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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to draw attention to an issue that affects a great number of businesses in the Northwest Territories -- that being the lack of skilled labour, Mr. Speaker. Labour shortages continue to plague small- and medium-sized business owners. Small businesses continue to create jobs at an increasing rate. However, the shortage of qualified tradespeople may actually worsen as our economy grows stronger.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend Karen Cooper, manager of the Hay River Career Development Centre, and her excellent staff for playing host to the 2002 apprenticeship forum held in Hay River on October 2nd. The apprenticeship forum was attended by a variety of stakeholders, Mr. Speaker. There were employers, young apprentice, GNWT representatives, post-secondary representatives, and educators, to name a few. The forum was a wonderful venue for stakeholders to share ideas and discuss solutions to our labour shortages.

Mr. Speaker, I was quite appalled to hear shop teachers saying that their yearly budget is $4,000 with 30 kids in their classes. One teacher mentioned that his budget is $16 per student for the entire year. This does not include anything for resource materials. It is only for materials, not for any capital items. This is as a result of our formula funding arrangements for schools.

Mr. Speaker, in Hay River, our high school was built in the 1970s and our shop area has never been upgraded. How are you to teach kids about the trades and develop their interest in the trades if these educators are dealing with such antiquated equipment? I give these teachers credit, Mr. Speaker, for working under these conditions and continually trying to motivate kids.

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business surveyed their NWT members only a year ago, and 83 percent of the respondents say that their highest priority is the shortage of qualified labour. That really says something, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, at the apprenticeship forum, it was stressed to delegates that they need to talk to their MLAs about this situation and really make them listen. Well, Mr. Speaker, I have heard them and I hope that the Minister responsible and this government is listening. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to thank the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Antoine, for offering me the opportunity to travel with Mr. Antoine to the World Diamond Conference in Antwerp, Belgium, October 7th and 8th.

Mr. Speaker, our diamond industry, although young, has placed us on the world map in regard to the diamond industry in the Northwest Territories. For myself, Mr. Speaker, the highlight of the trip was meeting the former vice-president of the United States, Mr. Al Gore, and having an opportunity to speak to Mr. Gore on issues that affect the Northwest Territories, especially the Arctic.

In our discussions, which were about 15 minutes, I had an opportunity to talk to Mr. Gore about the Arctic National Refuge and what his position was on the matter. He fully supports not opening up the refuge to oil and gas development.

Most importantly, Mr. Speaker, I was amazed at Mr. Gore's information and knowledge about the Arctic and the effect with regard to global warming, and how it is affecting the Arctic, the people of the Arctic, and the world as we know it.

Mr. Speaker, in our discussions between myself and Mr. Gore, we spoke about the effects that we are seeing in the Arctic with regard to what the people in the Arctic are seeing in regard to the weather patterns and the effects on our ability to move, hunt, trap, fish. Yet, Mr. Speaker, I think it is important that ourselves as government, that we take the time to reach out to world leaders and make them aware of the effects other countries have on ourselves here in the Northwest Territories.

In our discussions with Mr. Gore, I made an attempt to access more information in regard to global warming from video tapes that were developed from the people in Sachs Harbour to what we are seeing in regard to our wildlife boards, our wildlife patterns that are out there. Mr. Speaker, most importantly, is the intelligence and the opportunity that we take when we travel to different places around the world.

For myself, Mr. Speaker, this is the opportunity of a lifetime and I am glad the Minister is giving me the opportunity to travel with him on this trip. I do look forward to corresponding with Mr. Gore in regard to global warming and the effect on the Arctic and the people of the Arctic. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the Business Incentive Policy review. Mr. Speaker, the government has claimed that the revisions they propose to the Business Incentive Policy are in the best interest of northern business. Yet I keep hearing from the northern business community that they have serious concerns regarding these proposed changes to the policy.

It seems, Mr. Speaker, that there are several fundamental problems with the proposed policy. I think that the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development must take another look at it based on the comments made by Members and northern business before Cabinet moves to adopt the policy.

