Merci, Mr. Delorey. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Later today I will, on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories, be tabling a draft document called "Towards Literacy: A Strategy Framework." Mr. Speaker, I would like to emphasize the importance of literacy. The Northwest Territories is on the brink of unprecedented economic development, which will bring jobs and business opportunities to Northerners. Northerners must have literacy skills if they are to take advantage of these opportunities.

Given the challenges of today's world, literacy is no longer defined as the basic ability to read and write. Instead, it is defined as an individual's ability to listen, speak, read, write, view, represent, compute and solve problems in one or more of the Northwest Territories official languages at levels of proficiency necessary to function in the family, the community and on the job.

Literacy levels in the Northwest Territories have increased substantially during the past decade. We should recognize and celebrate the commitment that has been shown by our youth, their parents, teachers and adults in improving literacy levels. We know that grade extensions in schools within our communities, program delivery by Aurora College and the work of non-governmental organizations has significantly contributed to furthering the education of many Northerners.

The draft strategy I am tabling today was developed in response to a motion presented by Regular Members and passed by the Legislative Assembly last summer. It represents this government's commitment to create a network of partnerships within the Northwest Territories to enhance existing literacy programs and establish new programs to ensure that literacy training is available in all communities of the Northwest Territories. It was developed after consultation with representatives of the non-governmental organizations, education authorities, Members of the Legislative Assembly and the general public. More than 200 people have been directly consulted. We expect further input from MLAs, the Northwest Territories Literacy Council and others before we finalize the strategy.

The draft strategy framework addresses literacy throughout life, beginning in early childhood and extending through the school, adult and senior years.

The proposed framework is broad and comprehensive -- addressing the need to expand access to literacy programs in communities, correctional facilities, for the disabled and seniors. It also suggests that we can improve some of our existing activities across government and in our education system. The draft strategy links to the proposed Early Childhood Development Action Plan in the areas of early childhood learning and family literacy.

The draft strategy establishes four long-term goals:

• • Increase the number of people in the Northwest Territories who are literate;
• • Increase awareness of the importance of literacy in the official languages of the Northwest Territories;
• • Ensure government departments work together to increase literacy levels in the Northwest Territories; and
• • Develop literacy partnerships across society.

To implement the draft strategy, we have included an expenditure of $2.4 million in our departmental budget. These monies will help to establish and enhance community-based literacy programs. The strategy will provide funding for English and aboriginal language literacy programs and extend library services to 15 communities that are currently isolated from the service. Funding has also been put in place to develop programming for seniors and for delivery of specialized services to persons with disabilities.

The delivery of these community-based programs will be realized through active partnerships with individuals, families, communities, NGOs and governments at all levels.

Mr. Speaker, there is a direct positive link between education and employment. Not only are people with more education more likely to have full-time work, they are also more likely to continue to learn and to acquire skills. Literacy contributes directly to a higher quality of life for individuals, supporting a key goal of the Legislative Assembly's vision document Towards a Better Tomorrow: healthy, educated Northerners making responsible, personal choices for themselves and their families. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Merci, Minister Ootes. Déclarations de ministres. The honourable Minister responsible for Justice, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Minister Antoine. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. From time to time, it is the role of the Members of the Legislative Assembly to focus on issues of very broad concern. They may not be topical, but they are issues we should all pay attention to. Today, my colleagues and I will be focusing on the issue of water resources in our statements and questions.

When we look around the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker, we see a land that is blessed with fresh water. Ponds, lakes and tremendous rivers, which are the transportation routes, provide sustenance and are the essence of life for our people.

To give us an idea of the magnitude of our resource, Mr. Speaker, Canada has roughly ten percent of the world's fresh water supply. The Northwest Territories has roughly ten percent of that share. When you combine Great Slave and Great Bear Lakes, Mr. Speaker, it is an area of approximately 11 times the size of Prince Edward Island.

Let me give you another perspective. Great Slave and Great Bear Lakes each have approximately 1200 cubic kilometres of water. That might be expressed, Mr. Speaker, as somewhat more than a highway of water from here to I think about Regina. One kilometre broad, and one kilometre deep. That is a lot of water, Mr. Speaker, and it has not yet gone under the bridge.

