Thank you, Mr. Delorey. Please be seated. Good afternoon, colleagues. Before we go to Ministers' statements, I am pleased to recognize this week as Public Service Week across Canada. This week, we recognize the employees for their dedicated service to the public sector.

The Legislative Assembly marked Public Service Week with long service awards handed out to our current Legislative Assembly employees with ten or more years of government service. The following people received their ten-year long service award: John Anderson, Donna Friesen, Dave Inch, Glen McLean, Vera Raschke, Doug Schauerte and Brian Thagard.

Myles Moreside and Karen Short both received their 15-year long service award, and the Clerk of our Assembly, Mr. David Hamilton, received both his 20-year and 25-year long service award. Congratulations to all of the award winners. We appreciate all of your hard work and we look forward to your continued dedication to the Government of the Northwest Territories and to this Legislative Assembly.

-- Applause

Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Minister Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today to report to the Legislative Assembly on my presentation in Yellowknife on March 27, 2001, to the Canada Transportation Act Review Panel.

The panel was appointed by the federal Minister of Transportation in June 2000 to undertake a comprehensive review of the Canada Transportation Act and related legislation. The focus of the review was competitive rail access and the overall effectiveness of the current legislation and regulatory framework in dealing with public policy issues. The panel also welcomed recommendations related to other modes of transportation.

Over the past year, the panel met with interested parties in each province and territory and has since received over 190

written submissions. Based on the extensive consultation, submissions received, and their own research, the panel's final recommendations to the federal Minister of Transport will be compiled in a report scheduled to be completed by June 30, 2001.

Mr. Speaker, my presentation to the panel included the following key recommendations on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories.

First, the Government of the Northwest Territories recommended that section 5 of the Canada Transportation Act be amended to present a clear vision for a national transportation system that puts citizens' interests first, that describes the Government of Canada's interests, role and commitment to the national transportation system, and that assigns departmental or agency responsibility to meet the federal commitment. We urged the panel to recommend to the federal Minister of Transport that any revision to the national transportation policy account for regional differences in transportation needs and recognition that Canada's various jurisdictions, large and small, provincial and territorial, have differing capacities to participate in the delivery of policy at the national level.

Second, a key recommendation focused on the allocation formula for federal funds under a national transportation investment strategy. A per capita allocation formula for national infrastructure programs seriously disadvantages sparsely populated northern territories. The Government of the Northwest Territories strongly urged the panel to recommend to the federal Minister of Transport that the formula for allocation of federal transportation-related funds be established on need-based criteria other than strict per capita allocation.

Finally, the Government of the Northwest Territories strongly urged the panel to recommend that the federal government should have a defined role in road transportation, the most important transportation mode in Canada. In particular, through a new vision for transportation in Canada and through a new national transportation policy, the federal government should take the bold initiative of earlier governments and use its spending power to tie Canada together from sea to sea to sea, and to facilitate the development of the North's huge non-renewable resource potential.

Mr. Speaker, I hope the panel finds our recommendations worthy of inclusion in their report. After the federal Minister of Transport receives the report, he will then consider the recommendations and decide what revisions and amendments to the Canada Transportation Act would be appropriate. I will advise the House of these developments as they occur.

At the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker, I will be tabling a copy of the Government of the Northwest Territories submission to the Canada Transportation Act Review Panel. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for the Sahtu, Mr. Kakfwi.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to use my time today to read you a report on a trip, prepared by Vital Manuel. Vital has been a constituency worker of mine for several years, assisting the office staff and helping with constituency work. He has also served for some years as a page for this Assembly.

Recently, Vital attended the Alberta Special Olympic Summer Games and, with his team members, won a bronze medal. I would like to read his report, if I may.

Mr. Speaker, this is addressed to Premier Stephen Kakfwi:

My trip to the Alberta Special Olympic Summer Games

The games were held in Calgary May 11th to 13th. I was chosen to be part of the NWT Special Olympics five-pin bowling contingent. I was one of the ten bowlers chosen. The bowlers were made up of two teams. Team one consisted of Danny Tanche, Gabrielle Nukapiak, Julie White, Clara Tutcho and Corey Foot. Team two was made up of Corinne Lafferty, Monica Felix, Janet Berard and Mervin Olikoak and myself.

