Thank you, Mr. Allen. Good afternoon, everyone. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Minister Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to inform the House that on March 23, 2001, I attended the 2001 Canadian Youth Against Impaired Driving (CYAID) Conference Cultural Feast on behalf of the Department of Transportation, along with my colleague, the Member for Great Slave, Mr. Bill Braden. This event was held in Yellowknife at the new Norman Byrne Gymnasium at the Weledeh Catholic School.

Mr. Speaker, CYAID's 11th annual conference in Yellowknife was attended by over 400 young adults and support personnel. I was extremely pleased to represent this government before such a great group of young people. Every year, residents of the Northwest Territories and many more in other parts of Canada are killed or injured because of impaired drivers who have not yet heard the message and who insist on mixing alcohol or drugs and driving.

The young people of CYAID from across Canada help to convince both this government and all provincial governments to tighten up on impaired driving legislation and introduce new deterrents to this very serious problem. Their message has been very effective at encouraging other students, parents and the population at large into changing their attitudes towards the acceptability of getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol or using drugs. These caring young people are making a difference through their important work.

I know, Mr. Speaker, that all Members of this Legislative Assembly are truly encouraged by the efforts of our youth who are out there getting involved in changing people's attitudes towards drinking and driving. This change will prevent needless death and injury in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate both organizers and the students for a well-run conference and wish them the very best success with expanding their message in getting others to embrace the challenge of reducing high-risk behaviour. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services and health boards have been undertaking a number of initiatives in the area of recruitment and retention of nurses and other health and social services workers.

As we all know, there is currently an international shortage of physicians, nurses and several other health care professionals. This was demonstrated clearly yesterday when an advertisement appeared in News/North offering lucrative financial incentives for northern nurses to work in California.

Mr. Speaker, with our partners in the boards, the college and professional organizations, we are working to ensure an adequate and stable complement of health care professionals. Our Recruitment and Retention Strategy has three broad goals:

• • creating a stable workforce;
• • increasing the competencies of the workforce; and
• • creating a northern workforce.

In order to support these goals, we have undertaken a broad range of activities including, for example:

• • establishment of the Northern Development Program, which is dedicated to increasing the number of Northerners in the health workforce;
• • development of the Introduction to Nurse Practitioner Program, which has been made available to all nurses in community health centres; and
• • creation of an advertising campaign for health professionals that has received national recognition.

An evaluation of our strategy is currently concluding, and I anticipate that we will shortly have a number of recommendations for further strengthening this initiative. However, one of the strongest incentives for both coming to and staying in the North is the scope of practice and range of opportunity that is unsurpassed anywhere in North America. For those who are looking for the challenge and opportunity, the NWT truly offers a unique experience that can be a powerful incentive for many professionals.

Mr. Speaker, we place an extremely high value on our nurses and other health and social services workers. We recognize the special skills and commitment they bring to their work and know that without them we would not be able to provide Northerners with a quality health care system. Inevitably, there will be some nurses who choose to leave, for whom the incentives offered elsewhere outweigh the reasons for staying. This is inevitable, and we wish them well. However, I believe that most will choose to stay and accept both the opportunities and the challenges the North has to offer. I have committed to continuing to do everything possible to ensure that nursing in the NWT is a challenging and rewarding experience. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Two silver and a bronze medal. That is what the Skills Canada Team NWT brought home from the Seventh Canadian Skills Competition in Edmonton in early June. Twenty high school students and apprentices from all over the Northwest Territories competed in events such as carpentry, welding, automotive service, web page design, culinary arts, and TV/video production.

Skills Canada is a non-profit organization, Mr. Speaker. Their mandate is raising awareness of trade and technology careers. Through partnerships with industry and government that promote careers to the youth of our government, this has become an extremely important aspect here in the Northwest Territories because of the high demand we have for skilled trades people in times of rapid economic growth and in growing our own workforce. This concern was raised at our Yellowknife MLAs' constituency meeting earlier this year.

