Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize the president of the Union of Northern Workers, Georgina Rolt-Kaiser.

-- Applause

Thank you. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would like to say welcome to all of the people who have taken some time to come and see the Legislative Assembly in action today. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was under the impression that the Dogrib region was being quite well served by this government. It lobbied for years, for instance, to have the highway paved. We have found the money, resources and commitment to do that. In fact, we accelerated that project. We have worked with the Dogribs over the last four years to see successful conclusions to several negotiated agreements with BHP and other companies, ensuring that they are receiving benefits from diamond exploration and production. I believe we have paid much attention to the Dogrib region in recent years because of the incredible pace of development that occurred in that region. We have worked every which way we can to ensure that the negotiations that they are engaged in, as well as being supportive, are given the attention that they deserve. We have limited resources. We cannot always respond as quickly as we would like. We have other communities and regions that also deserve some of the attention and resources that we have. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I believe that when Members are asking questions, they should get the answers they are seeking. If not, I will work with Ministers to ensure the answers that are requested are as forthcoming as possible. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As much as possible, and especially where we are obliged to do so, we consult. As Members know, sometimes there are slight hiccups, but none of these are ever intentional, for instance, in situations where we need to respond quickly and decisively. Yes, as much as possible and where we can, we will commit Ministers to consulting the MLAs on the work they are undertaking in their respective communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I have checked into this project and checked with the Financial Administration Manual to see whether or not there was any violation. It appears that there has not been any. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I also asked the Minister if he could get information back to the House on whether he is aware of the notification process that is in place, where departments have to notify the FMB in regard to any changes to any capital projects. Has he looked into that matter?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I have checked into this one. Let me tell you that on the project that Mr. Krutko is referring to, the Highway No. 8 project, which is reconstruction from kilometre 0 to kilometre 257, this is one project with a value of $500,000. It covers a whole bunch of activities within that one project, but it is all one project. That is the way it was approved in the main estimates. If you check the main estimates, you will see one project.

When it comes to the Financial Administration Manual, the manual says that:

When a department makes any adjustment to a capital project which significantly affects the scope or timing of the project, the responsible Minister will advise the appropriate MLA and standing committee.

In this case, there was some money moved around from one aspect of the project to another one, but the scope of the whole project remained the same. The timing of the project has essentially remained the same. Even though there was movement from culverts to bridge or whatever it may have been, there has been no substantial change at all to the project as a project. Therefore, there is no violation of the Financial Administration Act or the manual. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe there are two misinterpretations of the act. There have been major changes in my riding. There have been two projects that have been deferred. That means two projects are not going to happen within this time frame in the 2001-2002 fiscal year. There is a change with regard to the timing of the project.

Again, I would like to ask the Minister, with regard to the scope of the project, which is over $100,000, or 20 percent of the project, it clearly states under the guidelines, under Article 4.3, item b, that is the area I feel the violation took place. Has the Minister checked in regard to that aspect of the Financial Administration Act?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board, Mr. Handley.