of the federal government through aboriginal programs? Since they already are an agency that deals with education programs in the community and they do serve a portion of the population of the people I represent, is that a possibility and will you consider looking at it?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We do make arrangements with various communities to deliver income support on a local basis. It is an area that we will look at to see if this can be done in this particular circumstance to see if there is the possibility of local delivery. If it is already done with the income support portion, then we can also do the same thing with the day care user subsidy program. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With regard to this being an issue not only for Fort McPherson, but probably all the other communities in the Territories which have similar problems, I would like to ask the Minister would he consider looking closely at the request made by the students of Fort McPherson in other areas to ensure that the subsidy programs that are being delivered are being delivered in all communities, not just this one requested by Fort McPherson?

I think it is important that we find ways of taking down these barriers that are affecting the education of our students and not to deter them, or them having to drop out of school. Would he consider looking at the overall program?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes. We would look at the universality of the program, of course. As I mentioned, in a number of cases, we provide local delivery for income support and make arrangements with local organizations to be able to do that. In the case of the day care subsidy program, we will also look at that to see if we cannot apply this in a more efficient way across the Territory. I must emphasize though that I do not know whether this is an isolated case or whether this is a common problem and we would have to look at it in light of that to see if this is a more prevalent problem and that we look at some universal problem-solving on this.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask today again, a follow-up echoing Mr. Dent's concerns about the fuel subsidy. I would also like to weigh in with my constituent's feelings that this thing likely should be on a graduated basis and have an inverse relationship to income and that setting a cut off, wherever we set it, is going to leave some people out. I do not think that is fair. I would like to direct my questions to the Minister responsible for Housing, since it sounds like his department will be responsible for administering this.

Mr. Handley suggested that the average household fuel price went up by $640. That is home heating oil. What about those households on propane, which I believe have taken an even larger hit? Did we take a look at that and what would they be having to endure? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have been advised that yes, they will be treated in the same manner because they are similar, the home heating fuels. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I assume they would be treated similarly, but I am just suggesting that the Minister responsible for Finance indicated that $640 was the average increase and that this rebate would offset 50 percent of that hardship. I think it is much less significant for those who are on propane because the increases have been greater. Would the Minister indicate whether or not they have looked at the costs that homes on propane have had to endure? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for Housing, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have been advised that yes, there is an acknowledgement that the prices have increased as well and they will be treated the same as home heating oils. We will definitely take a look at that as well.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would hope that the department will take a look at that. I know the propane has doubled, more than doubled in comparison to home heating oil. I also wanted to ask about this idea that we are shooting for ease and simplicity here and maybe at the expense of fairness. We are already asking households, I assume, to prove that they are in fact paying heating bills. We are probably already asking them to prove that they are already not receiving other subsides, say from a corporate entity. Would the Minister indicate that this is in fact the case and we will have to do that? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not clear on the exact question, but I do want to make a comment here. This program was just announced during the budget session on Thursday of last week, so we are doing a lot of preliminary work trying to iron out all the wrinkles here and, if we can, come to some immediate conclusion so we can begin the rebate program. That is the objective of the Housing Corporation taking over the program at this point. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister Allen. Final supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I take it from the response that we have not quite worked out the details yet and we are hurrying to do that. I am wondering if the Minister can look into another matter. We talked about a commercial truck toll that will increase the price of fuel and I am wondering if he will consider that when he looks into the rebate. This $320 could quickly be eaten up by the increase in commercial tolls. Will the Minister look into that as well? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. I think that question would probably be better answered by the Minister responsible for Finance, however, we will have to direct it to the Minister responsible for Housing. Minister Allen, if you choose.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, I would just like to say that we will deal with this issue as we try to assess the costs of rising fuel costs. I just want to reiterate my previous answer. This is preliminary. We will try to keep the House informed of how we are going to administer this program and implement it as rapidly as we can. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Allen. I would just like to remind Members about the rules for questions. The preamble for supplementaries, according to your rules, should be much shorter as you get onto the supplementary questions. So if you would indulge the Chair by limiting your preamble in your supplementaries. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Finance, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the Member that for the life of the current financing formula, there will be no claw back of this revenue. That is again through the toll. With regard to future formula financing agreements, how this will be treated will be subject to negotiations between myself and the federal Minister responsible for Finance. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Finance, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my budget address, we are intending and working on a Northern Tax Credit Program. That one will be on top of the current northern tax credit. That tax credit is there to help Northerners with the rising cost of living in the North. It will be available to all income earners in the Northwest Territories whether they live in communities on roads accessible by road or whether they are in fly-in communities, it will not make any difference. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Finance, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, everyone will be eligible for the increased tax credit that we are making available as long as they have some income or they make application through their income tax. The fly-in communities will get the benefit the same way as everybody else does. So certainly it should be a fair system. It is very difficult under our current income tax arrangements with the federal government to be able to have a tax credit program that is different depending on whether there is an all-weather road, winter road or no road at all to your community. So we have to treat all people the same under the tax administration system we work with. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Handley. Final supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Finance, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, the toll we have put in place is essentially a fee we are charging heavy trucks for the use of the road that they are travelling on. So we cannot take the money from that toll and use it for something else. We could not take it and use it to build a winter road or to build an extended road someplace else. We have to spend it on the area from which we take the revenue. Will it have an effect on the bridge, for example? If there is a proposal to build a bridge, it would certainly have to be taken into consideration because I think there is a limit to how much we can afford to increase tolls by. In terms of winter roads, we could put tolls on winter roads if they are our responsibility, but that would be a different program. Thank you.

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

Order, please. I just want to caution Members that your rules do not permit you to comment on who is or who is not in the House.

Mr. Nitah, I would caution you about my comments about recognizing who is not in the House. These are your rules and I would ask you to observe those rules.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Premier. There were two questions there. You can answer whichever one you choose.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not sure what the question is. It was not clear to me. Perhaps he could make a short, concise question? Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Nitah, could you perhaps rephrase the question to the Minister?