The territorial Skills Canada competition took place in Fort Smith and Yellowknife this spring with 72 participants from across the Northwest Territories in a variety of trades and technology areas. Mr. Speaker, along with a host of private businesses, the Governments of Canada, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut have contributed immensely to Skills Canada NWT with finances and in-kind services.

Forty-five businesses and community organizations have contributed to the success of this year's team. The coaching and expert advice supplied by industry experts such as Steve Payne from Essentials Hair Design and Julia Tate of L'Heritage Restaurant has given the skills team a great foundation.

Representing the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker, were participants from Inuvik, Hay River, Yellowknife, and Fort Smith. Corey Ash, who works for Horvat Construction, won a silver medal in cabinet making. L'Heritage's Kimberly Novak brought home a silver medal in restaurant service when she impressed the judges with her table service. Mark Campbell, an apprentice electrician with BHP Diamonds, won a bronze medal in electrical wiring.

Mr. Speaker, while Skills Canada is developing in the Northwest Territories, I am particularly concerned that there will no longer be federal financial support. While larger jurisdictions have the businesses and financial resources to sustain Skills Canada, our high air travel expenses and small business trades sector will result in Skills Canada NWT being unable to sustain itself. A lack of federal financial support will put future Northwest Territories participation at risk.

Overall, Team NWT should be proud of their successful showing. They are great ambassadors and I hope we will be able to continue Skills Canada next year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. Indeed, congratulations do go out to Dr. Blondin-Andrew. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise again to talk about the need for palliative care legislation in the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker. This is an issue that I have brought up in the House and in committee over the past year-and-a-half. I think that in talking about palliative care, Mr. Speaker, it is about our right to die with dignity. I think this is a fundamental right that we all hold very high, Mr. Speaker.

I think we can see a need, certainly in the Northwest Territories, to develop legislation that will allow us to keep in step with other jurisdictions. In previous questions to the Minister, she agreed that this was certainly something that we needed to get underway.

I know that the department has also looked at the need for long-term care facilities or hospices. I think when you compare the costs of staying in a hospital to the cost of staying in a long-term care facility for someone who is in their last days, Mr. Speaker, it is about three times the cost for a hospital stay.

I know the department had suggested they would look at palliative care and palliative care legislation in their long-term care strategy, and I believe it is called the Continuing Care Strategy. Today in question period, I will have questions for the Minister on the Continuing Care Strategy and whether or not that is ready and whether we have, as we indicated we would, looked at palliative care legislation and palliative care programs and services in other jurisdictions.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I raised a legislative issue yesterday about the need for midwifery legislation. This is another piece of legislation we need in the health care area. There are two things that can delay legislation; a lack of political will or a lack of horses in the Department of Justice to draft the legislation. I will as well be asking the Minister which seems to be the crux of the delay here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about some problems I have in my riding. Water problems are still a major issue, not only in the community of Fort McPherson, but it is now apparent in Tsiigehtchic and Aklavik.

The Tsiigehtchic problem, which has been around for several months, is because of the problem with the existing water treatment facility, or the lack of chlorite chlorination in the water treatment plant, and the community had to deal with very bad water. The colour was almost brown.

Also, another major problem the community has faced is the whole area of policing, and the lack of police services in that community because of the size of the community. The whole policing services is still an issue.

Another issue we face in our communities is the lack of infrastructure when it comes to housing for our teachers, our service providers. I think it is important as a government that when we set goals and priorities, we take into account the problems our communities are facing.

In the community of Aklavik, again, there has been a major stress in regard to the problem with H. pylori, which is a carcinogen in the water system. It has been called for by a doctor to do a public review and to test the population of Aklavik to see what the extent of that problem is. Yet, Mr. Speaker, the problem is still there and nothing has been done.

Another area is in regard to the petitions and motions directed to this government asking for a curling rink in Aklavik. There again, their efforts are still not being adhered to.

