Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have informed Members that there is a discussion paper that was going to be prepared by the Intergovernmental Secretariat that will be a brought to Cabinet and then forwarded to the Members of the Legislature for discussion purposes, input, and guidance on how to proceed.

The reorganizing of the government can happen on a number of levels. It is something that started happening a number of years ago. There is truth to the fact that it is, perhaps on appearance, a haphazard, ad hoc approach. As I said yesterday, in the Sahtu for instance, there was a Sahtu divisional board that was set up specifically for that region. There was a commitment to set up a superintendent position in the Sahtu, separate from the Inuvik region and reporting directly to Yellowknife for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development.

Recently, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has set up a superintendent position in the Sahtu. I am not certain that it is totally separate and autonomous from the Inuvik region, but if it is not, the intent is to move towards that fairly quickly. The Housing Corporation also has either set up or is arranging to set up to be separate from the Inuvik region in that regard.

The Member should be advised that the developments in the self-government negotiations and the implementation and the emergence of very clear, aboriginal regional entities have led in part to the thinking that if we do not begin to plan, then we will continue to be moved along in an ad hoc, haphazard way. We are moving to come to grips with this process. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Premier inform this House if these creations of new positions, whether it be planned for or working for the Intergovernmental Secretariat, have these been approved through the budgeting process? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have to take that question as notice. Thank you.

Thank you. The honourable Minister is taking the question as notice. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is addressed to the Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, and is a follow-up to my Member's statement.

The Social Assistance Program was transformed, as I indicated, into the Income Support Program about five years ago. Since that time, I do not think it has really been looked at clearly. I know there are significant issues with the disabled in comparison with people who are employable, that the range is too wide and the program is too broad.

I would like to ask the Minister whether after five or six years, would he consider working with the stakeholders to take a look at the Income Support Program to see if it is adequate? If it is not adequate, how can it be improved to try to better address the needs of the most disadvantaged in our society? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The honourable Member raises a very good point, Mr. Speaker. It has certainly been on my mind recently as I started to look at the Income Support Program. It is a blanket coverage for all recipients. There is a good point to be made that there are individuals on income support on a continual basis. There are many who are on it short-term. Those who are on a continual basis, perhaps we need to look at the possibility of saying can we redesign this particular program in some fashion to take that into consideration.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is good to hear of the Minister's concern. I would like the Minister to elaborate, if he could, on how he would intend to proceed to deal with this issue, to take a clear look at it to make sure there is necessary consultation involving the stakeholders, and to do this in a timely fashion. I know I have constituents -- as I am sure every Member does -- who are living under conditions through income support that are not as good as they possibly could be. Could the Minister please indicate how he intends to proceed? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had the opportunity last Friday to meet with some of the NGOs of our community. We discussed this particular issue, of those persons with disabilities who may be on income support, as well as those who are on long-term income support, I believe on a permanent basis. We are very interested in discussing that with the various organizations that are out there.

As to timing, you have to bear with us a bit. We are trying to get a number of issues out of the way. I expect that by the fall we will be into this fairly heavily in terms of trying to find a resolution to this. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, could the Minister indicate whether in fact we could anticipate this fall, with the next round of business plans, having this particular issue dealt with and addressed, as well as more specific issues of making sure there is adequate consultation and involvement of the stakeholders, the disabled, and all those affected by this very important program? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, it has been on our mind for some time and we are certainly interested in looking at this particular issue. I do not know what the complications are that could arise in terms of looking at a policy change in this area, but we are certainly interested in moving forward to look at all the parameters of this and all the variants that are possible. I expect that we can, in all likelihood, make good progress by this fall, Mr. Speaker, so that we can move forward. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Ootes. Your final supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have constituents whom I know are living below the poverty line with income support. They are struggling to survive. This is a matter of some pressing urgency. While it may be an issue of business for us in this House and in this government, the reality is peoples' lives are affected everyday. I would ask the Minister if he could confirm that yes, there will be something about this in the business plans so the committee and the MLAs as well could provide input and try to bring resolution to this very important issue? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in order to develop this particular program, we would need a month or two months to look at the implications of it. Our business plans are under discussion at the moment. We may be too late for inclusion in the business plans, but I can assure the Member that if this looks like a program that can be supported by all of us here in the Legislature, I would certainly be willing to push that forward.

With regard to the guarantee of inclusion in the business plan, because of timing, I may not be able to include it at that time. As I stated, I have assured the Member that we are interested in looking at this program and will be as expeditious as possible with this, because I realize the concern is out there. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when I look at the terms of reference for the Minister's Advisory Committee on Personal Income Tax, I note that it says:

"The committee will consist of three to five members, largely selected from NWT tax professionals and practicing accountants. However, lay participation in the committee is to be encouraged and other knowledgeable individuals with an interest in income tax policy may be invited to participate. Members will be invited to participate by the Minister of Finance."

My question for the Minister of Finance is, since the Tax on Income and the Tax Advisory Committee is tasked with providing advice on tax policy, why did he not make sure that this committee was representative of the broad make-up of the population of the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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