We all trained out of Yellowknife under head coach Judy Russell and coach Lynell Broadbent. The coaches accompanied the team. We did a lot of practising before we went to the games. We trained hard because we knew we were competing against 405 bowlers from across Alberta.

We left Yellowknife by plane about seven o'clock Friday morning, May 11th, and returned about eleven o'clock Sunday night, May 13th.

In Calgary, we stayed at the University residence with all the other athletes. We all felt proud of our performance at the games. Team one won a gold medal and Team two won a bronze medal. In addition, there were several individual team member medals, including one gold medal, three silver medals and two bronze medals. We all shared the successes.

For me, I felt proud to be representing my city and my Territory. I also felt that it would make my parents feel good to know that they gave me the strength and encouragement to be the best I can be. As well, it helps everyone understand that people with disabilities are whole people like everyone else, who live full lives and contribute to society. I was grateful for the opportunity...

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous 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. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I was grateful for the opportunity, and I hope that our team will do well at the National Summer Games that will take place in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan next summer.

I am also grateful that you asked me to share this story with you. You have been a great support to me and a great role model for me. I feel truly privileged.

Respectfully submitted,

Vital Manuel

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you very much, Mr. Kakfwi, and congratulations, Vital. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last week in the House, I raised the issue of the Minister of Justice's intention to make a direct political appointment to the warden's position of the Territorial Women's Correctional Centre.

Mr. Speaker, this issue is still out there. The concerns are still there. In fact, I can communicate to this House that the community is basically in an uproar over this particular matter. The Minister and the government are seen to be totally bypassing hiring processes, bypassing the issue of experience and qualifications, even bypassing the Department of Justice, I understand. Not to mention qualified Northerners who may be out there and would be interested in this particular job.

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to reiterate the concern. This is one of the flagship programs for the Department of Corrections. It has an excellent staff, an excellent warden and reputation, and a program that is the envy of all other jurisdictions in Canada.

By making this kind of direct, political appointment, the Minister is putting that particular program at risk, in my opinion. I have had the community leadership indicate to me, I have had staff indicate to me and many constituents indicate to me their concern about the issue and the fact that this is being done in such a way. When the Minister is here during question period, I want to ask him if he will reconsider and do the right thing, put this position back out to public competition and let the job be won by the most qualified, able and experienced Northerner. Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a statement regarding the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and the Expanded Down Payment Assistance Program, also known as EDAP. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation states that its overall objection is to help families and individuals obtain homes that meet their specific needs. Yet the EDAP program fails to meet the specific needs of the families and individuals of the smaller communities in the North.

Mr. Speaker, the EDAP program was introduced by the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, replacing six other programs that the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation previously offered. These programs were the Down Payment Assistance Program, the Purchase Program, the Access Program, the Forgivable Loan Program, the Direct Lend Program and the Home Improvement Program.

However, the consolidation of many programs into one has left significant gaps in the coverage offered by the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. First, the EDAP program requires that clients arrange conventional bank financing or private mortgages, and cover the portion of costs that are not covered by the corporation under the program. EDAP clients have to privately finance between 95 percent and 30 percent of their new home.

There are no banks or financial institutions in most of the communities in the North. In such instances, it is difficult, if not impossible, for residents to make private arrangements. Also, in many small communities, a greater number of residents are engaged in seasonal work or a multitude of part-time occupations, as opposed to larger centres where there is a greater percentage of residents employed full-time by government agencies.

Residents engaged in seasonal work find it harder to obtain even the smallest private mortgage, a prerequisite of the EDAP program. Therefore, the EDAP program does not meet the mandate of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation in that it fails to meet the specific needs of the residents of the smaller communities.

Mr. Speaker, the EDAP program is primarily suited to larger regional centres and appears to be of limited use to the residents of other communities in the North. The reason that it is so important that the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation develops an appropriate program for all residents in the Northwest Territories is that the housing program in the North is getting worse, in absolute terms, rather than better.

According to the Northwest Territories Housing Needs Survey 2000, the number of households found to be in core need in the Northwest Territories had increased by 237...

Mr. McLeod, the time allocated for your statement has expired.

