Thank you, Ms. Lee. Please be seated. Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back after a very, very eventful weekend. You will notice that the Canadian flags are decorating the Chamber today. They are here to honour the Canadian athletes who recently competed in the Olympic Games.

-- Applause

The past two weeks of Olympic action in Salt Lake City has indeed united Canadians from coast to coast to coast, and overseas as well, in feelings of pride and of accomplishment. All Canadians are justifiably proud of the efforts of our winter Olympians. It is a pleasure to congratulate and to know that it is more than tragedy that unites Canadians. It can sometimes be feats of skill that bring us together.

As you may be interested to know, the majority of the 17 Canadian medals were won by women.

-- Applause

I know I speak for all Members when I extend our congratulations to the Canadian Olympic team. Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have two statements today that I would like to make.

I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Jim Antoine will be absent from the House today to attend the Joint Energy/Environment Ministers Meeting in Victoria, British Columbia. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, it is also my pleasure to report today on another successful Team Canada trade mission. I would like to take this time to share some highlights of the trade trip with the people of the Northwest Territories.

While en-route to the Team Canada trade mission, I had an opportunity to meet with De Beers and Rio Tinto in London, England. In speaking with De Beers , I restated our position of wanting them to provide rough diamonds to our northern cutting and polishing factories. I remain hopeful that they will

see the premium in our northern diamonds and provide these locally as other companies, such as BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, have done.

Team Canada travelled to Russia and Germany, visiting Moscow, Berlin and Munich. At different stops, several members of the NWT business community joined me. People such as Chris Ghazouly from Canada North Projects Limited, who signed a memorandum of understanding in Russia to provide technology in wood frame construction, and Stephen Simek of Ferguson, Simek, and Clark, whose company has vast experience working in Russia. Chahe Arslanian of Arslanian Cutting Works and Fernando Alverez from Jacques Cartier Clothier Inc, which is a partner of the Inuvialuit Regional Development Corporation, were also able to meet with business counterparts in Munich, Germany.

I had the pleasure of having Kevin Diebold and Kelly Hayden, representing the Northwest Territories Chamber of Commerce, join me for the entire mission. Considering our population and our natural resource base, the level of business interest, especially in Russia, was incredible.

In Berlin we were invited to participate in a time capsule ceremony at the future site of the Canadian Embassy. On behalf of the Northwest Territories, I contributed a bow loom with the porcupine quillwork to the capsule. Ruby Minoza of Fort Providence made this bow loom, representing centuries old techniques that are still being used today in many of our communities. It was a proud moment.

Finally, our presentation of Beneath the Dancing Sky in Munich, Germany, was a fitting end to a successful Canada trade mission for the NWT delegation. This presentation was a celebration of the richness and diversity of the culture of the Northwest Territories. This event, staged last Thursday evening in Munich, showcased Northwest Territories diamonds, furs, designer fashions and accessories, and a variety of arts and crafts to over 250 people. A number of northern businesses involved in the tourism industry were able to share information on their products and promote the Northwest Territories as a world-class tourism destination. The crowd included representatives of the German business community, government dignitaries, members of the German aristocracy and Team Canada trade mission participants, including Premier Ralph Klein, his wife Colleen, and Senator Frank Mahovlich and his wife Marie.

The response to the show and the Northwest Territories was overwhelmingly positive. The event was also an effective tool to raise the profile of the Northwest Territories and promote our tourism products and services at an international level.

In addition to a fashion show of contemporary and traditional aboriginal fashion designs, Beneath the Dancing Sky provided visitors the opportunity to observe our artists and craftspeople demonstrating their unique crafts in the natural setting of a recreated cultural village. I would like to take a moment to thank the cultural ambassadors for all of their assistance: Judy Magrum, Bill Nasogaluak, Karen Wright-Fraser, Antoine Mountain, Francois Thibault, Lucy Barnaby, Berna Beaulieu, Jane Dragon, Jimmy, Kevin and Roberta Memogana, Fred and Linda Kataoyak and Buddy Alikamik.

I would also like to thank the many NWT companies who helped plan this event and the delegation that joined us to help promote the Northwest Territories, and as well, my wife, Marie, who accompanied me on this trip. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Minister Handley.

Mr. Speaker, this afternoon I am pleased to tell the House about several initiatives the Department of Transportation has taken to make critical highway information available to the travelling public. I would like to thank Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development members for suggesting some of these positive initiatives.

The department has erected some 41 emergency information signs. These signs give motorists the name and telephone number of the RCMP detachment responsible for the section of highway they are travelling. The signs are located near where an access road joins a primary highway and where the responsibility for highway patrols passes from one RCMP detachment to another.