Another area is dealing with the alcohol and drug program and the people that have to provide the service to the people in Aklavik, where the building they are working out of has been condemned by the Department of Health because of the problem with the frozen sewage system. They are not allowed to hold any gatherings with their clients in the building because of that problem. The working conditions of the people we have in our communities is abhorrent.

Another problem has to do with Fort McPherson, which has come up in my last visit. There is a major problem with the existing recreation complex, which we have put millions of dollars into, yet to date, the problems are still there.

I feel that we as a government have to do more...

Mr. Krutko, the time for your Member's statement has expired.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. In regard to the recreation complex in Fort McPherson, which is a critical building to the community, yet the building has not been allowed to hold any regional events or hockey tournaments because of the safety factor dealing with this building. I think as a government, when we set priorities and goals, we have to ensure that the people in our communities are part of the establishment of supplementary appropriations, ensuring their programs are being adhered to, not being told "Sorry, there is a freeze on. We cannot expend any capital projects." We have a major supplementary appropriation in front of us and it seems to be no problem when it comes to the government, but what are we doing to ensure the programs are there for the people in our communities? I will be asking the Premier questions on this matter later.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on an issue that has concerned me for some time now. The issue, Mr. Speaker, is that of front-line workers, who they are, what they mean to our system of delivering programs and services, and what we mean when we say we want to hear from front-line workers.

My experience over the past 30 years, Mr. Speaker, gives me some opportunity to look at this from different perspectives. When I first joined the workforce, I considered myself a front-line worker. I know the frustration when you try and bring something to a supervisor that is affecting your job or how you perform your job and having somebody pay attention to those issues.

As a union rep, Mr. Speaker, for 20 years, I addressed issues of front-line workers. I sat in front of corporations, big companies and tried to address front-line workers' concerns. It is very frustrating, Mr. Speaker, to try to get those issues addressed.

As a Member of this Legislature, I have been dealing with what I consider front-line workers for just about two years. I have even been caught, Mr. Speaker, as a parent, listening to front-line workers. My own kids brought up issues to me when they were front-line workers. When I say a front-line worker, I mean going to school and working on getting their own education. They have come back to me after they have completed their education and say, "The problems are still there. I brought them to you when I was going to school. You would not listen." I think we are all guilty of that.

What do we mean when we say we want to listen to front-line workers? I have heard from just about every department in this House that they want to hear it from front-line workers. I have even heard the Premier address issues that we want to go back and listen to front-line workers, and set our agenda by that.

We have heard everything from problems of unfair hiring practices to terrible morale problems in the workplace, yet we want to protect the people at the official level and do nothing for the front-line workers. Education in Hay River, for example, Mr. Speaker. We have heard from students, teachers, principals, board chairs, board members, yet what have we done? We have turned down a petition. We have done two studies that find the system is right. There is nothing wrong. Yet, Mr. Speaker, the problems are still there. Who suffers? I think the students suffer, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Delorey, the time for your Member's statement has ended.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude 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. You may conclude, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, next week there is a Social Agenda Conference scheduled for Hay River and the Hay River Reserve. Again, the topic of this conference is to listen to front-line workers and to set our agenda by it. We have heard that many times, Mr. Speaker. I think there are many problems out there that we have to address and listen to front-line workers. I hope that this time, Mr. Speaker, they are heard and we pay attention to what they are saying. 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, my Member's statement today is with regard to training initiatives that this government is offering residents to prepare them for jobs in careers in the oil and gas sector. Mr. Speaker, it seems that training opportunities are not being offered on a universal basis to all NWT residents. There appear to be regional differences in the availability of training. I understand there is suddenly a great deal of exploration activity in the Beaufort Delta that Aurora College is now scrambling to respond to with appropriate programming. Aurora College is finally implementing oil and gas training programs in the Beaufort Delta, which is, Mr. Speaker, better late than never, as they say.

