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. 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.