The Minister has said that this government's procurement practices are intended to maximize benefits for residents of the Northwest Territories. However, we have heard concerns raised by northern business that the proposed new policy will not assist them as much as the current policy.

Business people I have talked to were surprised to hear about the proposal to impose caps, especially when the department says that business proposed that cap.

They failed to see why it would be in their best interests also to allow a Minister to decide arbitrarily whether a particular bid may be ineligible in determining Northwest Territories content.

Mr. Speaker, a lack of enforcement of the current policy has always been a concern of northern business. The new policy contains no real new commitment by the government to monitor the method in which it implements the policy.

So this proposed policy will provide incentives for businesses that employ northerners and file taxes in the Northwest Territories. This represents a significant change in the basic philosophy of the program. The existing program is set up to encourage the establishment and development of northern-owned business. The new program would be silent on business ownership. This change in the underlying philosophy should have first been discussed by Members of this Assembly, but it was not.

Mr. Speaker, before considering whether to maintain the current BIP or to change it, we should also know what the costs and benefits of the current policy are, but we do not. In the June sitting of this House, I asked the Minister of Public Works what the cost of BIP was to this government. He pulled a figure of $33 million out of the air. Then, he later wrote to me to indicate that the cost to his department was more accurately only $43,000. I am somewhat disturbed, Mr. Speaker, that the very public way misinformation was presented and then no offer was made to publicly retract it. That is a matter for another day.

Mr. Speaker, the bottom line is that we do not have good, baseline information on which to make decisions. The new policy is not ready for implementation without serious change. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I found it of some concern that it is being reported to our residents and to southern media that as a result of the concern and the issue raised in this House over the last week about accountability that we were having problems with our style or structure of government, that being consensus, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, for the record and for the constituents of the Northwest Territories, it is unfortunate that when maybe two Members of this House have referenced to some degree structure or concerns with the structure of government that we are now being told, or it is being told, that we are debating the structure and the style of government of this Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, for the record, there has been no debate as far as I have been aware about consensus government and if it needs to be changed here in the Northwest Territories. If that debate is occurring, it is occurring among the very few.

Instead, Mr. Speaker, I think we must once again for the record state that the issue at hand was not one of the structure of government and if that structure is causing us some concern with how we get our work done here in the Northwest Territories. I say, Mr. Speaker, that it was through the consensus style that Members of this House were able to get information that they could bring the government to bear on the aspect of accountability.

Mr. Speaker, for the record, let it stand that we are not debating consensus government here. The debate that took place was around accountability, and let's not deflect from that. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The condolences of the House do go to the Rabesca and the Smith families, the passing of a pioneer, as Mr. Rabesca was. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories Arctic Tourism organization is an industry-driven organization responsible to over 200 tourism operator members and to the government of the Northwest Territories. The NWTAT is responsible for pan-territorial tourism marketing, industry education and the development and marketing of aboriginal cultural tourism of the Northwest Territories locally, nationally and internationally.

Their vision statement is to develop a dynamic partnership between industry and government in support of our vital, viable and sustainable industry by marketing tourism and providing support to tourism operations to communities in the Northwest Territories.

This weekend, Northwest Territories Arctic Tourism will be hosting their AGM conference which will take place in Yellowknife. The keynote speaker will be Senator Nick Sibbeston. This will be the second annual tourism conference to be held in the North and I understand that the registrations have so far outnumbered their first conference.

The theme of this year's session will be "Let Your Spirit Soar." Once recent initiative of Arctic Tourism was a trip to Germany. As most of you know, I had the opportunity to represent the Northwest Territories when Minister Antoine was unavailable to go with the group at that time. Northern tour operators and representatives from organizations like Blachford Lake Lodge, Nahanni River Adventures, the Norweta, Simpson Air, Arctic Nature Tours, Canadian North and Kellet Communications and Mack Travel were part of the delegation that went to Germany. We made presentations in Munich, Dusseldorf and Frankfurt.