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. McLeod, you may conclude.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the smaller communities, the economy is less well-developed and more intervention is required. Let me illustrate this with an example from my riding of the Deh Cho, Mr. Speaker. The Northwest Territories Housing Needs Survey 2000 states that the Hay River Reserve has the highest proportion of core need in the entire South Slave district at a tragic rate of 61 percent. The community of Enterprise follows closely with a rate of 54 percent. The community that I come from, Mr. Speaker, Fort Providence, has a rate of 40 percent. Compare these rates to 11 percent for Yellowknife and 14 percent for Fort Smith, Inuvik, and the town of Hay River.

Mr. Speaker, it is time for this government to get serious about the housing problem in the Northwest Territories. We cannot simply ignore the problem and hope it will go away. The challenge for the Minister of Housing and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation is to develop an appropriate program that will address the needs of our population in a meaningful way. Let us do it now, Mr. Speaker, and not allow another generation to grow up in substandard housing conditions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to stand today to speak again on the importance of the volunteer sector here in the Northwest Territories. We need to recognize the tremendous contribution of volunteers, especially in this, the International Year of Volunteers. They are young and old, male and female, black hair, grey hair, red hair, no hair, or even green hair, as I might have later on when I volunteer for Cops for Cancer, Mr. Speaker. They care about people. They want and they can make a difference in the lives of others, as well as their own.

Statistics tell us that Northerners lead almost all other Canadians in volunteer activity. According to the 1999 Labour Force Survey, 41 percent of Northerners participated as volunteers during 1998. There are 571 registered, non-government organizations, or NGOs, or not-for-profit groups in the Northwest Territories. These groups and many more that are not registered under the Societies Act are collectively referred to as the volunteer sector.

Mr. Speaker, these volunteer groups generate a surprising 1,732 jobs. They represent six percent of our labour force, with $69 million in salaries. What other benefits does government receive from this third sector, as the volunteer sector is sometimes called?

They provide a tremendous range of programs and services to the residents. They play an important role in supporting active citizenship and well-being. Mr. Speaker, I believe this government could do a better job of supporting them.

For instance, many groups do not know by the close of their fiscal year whether they will be able to have continued funding for the following year and can indeed keep their doors open. We as a government must provide timely and adequate funding and let those groups get on with their program delivery. Multi-year funding agreements should be the norm when there is an established track record and a history of results.

With regard to value for money, I wish I could get as good a rate of return as this government gets for its contributions to non-government organizations. They are experts on leveraging funds from the federal government, the private sector, and fundraising in various foundations. They might even be able to give the Minister of Finance a few tips on this matter.

I believe we need to do our part for the non-government organizations in support of long-term funding programs. That is my message, Mr. Speaker. We need to form a new relationship with our volunteers, recognizing the vital role they play in our society. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we as Members of this House, as elected representatives of the people, are here to account for the actions of this government. Mr. Speaker, there have been several issues I have had a lot of problems with, especially when you find out that projects have been deferred in Member's ridings without the Member being notified or aware of these issues.

We hear of new initiatives through appropriations to the tune of $56 million, yet many of these initiatives are not previously authorized to the tune of $33 million.

Mr. Speaker, we have a role in this House. We all play a role with regard to Members and committees within this Legislature, where we have a process of involvement. We have a process to ensure we have accountability of departments and expenditures by departments. Also, a process for the public to take in regard to the business planning process.

Mr. Speaker, a lot of these initiatives that are presently in front of us are all new initiatives. A lot of these initiatives have not even been informed to Members or committees, but yet, Mr. Speaker, they continue to happen.

Mr. Speaker, there is a reason for all of these processes. We have policies in the way transfers will take place and how Members and committees will be informed on how those transfers have taken place, and given the opportunity to affected Members that those transfers will be reinstated some time down the road, that the money will not be totally taken away from your riding without your involvement or without you having a say in the matter.

Yet, Mr. Speaker, it seems like there has been, in regard to how these processes changed drastically from the previous Assembly. Mr. Speaker, we as Members in this House, who are on committees and what not, are finding it difficult to react to issues that are new initiatives that we are not even made aware of. As a government, we have to be more open to the people out there and more open to the Members of this House.

I think it is important that when we do have these new initiatives, when we make these new expenditures, we should allow...

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

Thank you, 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.