Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a couple of days ago in this House I raised the issue about the Aurora campus student residence construction. The Minister of Education committed to working with the groups in the community to look at alternative methods of building a student campus. He did put some qualifiers on it, but I would like to confirm with the Minister today, in fact, that he would be willing to do that, as I have contacted groups back in Inuvik and they are willing to discuss with the department alternative ways of having the student residence built. I would just like to see if we can get that started, as we are in the process of the campus coming up this summer when construction is to begin. During question period, I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to make my statement today under the broad subject of celebration. Earlier in this session, I heard colleagues debating the merits of granting special liquor licences to open bars and pubs to celebrate the Olympic hockey game, which happened to fall on a Sunday. This in turn led to a debate over whether communities should set the rules for themselves on Sunday bar openings.

First of all, Mr. Speaker, I would like to respectfully point out the irony of what it was that people wanted to celebrate. To be an athlete of Olympian quality takes years of discipline and training to ensure that you have reached the peak of performance in your sport. We admire and revere these people who have resisted the temptations of self-indulgence and excess in eating and drinking, and how do people celebrate? Well, some of them sit on their couch or on a bar stool, eat junk food, smoke and drink beer. Would it not make more sense to emulate the accomplishments of these athletes to maybe go out and run ten kilometres? Or if you have to drink, do it at home with neighbours and friends, but let us not open the door to taking away the one day that people who probably need it the most could spend at home.

I do not think we need any more bar time to celebrate anything. I think we should celebrate the one day bars are closed, and there is a hope that people who are inclined to spend too much time at the bar might stay at home and celebrate a day of rest with their family and friends.

Because if the bars are open, people will come. I lived in a condo tower in downtown Yellowknife across from a certain drinking establishment for the first year I was here, and it did not matter, rain or shine, 40 below, whatever the conditions, the noise that rose up from that street was unbelievable. Maybe child protection workers in Yellowknife could tell us how many kids were left home alone. Maybe we will never know. How much money, which could have been spent on food and clothing, got sucked up by these businesses on the six days of the week they are open?

As for not being featured on national television like so many other partying bar patrons across the country, I think the rest of Canada knows very well that Northerners can consume our share of booze with the best of them. Call me square, call me middle-aged, but I have never understood what drinking had to do with celebrating anything.

Mr. Speaker, I think I as am fun-loving and like celebrations as much if not more than the next person. I am pleased to announce that you do not have to drink to have fun. If you can live without it, why not do so? If you cannot live without it, that is another good reason not to drink. I hope that bars are never opened on Sundays for Grey Cups, Super Bowl, or even Olympic gold. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my statement today deals with the Family Law Act and the Child Protection Act, and the whole idea of having our children taken and put into custody, taken away from our communities and our homes. There is a process that we have in place. I think this government is at a position of being a police officer, judge, jury and prosecutor by not allowing due process.

I for one feel that there are things happening out there that this government has to seriously take a good look at. In the case at hand, which Members of this side of the House are aware of, there are people who have delivered their babies at Stanton Hospital and had them apprehended immediately after birth.

I feel that is unjust. It is cruel to not only the mother but mental cruelty in the concept of what is going on.

I had to deal with many cases in my constituency where children have been taken away from their parents. All parents are not perfect. All parents do not have the ability or the lifestyle of having to live in a rich family environment. A lot of people live on social assistance. Is that a crime?

I think as a government and as a people, we have to help the people who need help, not use the system to prosecute people, or make people have to prove themselves in front of a court.

For First Nations people and for First Nations governments, they were supposed to be involved in the process of ensuring they were going to be informed of what is happening with aboriginal children when they are being apprehended or taken away from their families or taken away from their communities.

Mr. Speaker, this is happening today. There is no due process. I for one feel that this government and the Minister responsible have to take some action. I think this issue should be debated in this House. We should do a thorough review with regard to the Family Law and Child Protection Act to see if it is really working. Is it doing what we encompass it to do?

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will be asking the Minister of Health and Social Services questions on this urgent matter.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to make a statement to highlight some of the things I have learned about the way our government spends money on lending programs, in particular, the NWT Business Credit Corporation.

Mr. Speaker, through the review of the budget of RWED, I learned that there is no real strong criteria on how our government lends money to businesses. I have also learned that market disruption is not really an important factor when considering government lending money to private businesses. I have a real problem with that, Mr. Speaker, because as I stated in committee of the whole, we are hearing constantly in this House about the lack of money to small communities to create economic development projects and create job opportunities. I have also indicated that in my travels with the special committee, I have learned there are a lot of small communities in the Territories where there are no viable businesses to serve coffee, or a gathering place. For example, in places like Tsiigehtchic and Aklavik, when we were there with the special committee, there was no place a visitor could go to have a snack or coffee or anything.

