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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Clearly we do want what is best for Northerners. I am sure we continue to lobby the federal government to make sure that they are adequately protecting our water and wildlife, but I am wondering if this Minister has placed it high on the agenda to get the authority for water developed to this level of government. Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, certainly the devolution of land and water is pretty key in any discussions we have with the federal government on the whole issue of devolution. Without responsibility of land and water being transferred to this government, then we really do not have any responsibility for resources and resource revenue sharing and so on. So that is pretty basic to any negotiations we have on devolution. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, water is as essential for life as the air that we breathe. Yet as we have come to realize in Walkerton, when it comes to how it is handled and who handles it, it is quite unregulated.

Mr. Speaker, the question I have to the Minister is while we have regulation and standards for child welfare workers...if you want to be a child welfare worker, you have to have a certain amount of training, a certain amount of certification. If you want to drive a truck, you have to pass a test and get certified because there are standards or a lawyer or an SAO.

Yet for those people who provide the critical service of making sure we have good, safe, clean drinking water, we rely entirely on the voluntary Northern Territories Water and Waste Association's voluntary certification program. My question for the Minister of MACA is are there any plans, given the tragedy of Walkerton, for this government to take a look at coming up and working with the Northern Territories Water and Waste Association to come up with a mandatory training package for people working in the communities who handle water and sewer? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, I am pleased to provide the Member with the information that MACA does provide funding annually to the Northwest Territories Water and Waste Association. They in turn conduct one or two operating training certification sessions a year. From the information I have, it tells me that this will be continued. Hopefully we will someday have a certification program for all waste water operators across the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe I have the same information as the Minister, that yes we do have a certification program, but it is voluntary. My question to the Minister is, given how critical good, clean drinking water is to sustaining life in our communities, for all people, and given the tragedy of Walkerton, will the Minister indicate whether Municipal and Community Affairs is looking at making this not just a voluntary certification program but a requirement, a mandatory program for all people working with water and sewer? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, in conjunction with Public Works and Services, we are looking at a certification program that would require all operators in every community across the Northwest Territories to take some formal training to reduce the high risk of contamination of the water system. Thank you.

Merci, Monsieur Allen. Questions supplementaire, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is good to hear that news. I am not quite clear though, the Minister said certification. He did not indicate whether it was voluntary or mandatory. Could the Minister as well indicate what time lines we are looking at to have that certification program in place? Will it be the same as the one currently offered by the Northern Territories Water and Waste Association, but just made mandatory? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, this is a coordinated effort between Public Works and Services, Health and Social Services and our department. Yes, we will undertake to ensure that perhaps in light of all the problems that have been raised across the country in terms of water quality, we will ensure that becomes a priority of our committee and to develop some type of certification program at that level. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Final supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to try to nail the Minister's feet to the floor more on this particular issue. He is pretty shifty here, he must have been a hockey player, not a skier.

What is your question, Mr. Miltenberger?

My question to the Minister of MACA is, could he give a time line when he anticipates that he hopes to do this laudable bill that I fully support? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not as shifty as he thinks I am...

-- Laughter

...but we are certainly complying with the occupational standards. In terms of the question, I am equally committed to trying to move this as fast as we can on the committee comprising members of Health and Social Services, Public Works and Services, and my department. We will move as fast as we can to make sure that in the next few weeks, or a month or so, we will be able to respond with some more concrete answers to that question. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Allen. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of MACA as well. Could the Minister inform us as to whether there are any territorial regulations in effect that apply to every community when it comes to the installation of private home water systems? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.