If the public wants to know what is happening at the Fort Providence ferry crossing, they can take a look for themselves on the Department of Transportation's web site. The department has installed a video camera on the south side of the ferry crossing that sends a picture every few minutes to their web site. People can actually watch the ferry taking vehicles across the river.

The public can obtain current highway and ferry information from either the department's web site or its toll free telephone service. The service advises of road conditions on the all-weather highway system, seasonal ferry schedules and the status of the winter road system. The service keeps the public informed of highway maintenance and construction activities, interruptions in ferry operations and, for commercial traffic, the load limits in effect on the all-weather and seasonal highways.

To assist those not familiar with the NWT highway system, the department has produced a brochure that provides highway services and safety information, along with other helpful topics about the highway system.

As we know, Mr. Speaker, information is a two-way street. As well as receiving information, the public may sometimes want to comment on highway conditions. Most recently, the Department of Transportation's North Slave regional office has opened a toll free line to listen to what motorists have to say about our highways. The new line should give the department an indication of what the public thinks are the most important factors relating to good road conditions and safe highway travel.

Mr. Speaker, timely and reliable information about our highway system can make all the difference for planning a more convenient, pleasant and safer trip. The highway information services I have mentioned today should help to make travelling our territorial highways a more comfortable and enjoyable experience.

Credit where credit is due. I want to thank all Members who have offered the Department of Transportation their constructive suggestions for safer and better highway transportation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister Handley. Item 2, Minister's statements. The honourable Minister responsible for Public Works and Services, Mr. Steen.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to talk today about a project that makes it easier for Northerners to locate and phone for government services. The new NorthwesTel directory is being distributed this month and it features a big change in the pages of government phone numbers.

Now if you need information about electrical permits, you do not need to know the branch of government or the department name. You can flip to the blue pages and look under the broad heading of licences and permits. The entry tells you the phone number and also who delivers the program and where it is located.

The blue pages project was coordinated by the Department of Public Works and Services. It is part of a Canada-wide program to improve the blue pages in our telephone directory. Our government worked with First Nations, communities, municipalities and the federal government to make a consolidated list of services offered by all levels of government.

Mr. Speaker, I believe this new way of listing phone information will benefit all residents of the Northwest Territories. I am pleased that my department could contribute to this effort. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister Steen. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize and pay tribute to all of the apprentices, journeypersons and employers who are working together to build a strong and self-reliant Northwest Territories.

Earlier this month, communities across the Territories celebrated Apprenticeship Week by recognizing and rewarding the achievements of this year's top graduating apprentices. The awards are given to apprentices who achieved the highest mark over 80 percent in their year of training. Over 35 awards were presented to apprentices in all the regions of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pass along my congratulations to the Apprentice of the Year, Jason Coakwell, of Kingland Ford, Hay River. Jason earned the title of Apprentice of the Year by obtaining the highest marks of all graduating apprentices.

I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding achievement of another Hay River apprentice, Cameron Locke. Cameron, who is working towards journeyperson status in auto body repair, completed two levels of training in one academic year, achieving top marks at both levels. He also received the Dean's Award from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology for his efforts.

Mr. Speaker, Jason and Cameron are only two of the 300 apprentices who are registered in the NWT this year. They exemplify a sense of commitment and enthusiasm for their trade and their studies. Because of this, and support from industry, private business, NWT schools and Aurora College, the apprenticeship program in the Northwest Territories is one of the most successful in Canada.

The demand for skilled trades people remains at an all-time high. The government, by working with its partners, can help to find solutions to this current shortage. Together we can help to ensure the continuation of a successful apprenticeship program, but more than that, we can help to ensure that a qualified, skilled and professional workforce that meets the needs of employers is resident in the NWT. Local people meeting local needs -- the essence of a self-reliant community and economy.

Mr. Speaker, it is important to encourage youth and other employment seekers to consider the trades as a career. With over 40 trades available for certification in the NWT, there is plenty of opportunity to be a part of the tremendous economic growth we are currently experiencing.

A successful, economically viable and self-reliant future lies within the grasp of every resident of the NWT. The time is right for government, education providers and industry to work together in developing the skilled workforce required to achieve this future. Apprenticeship is just one of the tools we have to help ensure that this happens. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Minister Ootes. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, February 21, I asked a question to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment regarding a legal opinion that he received, which has been seen by Cabinet, about the clawback of impact benefit agreements. I quote from Hansard, the Minister stated:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is highly unusual, it is unprecedented to release legal opinions. They are between a lawyer and a government. However, we will do this, provide a summary of the report.