However, there is essentially nothing being offered in the Deh Cho, where it appears the Government of the Northwest Territories is simply ignoring residents' training requirements. I suggest that a better-planned approach to training requirements up and down the Mackenzie Valley would be a far better way than expanding the ad hoc approach we have now. The present attitude by the Government of the Northwest Territories through Aurora College is a reactive, putting out fires approach that requires the allocation of resources to wherever the latest training emergency is.

This leaves the riding of the Deh Cho without any of the training that is required to prepare for the development period that lies ahead. Why is this, Mr. Speaker? It is not as if we need a crystal ball to foresee the development needs ahead. Every resident of the NWT knows that there is oil and gas potential in the Mackenzie Valley. Surely this government should therefore extend its planning horizon and adopt a longer term, valley-wide approach to oil and gas training initiatives as opposed to its present ad hoc reactive approach.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT is currently trying to promote pipeline development as well as oil and gas exploration throughout the Mackenzie Valley, not just in certain regions. We saw last week in Hay River that support from all sections of the Mackenzie Valley is necessary for development to happen. We are all interdependent to a certain degree in the North, Mr. Speaker, and it is my opinion that the residents of my riding would be more inclined to support development initiatives if there was a greater display of commitment by this government to ensure well-paying opportunities for them when development occurs, not just vague promises...

Mr. McLeod, the time for your Member's statement has ended.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, people need to be excited about opportunity. They need to be optimistic about the future. They need to get excited about opportunities for the young people that can result from development. If they see the young people in the community being trained and well prepared for development, they too will lend their support to well-planned commercial resource development.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I suggest a valley-wide community mobilization and training strategy be implemented immediately that will result in training opportunities being offered to every region with equal access by every resident in the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak on an issue that I questioned yesterday in the area of regional reorganization. Mr. Speaker, in questions to the Premier, I had responses given to me, for example, in unedited Hansard on page 305, where the Honourable Stephen Kakfwi responds to my question on regional reorganization, and he states:

"We have asked the Intergovernmental Forum Secretariat to conduct the review and come forward with a report that will be given to us as a Cabinet, which will then be forwarded to the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight."

Further on page 305 of unedited Hansard, Mr. Speaker, the Premier states:

"We have asked the Intergovernmental Forum Secretariat to develop a discussion paper to guide future discussions on regional reorganization."

Mr. Speaker, when I asked a question yesterday on page 306 of unedited Hansard, the Honourable Stephen Kakfwi responds to my question of ongoing work in the area of regional reorganization, and I quote his answer on page 306 of unedited Hansard:

"Recently, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has started to move to setting an autonomous administrative region for the Sahtu by setting up a superintendent capacity in Norman Wells to serve the Sahtu. The Housing Corporation has followed that. Some years ago, Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development also set up an autonomous administrative Sahtu region separate from the Inuvik region."

Mr. Speaker, my concern also goes towards planning and preparation. Mr. Speaker, I have heard it said that out of chaos comes order. I question who has that order.

Mr. Speaker, I will be following up with questions during question period with the appropriate Minister. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about the Income Support Program and the need to look at, review it and revisit the direction it has taken. At the start of the 13th Assembly, social assistance was taken out of Health and Social Services and transformed into income support and moved to Education, Culture and Employment. All social assistance recipients became income support recipients, including from one end of the spectrum of those unable to work, the disabled, the elderly, the sick, as well as the whole spectrum up to and including those who were employable but who maybe were temporarily just in need of some assistance.

Mr. Speaker, I believe there is a need to look at how well that program is working to meet the needs of the more disadvantaged in our society. I do not think that one size fits all. I do not think the Income Support Program as it is now tailored and designed has the capability to be responsive and to recognize the different conditions that people find themselves in, the different physical states and capacities that people may have.