Mr. Speaker, German people are fascinated with the northern culture, the outdoors, the beautiful scenery and the wildlife. The northern tour division is focusing on packaging a fly and drive program which would see tourist fly into the North and renting vehicles or motor homes to travel.

The mission was a success and was a very good value. I am sure we will experience the value to the Northwest Territories in the years to come. To enter a marketplace you must understand the needs and what the people are looking for. Many key contacts were made and I believe that having the operators share their products and services personally was very effective and certainly even for myself as a long-time Northerner, it made me want to see and experience more of the North.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the very good work of Northwest Territories Arctic Tourism. Mr. Speaker, just on a personal note, this was the first time I have ever had a stamp in my passport. Flying is not one of my strong points so I would also just like to thank God that He gave me the opportunity and the safety on this trip. It was very difficult for me to board a plane for ten hours. I would be remiss in not saying that I was very thankful I was able to do that. It was a great experience. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have tabled a document in this Assembly that reflects a number of people in my riding of Inuvik Twin Lakes who still retain the basic land skills and continue to use hunting and trapping to supplement their lifestyles, diets and economies. This also applies to those who come North to live amongst us. They have learned to appreciate our vast land and the abundance of wild game, fish, and fur.

For many of us as Members of the Legislative Assembly, as Members from small ridings, we may have grown up in such a setting. Many of us were not only taught the way to survive on the land, but developed skills that we took out of formal education schooling, in a log house somewhere out in the bush.

Mr. Speaker, our traditional times are going to the wayside, simply because it is no longer affordable to trap for a living. Mr. Speaker, with a new trapping season ready to begin, I would like to let the trappers in my riding and others across the Northwest Territories know that I am in support of this lifestyle. I stand in this House today to applaud you.

With that in mind today, I want to showcase my vest made from local sealskins harvested offshore of Sachs Harbour on Banks Island. The lady who made this vest for me is Ms. Edna Elias who is not only a seamstress but entrepreneur, former school principal and interpreter. Her partner Sydney and her spend a good part of the summer harvesting these seals to make these vests, so I can promote it.

The embroidery also signifies the artwork that symbolizes the town that we have in the North. The renowned artists, some of them down from Fort Smith, carved the pendant of the eagle I am wearing today. As you can see, Mr. Speaker, I am wearing two important pieces of art, one which is made in the most southern part of our Territory, the other from the most northern part.

Mr. Speaker, the promotion is intended to display what fine products can be made from wild fur at a very affordable price. It also shows that smaller companies can still be developed in the most remote communities of our Territory, using locally harvested products. Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues in this House to work with their constituents to promote our finest furs and to encourage people to continue to trap and support an industry that needs revival. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me a great deal of pleasure today to introduce a number of people who contribute a great deal to our education systems in the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker, and that is the chairs of the district education councils and the chairs of the district education authorities here in Yellowknife.

I would like to introduce them by name, Mr. Speaker and the divisional education they are from.

First we have Alex Illasiak of the Beaufort-Delta; Jean-Francois Pitre, of the Commission Scolaire Francophone Division; Martina Norwegian from the Deh Cho Divisional Education Council; Karen Balanuik of the Sahtu Divisional Education Council; Anne Pischinger of the South Slave Divisional Education Council; and Mildred Wilke of the Yellowknife District Education Council; and Larry Purcka of the Yellowknife Public Denominational District Education Authority.

-- Applause

Not with us today, Mr. Speaker, are Violet Camsell-Blondin of the Dogrib Divisional Education Council and Earl Jacobson of the college. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is not very often that I get to recognize a constituent of mine, but today I would like to welcome a very special lady in the gallery, a true Northerner who has been around for a long time and a member of a very big family in the North, Ms. Bertha McBryan. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize a constituent of mine from Aklavik, Mr. Alex Illasiak. Alex has been involved with community activities, involved with the church, local boards and agencies such as the education board and involvement with the Inuvialuit organizations. Also, Alex has put in many, many years of public service to assist the people of Aklavik and the Mackenzie Delta. At this time I would like to thank you personally for all the hard work you have been doing. Keep it up.

-- Applause

Thank you. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.