Mr. Speaker, regarding the precedent that has been mentioned, I would just like to remind the Minister that the precedent has been set in this House. There have been legal opinions tabled by my colleague for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty, and also from the Premier. Also from Ms. Lee, Tabled Document 71-14(4), tabled November 5th. Also, Tabled Document 78-14(4), tabled November 6, 2001. With that, I would just like to make the Minister aware that we talk about a consensus government here. We are supposed to represent all of the people and share information and work together as a team. However, when you start holding back information, information that is relevant to the public interest, I for one feel that we have to show that there is openness here, unless somebody made the decision overnight that we are having party politics, with you over there and us over here.

The whole idea of sharing information is so that we can make good decisions. I think it is important that the Minister start sharing that information so we can try to find a solution to this problem, with regard to the clawbacks of impact benefit agreement payments. With that, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister questions with regard to Hansard later on this afternoon.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the raven flies, this Assembly is a mere two kilometres from the site of one of Canada's worst mining legacies. I am speaking of the vaults of lethal arsenic trioxide lying underneath the Giant Mine property. This site ranks along with the Nova Scotia tar sands as one of the ten most toxic waste sites in Canada. Mr. Speaker, arsenic is a giant problem.

These underground caverns are sealed with concrete bulkheads a few dozen metres below the surface. They are the seven repositories of almost 40 years of a dark side of a mining industry. They store an estimated 237,000 tons of this toxic by-product. To put this in a bit of perspective, Mr. Speaker, if this stuff is aspirin tablets, two of them could be lethal.

Earlier this month, a consultant assigned by DIAND to the Giant Mine working group said that while a search continues for viable ways of eliminating the problem, the best answer still appears to be to leave it in place, monitor the rates of seepage and discharge and, if needed, artificially freeze the ground around the poison to prevent its escape. This is not the type of thing I expect to hear at this time.

Storage is the answer -- absolutely not. The people of Yellowknife, Detah and N'dilo and everyone on the watershed of the Great Slave Lake deserves better than that from our federal government. The NWT needs a permanent solution to end this problem for good, not a storage site that we simply hand off to our grandchildren in the hopes that they have the will and the way to fix it.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud the efforts of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs to date for the communications that they have initiated to keep the community informed of what is going on. There are rounds of information sessions coming up in Yellowknife, N'dilo and Detah in the next two weeks. I urge citizens and organizations concerned to attend.

We cannot be complacent about this, Mr. Speaker. I am issuing a call for action to anyone who has the care to get in touch with DIAND to attend these information sessions and find out what is going on.

The Minister of DIAND and the federal government must accept and eradicate the environmental liability that lies beneath the surface of Giant Mine. We can accept no less. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this time, I would like to raise an issue that impacts every person in the Northwest Territories, the very important issue of water quality. Mr. Speaker, I raise this issue of water quality because of the importance it has on our environment and the traditional lifestyles of the aboriginal people and Northerners.

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories is part of the Mackenzie River Basin and area that encompasses approximately 1.8 million square kilometres, which includes three territories and three provinces. The combination of past and current development activities in the Northwest Territories and the upstream activity, such as mining, oil and gas development, forestry activity and the damming of rivers, has impacted water quality in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, it is important that this government provide assurances to the people of the North that we are actively and effectively managing our water resources. The Northwest Territories is advertised by this government as a place to visit because of its pristine environment, an environment where one imagines dipping a glass in any stream, river or lake and being confident that the water is clean and safe to drink.

However, Mr. Speaker, we in the North are hesitating to dip a glass in these streams, rivers and lakes, or consume the wildlife that was once the mainstay of our diet. For that matter, Mr. Speaker, we are becoming worried of the quality of water being delivered to our homes. As an example, Mr. Speaker, what person here in Yellowknife is not familiar with the term arsenic and the likelihood of its presence in each glass of water we drink?

Another potential negative impact of water quality and the loss of resources was brought to my attention by an elder who was concerned with the dumping of culled fish back into Great Slave Lake. There are numerous examples of past activities resulting in the leaching of hazardous materials into our waterways. One example is Axe point, an old army base left over from the 1940's, downstream from Fort Providence, which requires current clean up due to the leaching of hazardous material.

The negative effects of water quality cannot be attributed to any one industry, company or person. It is the cumulative effect of the past and current development activities, not only in the Northwest Territories but upstream as well. As economic activities take place, it is certain there will be some form of environmental impact for us. We should be concerned and, more importantly, question.

The question then arises, at what level of environmental impact do we become concerned and what are the cumulative impacts and cost?

Mr. McLeod, your time for your Member's statement is over. Mr. McLeod.

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 are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. McLeod.