Mr. Speaker, I am very concerned for those people who are unemployable, who are disabled, who will never work through no fault of their own, who are too old or are possibly incapacitated through illness. I do not think the system right now meets their needs as well as it could. Later today, I will be asking the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment whether he would be prepared to take a look, after almost five to six years of the Income Support Program, to consult with the various stakeholder groups to see if there is a better way to design the system that is supposed to be a safety net for all our people. In some cases I believe the mesh of the safety net is too big. We have to design a safety net that catches and provides support for all our citizens in the best way possible. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Fame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in his budget announcements, the Minister of Finance told us that he is going to create a committee to provide him with advice on tax on income. Last week, he named the members to that committee, and I noticed there was a name change of that committee. It is now Tax on Income and Tax Advisory Committee.

Mr. Speaker, the people who have been named to that committee are all highly qualified tax practitioners. I know most of them personally and admire their commitment, and I am certain they will do their best to provide the Minister with good advice. In fact, I know they are all eminently capable of giving good advice to the Minister, particularly in the area of the technical issues to improve our tax system.

However, Mr. Speaker, when I look at the terms of reference for this committee, a lot of the advice the Minister appears to be seeking is not technical in nature. I will give you some examples.

From the terms of reference, it says that in relation to TONI, there are a number of options available to the GNWT in setting rates and credits. It could make its personal tax rates more or less progressive. That is a social issue, Mr. Speaker. That means the tax for lower income earners is less or the upper income earners is less. To change the territorial portion of credits, like the tuition and education amounts, or to change taxable income brackets.

Another point made in the terms of reference, it notes that changes to these components of the personal income tax system will also reflect the Cost of Living Tax Credit and the NWT Child Benefit, all of which depend on the level of income earned by a taxpayer.

In another area, it says the recommendations to the Minister should focus on the GNWT's need to address the "unique social and economic priorities of the Territories". There we are talking about social and economic priorities. These are not technical issues. Mr. Speaker, this goes on to suggest that when talking about the efficiency of the tax system, incentives should contribute demonstrably to policy goals.

Mr. Speaker, I would argue that much of the advice the Minister is seeking is on tax policy issues, not on technical ones. Policy, many would argue, should be independent of technical issues. I would argue that we should set policy first, and then try to find ways to implement the policy. That may require some very technically able people to make sure the tax system really does reflect the tax policy that we want to implement.

Mr. Speaker, in a non-partisan consensus-style government, if you want to seek policy advice, you should make sure the advice comes from a representative group. It should be gender balanced. It should reflect the population with a representative mix of aboriginal and non-aboriginal people.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the make-up of a committee to provide advice to this government should reflect the general population. In that, I see a problem with the make-up of this current committee.

Even though half of the Northwest Territories population is female, there is not one female member on this Minister's Advisory Committee. Surely the Minister would agree that women should play an important role in setting tax policy in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, about half of our population is aboriginal, but I only see one aboriginal person on this committee. Again, why not involve a representative cross section? Mr. Speaker, we talk time and time again in here about the importance of a social agenda. If in fact it is as important as we maintain, why not have representatives from the social side also providing input on tax policy?

Mr. Speaker, as it is currently formed, this committee is not representative of the broad population of the Northwest Territories, and that is wrong. The Minister should expand this committee to make it representative. Mr. Speaker, it is never too late to do the right thing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At the conclusion of the annual Super Soccer event held in Yellowknife, I am particularly proud to state that two teams from Inuvik were victorious and the other teams played exceptionally well. One of those victorious teams was the 12-and-under girls team from the Inuvik Sir Alexander Mackenzie School, under the guidance of Bill and Maureen Gowans. The team members were:

• • Leah Sulyma,
• • Alyssa Carpenter,
• • Kendra Sittichinli,
• • Renel Landry,
• • Ellen Binder,
• • Jaynita Pascal,
• • Joey McCarthy,
• • Nicole Lindsay, and
• • Shayna Allen.

The other team I would like to congratulate for being victorious in their age category, the 20-and-under girls team who represented Samuel Hearne Secondary School. Two dedicated Beaver volunteers, Graham and Oded, coached this team. The team consisted of:

• • Dayna Lennie,
• • Crystal Debastien,
• • Karen Tingmiak,
• • Joyce Storr,
• • Kristine McLeod,
• • Cheryl Kirby, and
• • Donna Rogers.