A major concern of mine, Mr. Speaker, is whether large-scale water exports must occur under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement. By signing this agreement, some people would argue that Canada is powerless to stop water exports or diversion projects. Others note that this is not covered under NAFTA. To deal with this concern, the federal government recently introduced amendments to the International Boundaries Water Treaty Act to prohibit the bulk removal of Canadian boundary waters. This includes the Great Lakes.

Those waters will not cross the borders but, Mr. Speaker, where does that leave the water here in the Northwest Territories? Could a tanker pull up to the Mackenzie River in the Delta, fill it up with fresh water and roll out to ports around the world? Could the railway in Hay River fill tankers with pristine Great Slave Lake water and do the same thing?

Everyone in this room is well aware of the negative effects of damming the Peace River in British Columbia and the effects that has had on water levels in the South Slave, in the Great Slave Lake regions. Mr. Speaker, I seek consent to conclude my statement.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We all know that the federal government, through the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Resources Board, has control of land and water use here in the Northwest Territories. Other provinces have changed their regulations or introduced legislation to ban bulk water exports. My concern, Mr. Speaker, is that this government, as far as I can tell, has no position on the bulk export of water and that the same holds true for the Mackenzie Valley Water and Land Resources Board.

We cannot allow an ecological threat to occur by allowing the bulk export of water from the Northwest Territories. I will be raising further questions on this, Mr. Speaker, as we want to pursue a better tomorrow, we have to pursue these kinds of questions today. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to focus on water today, but from a slightly different perspective. Last Friday, February 16th, the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes indicated that 22 percent of the households in his riding are dependant on hunting and trapping as a source of income and food. The same day, the Member for Tu Nedhe brought to the attention of this House a concern over the number of abnormal, deformed fish in a lake two kilometres from the community of Lutselk'e, Stark Lake. The people will not even feed the fish to their dogs, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, water is important to the people of the North in another way. The flora and fauna of our northern ecosystems are dependent upon it for survival. Many people rely upon wildlife and fish for food and as a source of livelihood. When an inland body of water becomes so contaminated, so does the flora and fauna that use the water from that system. Mr. Speaker, when we eat ducks, caribou, moose or fish, we need to be confident that the game we are consuming is safe to eat.

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories is in a period of development. Oil and gas has been found in the Liard area and the Mackenzie Delta is seeing a resurgence in exploration. A third diamond mine is on the horizon. A better highway system is in the making and will open new areas of the North for resource exploration, Mr. Speaker. We are also looking at the development of our hydro potential. We are hoping to become a "have" Territory.

However, Mr. Speaker, we must also be cognizant that hand in hand with exploration and development comes the increased risk of pollution of our lands, water and air. Throughout the North, there are contaminated sites caused by development. During the review of the 1997-98 Auditor General's Report, the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight was informed that there are about 451 sites with potential environmental liabilities in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, do not get me wrong. I am very excited about the developments that are occurring within our borders, but we must proceed cautiously so that we do not cause irreparable harm to our fragile environment.

Mr. Speaker, I listened intently to the Premier's state of the union address recently and to the Finance Minister's latest budget. I heard a lot of focus on economic development. We need to extend that same effort to the protection of our sensitive ecosystem. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as my colleague Mr. Braden indicated, we are surrounded by water in the Northwest Territories. Good water, and we tend to take it for granted. We turn on our taps at home and just assume automatically that good water is going to come out of there, that it will be there and will always be there. As we have found with Walkerton, that is not always the case and may not always be the case.

Right now, Mr. Speaker, Canada's drinking water quality guidelines set out our national standards and includes physical, chemical and biological standards. Mr. Speaker, making sure that the water is pure, clean and drinkable is not a simple task. Right now, we are overseen by the Northwest Territories Water and Waste Association and their certification program, which trains people who handle water and sewer.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the hard work they have done and the level of service they provide to us in what is basically a legislative and standards vacuum on the part of governments. Mr. Speaker, there are only two jurisdictions in Canada that have mandatory certification training for those people that work with water and waste. Once again, as we have seen with Walkerton, if it is not regulated, if there are no standards, bad things can happen.