I think it is government's role to support a business like that in small communities. I do not think it is government's role to spend taxpayer's money to give loans to businesses in communities like Yellowknife, or communities with competition in the market, to give them money when they could not get the money from the bank, not to create new business opportunities or new jobs, but to replace something that is already in existence. You could apply to open a restaurant or another coffee shop or whatever you want. How is that creating new jobs? How is that creating new business opportunities where one did not exist? How is that creating a fair competition if someone could go and get a business loan from the government and they are allowed to compete with other people, who have put their sweat equity, mortgaged their house and whatever savings they scraped together to start that business? There is something very unjust out there about this. I urge the Minister and the government to review this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know it is tough to imagine that winter is just about behind us with the cold weather we are experiencing and that spring is just around the corner. However, a sure sign of spring is the carnivals that we start to see at this time of the year. Today, I want to congratulate the community of the Hay River Reserve, who celebrated the opening of the 19th Annual K'amba Carnival yesterday.

Every year, the reserve is the first community to celebrate their carnival. It is probably the only one in the North that is alcohol and drug free.

-- Applause

I am proud to say they are not campaigning for the bars to be open on Sunday. This is a family-based function and it is held in a dry community. I would remind all of the visitors who are planning to attend the reserve of that fact.

Mr. Speaker, the K'amba Carnival is for both young and old. They have a long list of events, from dog races and talents shows to bingo and the queen and princess contest. Today, I want to thank all of the people who entered the queen and princess contest. They are; Savana Fabien, Patricia Abel, Talitha Bugghins, Cheryl Fabien, Alison Minoza, Alexia Martel, Josie Tourangeau, and Rosalie Martel. These girls are all out pounding the pavement -- Mr. Speaker, I guess pounding the gravel, in this case -- in hopes of ticket sales. The winners were the ones who sold the most tickets. This year's winners are Rosalie Martel who, by the way, was a page for us earlier this last year. Rosalie Martel is the winner for the 2002 K'amba Carnival queen contest, and Cheryl Fabian for the princess. I want to congratulate them both.

Mr. Speaker, during this event, we get to see the towns of many of our fellow Northerners. This year, as part of the opening ceremonies at the K'amba Carnival last night, the people of the Hay River Reserve and Katl'odeeche First Nation pay tribute to Kole Crook.

Every year, the carnival symbolizes the changing of seasons, and it is time to rejoice the end of a cold, dark winter and to welcome the coming spring. Every year, the K'amba Carnival has been growing bigger and bigger. I believe it is the second largest carnival in the North now. Diane Tourangeau and the K'amba Carnival committee have been working for many months to make this event happen. I want to congratulate them for making this an enjoyable and memorable event. I want to thank the community and wish them a wonderful and safe celebration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my statement is about the status of the Giant Mine cleanup. Earlier this week my colleague from Great Slave, Mr. Braden, spoke in the House about the statement of the cleanup, or rather, the lack of cleanup, of the arsenic trioxide currently stored in the underground caverns at the mine. Mr. Speaker, residents attended public meetings in N'dilo and Yellowknife hosted by DIAND. Those residents had the opportunity to hear what they are proposing as options we should consider with respect to the arsenic trioxide problem at Giant.

Mr. Speaker, there have been meetings and information sessions hosted by DIAND on this issue, and yet it is becoming clear that we are no further now to finding a solution. We now hear that some of the options DIAND proposed in the past are no longer viable, and perhaps the best option on the table is to leave the arsenic where it is. DIAND has suggested that by June of this year, the federal government will determine a course of action to deal with this problem. One of the major obstacles seems to be that it is going to cost money to clean this up, and, Mr. Speaker, let us be clear it is a lot of money.

DIAND representatives have admitted that some of the options would be far too costly. Of particular concern to me is the statement reportedly made at a public meeting in Yellowknife, in which a DIAND representative suggested that Yellowknife has to deal with the arsenic, as this is where it came from. I sure hope he did not mean to suggest that Yellowknife residents have to come up with the solution, Mr. Speaker.

The federal government is ultimately responsible for the mine site cleanup and we must ensure they do what is right for the residents of the NWT and for the environment. The federal government is who we must hold accountable and who we also hold responsible. I hear environmental agencies, local governments, aboriginal organizations and community citizens voicing concerns and fears regarding the inaction of the federal government, but I am not hearing this government, Mr. Speaker. I am not hearing the Government of the Northwest Territories. Where are we on this? Why are we not making our case to the federal government? Or do we even have one?

I think the people of the Northwest Territories have every right to know what this government is doing to resolve this impending environmental disaster.

Later today, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking this government, specifically the Minister responsible for RWED, what is being done to address this issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Mr. Speaker, I have a Return to an Oral Question asked by Mrs. Groenewegen on February 20, 2002, regarding the Human Resource Management Policy. Mrs. Groenewegen directed her question to the Deputy Premier. However, this question deals with matters for which I am responsible and therefore it is proper that I respond.

As Minister responsible for the public service, I have the sole authority and responsibility to manage and direct the public service in a manner consistent with the Public Service Act. Many of the authorities have been delegated to deputy ministers. This is outlined further in a letter to Mr. Bell tabled in the House on February 26, 2002. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment. I am hoping that as I travel home today, I will have some good news to bear as to when a meeting might be set up between the groups in the community around possible alternative methods of building a student campus. I would like to know from the Minister, when will he be able to have representatives of his department contact the groups in Inuvik? Thank you.