Mr. Speaker, over 1,500 young soccer players participated in this most celebrated soccer event, held annually. I am pleased to acknowledge the tremendous success that this annual tournament produces. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Braden on June 6, 2001, regarding coordination of government services for the disabled.

On May 6, 2001, I confirmed my commitment to providing support to the NWT Council for Disabled Persons' request for a partnership process to develop a disabilities framework for the Northwest Territories. Such an initiative is in keeping with the national vision on disability issues as described in In Unison: A Canadian Approach to Disability Issues (1998) and the recently published In Unison 2000 Report.

An initial planning meeting on the matter, chaired by the deputy minister of Health and Social Services, was held on May 31, 2001. At this meeting there was agreement that a multi-dimensional framework needs to be developed that includes a vision and principles that clearly define the goals and how to achieve those goals.

The initial partnership will include the Departments of Health and Social Services, Education, Culture and Employment, the NWT Council for Disabled Persons, the Yellowknife Association for Community Living, the YWCA, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and the Dene Nation. Other stakeholders will be invited to participate in later stage activities as required.

A follow-up meeting is scheduled for late June 2001 to finalize the draft terms of reference to formalize this process and identify work to be done over the following months.

The desired outcome of this integrated approach is the ability to determine priority areas for improvement, and to fill gaps in services for all persons with disabilities in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce three people. Two are medical students from the University of Geneva, Switzerland. They are in Yellowknife to complete a study session on the development of community and public health services. They are Noemie Wagner, Bettina Koehler, and with them is my loyal constituent, Marie Wilson. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased today to recognize Reverend David Elliot. He is the director of Arctic Mission Outreach. This outreach has been responsible for the construction of 40 churches in Canada's northland. With him is Reverend Ken Swagard, who is a very longtime family friend of ours, who has also worked with this outreach in the North. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would like to say welcome to everyone who is attending our Legislative Assembly. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I stated in my Member's statement, I have questions for the Premier of the Northwest Territories, the Honourable Stephen Kakfwi, in the area of regional reorganization. More to the fact of planning, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in response to questions in this House, we heard that there is some planning work going on. There is a discussion paper under development that will be forwarded back to committee members of this Assembly for input.

Another response is the fact that there is ongoing work. My question to the Premier at this time is, on one hand we are doing a plan, getting ready for self-government and its impacts on the Northwest Territories. On the other hand, we seem to be implementing our own plan, whether that is a plan of this Assembly or of Cabinet. I would like to know what is going to happen here? Is this work going to be tied to the ongoing work of the Intergovernmental Secretariat? Thank you.

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

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.

Mr. Speaker, in setting up the committee, I invited MLAs and others to give me recommendations on who should make up the Membership. There are a lot of considerations. If I tried to make it representative of our whole population, I might end up with a committee of 30 people if I include everyone and do not leave anyone out. I certainly took into consideration and I worked from the list that I had. I think I achieved a good regional balance. I did not achieve the gender balance and so on that the Member referred to earlier, but I worked with the recommendations that were provided to me. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know that at least three Members nominated a woman for consideration on this committee. Was the Minister unable to find a woman that he could consider capable of working on this committee to provide advice on tax policy? 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, I am sure there are a lot of women out there who are very capable of taking on the challenges that face this committee. In this particular case, I believe there was only one woman's name that was provided to me. It was from Yellowknife. I had to look at regional balance and in looking at all the factors, there just was not room in this case to do that without enlarging the committee considerably. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the terms of reference, it indicates that lay participation will be encouraged. Will the Minister consider adding to the committee and making it larger, if necessary, to make sure that there is at least one woman on the committee, and preferably a balance of women?