In the Northwest Territories, we have been very lucky to date, but I think it is time for the government to step up to the plate to work with the Northwest Territories Water and Waste Association to set some basic standards that this association and all of the people handling water in the Northwest Territories communities on behalf of all of us can have a legislative framework that they can work with. One that will provide the kinds of guarantees that we need as a Territory to ensure that there is never a problem like Walkerton. We cannot continue to rely on voluntary certification. We cannot continue to rely on the fact that good water is going to come out of these taps on its own. I will be asking the Minister later today about the government's plans to take this issue to the next step; to have mandatory certification for water and waste handlers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in keeping with today's theme topic, I would like to address the issue of water quality in the North. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to state that the town of Hay River has one of the top water filtration systems in the North. I would like to commend the employees of the Town of Hay River, particularly the public works department, for their vigilance in maintaining such a high standard for the residents of Hay River.

Mr. Speaker, the water at the Hay River treatment plant is monitored daily for chlorine and other contaminants. In addition, they monitor for pH levels continuously. Water samples are taken once a week and shipped to Yellowknife for testing. In addition, Mr. Speaker, routine inspections of the water treatment plant are also conducted biannually by an environmental health officer who is employed by the Hay River Community Health Board.

Mr. Speaker, the Town of Hay River has regulations in place for the safe transportation of water to individual residents through contracted services. The standards in place are very high, and I commend Keith's Water Service for their continued diligence in maintaining such high standards. Mr. Speaker, the water trucks and filling stations are sampled periodically by the owners of the water delivery company, the Town of Hay River, and the environmental health officer.

Mr. Speaker, the Town of Hay River's responsibility for water quality ends when the water is transported to the consumer. Our local environmental health department has indicated that if a homeowner thinks their water tank is contaminated or inadequately clean, the environmental health officer samples the water and sends it out for analysis. In addition, he makes recommendations to the homeowner to minimize potential risk.

Mr. Speaker, when members of the public bring concerns about possible water contamination in their neighbourhood to the environmental health officer, he is not able to act as these are private homes and are not governed under the Public Health Act. Mr. Speaker, the only time that the environmental health officer can intervene in a complaint about water quality is in the case of landlords or rental properties. In this instance, the landlord would have to ensure that the water is safe for his tenants. Mr. Speaker, I have a concern about who is responsible for the end users in our communities.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We as a government talk about taking responsibility for the residents of our Territory to ensure a decent quality of life for them. Improving our water quality, Mr. Speaker, is just one way that we can do this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as today's theme is on water and water quality, I would like to make my comments about Canada's longest river and the main source of good, clean drinking water for the many people who live in the Deh Cho region. My comments today are regarding concerns about the Deh Cho.

Mr. Speaker, over the years I have watched and listened as many people have discussed how this river could be harnessed, how it could be controlled, how we can make money off it. I have also listened as many people have complained as they view this river as an obstacle to their trips south. The residents of the Deh Cho are becoming increasingly concerned about this government's ability to act as the guardian of this river. Every year we watch as the Merv Hardie ferry busts its way through the ice like an icebreaker, something it was never designed to do. All it would take is one mistake, one misjudgment, and there could be serious ecological consequences.

We are also concerned, Mr. Speaker, about the ice crossing at Fort Providence. Everyone here recalls the near disaster that occurred last year when a fuel tanker truck went through the ice bridge before it was ready. We got lucky that time, Mr. Speaker, but will we be as lucky the next time? Who can say? What would happen should a truck loaded with dangerous chemicals fall through the ice? Is there a disaster plan in place to deal with that?

We are all very concerned because downstream from the ferry and ice crossing is the water intake for the community of Fort Providence.

When the tanker truck went through the ice last winter, I questioned the Minister of Transportation on what preventive measures the department had in place to ensure that this type of incident would not occur again. I questioned the Minister on the need for an increased highway patrol presence to ensure that large trucks do not use the crossing before it was ready to handle the weight. Mr. Speaker, I have not noticed any increase in the highway patrol presence around the community of Fort Providence or the ice crossing.

I do know, Mr. Speaker, that the demands placed on the ice crossing by the needs of the mining industry has meant that the ice crossing was open to heavy traffic as soon as the ice had reached its minimum thickness for full loads. Obviously, Mr. Speaker, there is a need for a permanent bridge.

In the meantime, it is imperative that the Department of Transportation does everything it can to ensure that the ferry and ice crossing are run as safely and as environmentally friendly as possible. There is no room for error.

Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister of Transportation questions during question period. Thank you.

-- Applause

Merci, Mr. McLeod. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.