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

Mr. Speaker, I do not want to make the committee larger. I think we have a tremendous task in front of this committee. It has a short time frame to work with. If the Member has recommendations on it, I would certainly be willing to look at how we can include more representation to ensure that we have input from all sectors of our society and try to work that in so that they have meaningful input to the committee's work. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. While the Minister is probably aware that I did submit the name of a woman for consideration for this committee, I would hope that he would re-examine that recommendation. I know that recommendation was supported by some other Members in this House, so I hope he will in fact follow up on that and consider appointing not only women to this committee, but also other members to the committee to make sure the lay representation balances the broad population of the Northwest Territories.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the recommendations from the Member. I did look at it. I reviewed it and I re-reviewed it. From the names that were submitted to me, I created a committee. I think it is a very workable committee. It is not just a bunch of people who are, as the Member characterized them, sort of accountants who have no other life. All of these people certainly have a life and make contributions to the community.

They do not represent every sector in our society, but they have an expertise and they have good, broad experiences. I always take advice and look at it, but there are ways of having input into the committee without actually enlarging the committee to make it representative of everyone in the Northwest Territories.

In this case, I will look at it and see if we can do it through other means of making submissions and try to make it as representative as we can. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I understand it, your power bills are to be paid within a certain time. If you become behind in your payments, you face the very real possibility that your power will be cut off. I think that is fairly standard for all utilities. This is what happens. People who own their own homes who are going to be away for extended periods of time, they know they are responsible for making sure their home is maintained and secure in their absence. This includes making sure the power bills are paid while they are off pursuing other activities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Power Corporation in many of our smaller communities, provides the power, passes out the power bills and collects for providing electricity to the homes and businesses. There is no social arm part of the corporation that can provide that. I believe it is important for us to foster and develop the sense of ownership amongst our people, especially in the small communities that have just recently come into developing a sense of ownership over their houses and the many bills you have to pay when you become private homeowners.

I think it is more important to encourage people to be responsible and to plan adequately to ensure their houses are provided for in their absences. If people do not have the money, there are always social services that can be asked for assistance. Income support is there. Everyone has time to take care of their business. I do not accept that sometimes you do not have time to do this. It is simply time management that we have to learn. For those people who simply do not get around to taking care of their houses, there is a consequence when you walk away and do not provide for the maintenance and security of your home. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am sure people who work for the Power Corporation at the community level would act in a way that is responsible to make sure they do not act or do things that would be irresponsible or disrespectful of the homeowners. I think there is capacity within the community to provide for those things the Member is raising. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Final supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

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

Thank you. I agree.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services. It has to do with the Social Agenda Conference and is in relation to front-line workers. In view of the fact that there are some 200 delegates invited to this conference, all of which are supposedly front-line workers, and for the amount of time that is allotted for meeting with these 200 delegates, I was wondering how the Minister plans on hearing from all of these delegates with important input? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are very excited about the Social Agenda Conference. It will involve more than delegates who are front-line workers. It will also be representative of people in leadership at community, aboriginal government, and hopefully leadership at this government level as well.

Part of the agenda of the Social Agenda Conference is to break into small groups with facilitators so that various subjects can be discussed. For example, you would have a smaller group break out with a facilitator and all the groups would be discussing the same subject at the same time. They would bring that information and input back into a larger, plenary session. I expect there will be quite a cross section of people in the smaller groups. For example, there could be MLAs, there could be Ministers, there could be aboriginal leaders, front-line workers. We will speak with each other and have that dialogue in small groups as well as in larger plenary sessions. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that this conference, as far as the number of delegates, is now full. I was wondering what criteria determined that we were extended to as many delegates as we can handle at this conference? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the conference is being held on the Hay River Reserve. The main, large meeting room will be the recreation complex there. There are a certain number of people who can meet there by standards and codes and regulations. That is what has capped it for us.

We have talked about, because there was such an interest in this conference, trying to set up some form of closed circuit communication with some buildings, some tents that might be set up on the grounds of the complex, but that is what has restricted us. Unfortunately, we have not been able to accommodate everyone who wants to come to the conference. We do feel we have a very good cross section. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.