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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 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, Mr. Delorey, you may conclude.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, 60 years of marriage is a great accomplishment in anybody's book. I would like the Members to join me in congratulating Red and Bertha for this fantastic milestone. I wish them all the best for years to come. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. Indeed, congratulations do go out to the McBryans. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this government commissioned a report called the Grant Thornton report on human resource practices. I am interested in what progress has been made to date in responding to the recommendations in this report. This is an area of government policy and activity that is of significant interest to many of the constituents in my riding. Whether you are a candidate for employment seeking to secure a position in the GNWT public service or you are currently an employee looking for opportunities to advance your skills, training and career, the impact of the direction undertaken by this government needs to be carefully considered because it has many implications.

The public and the public service are looking for a very clear signal from this government as to their philosophy and goals and what principles of fair practice are going to be the underpinning of the potential transition from affirmative action to employment equity.

I am also concerned about the present degree of uniformity amongst government departments and agencies in practice at this time. It appears that some departments are already at the implementation stage of a new direction, as indicated by the Justice Minister's recent announcement of a departmental human resource management policy.

The newspaper is full of career opportunities in the North and many of these are for government departments and agencies. Our ability to recruit and retain qualified staff will be affected by the outcome of our deliberations around human resource management. Labour markets nationally and internationally, for many reasons, seem to be a dirth of qualified candidates in many occupations.

While our ultimate goal is to prepare Northerners to meet our labour market demands, in the interim, our human resource management policy will play a large part in our ability to staff our public service. I have attempted to raise this issue earlier in the session, but have not received a satisfactory level of response. It is important that whatever direction is taken, that the input of Regular Members of this Assembly will be fully considered. Later in question period, I will ask questions of the Minister responsible for the public service as to the status of work in this important area. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as Members are aware, on Monday, January 21st at 5:00 a.m., a popular truck stop located five kilometres from Fort Providence was accidentally set on fire during an attempt to thaw the water lines.

Mr. Speaker, the Big River Service Centre is a well-known restaurant and service station that primarily serves the trucking and tourism industry and is located only minutes from the ferry crossing, where one can buy gas, have a bite to eat or rent a room. Although the fire destroyed the restaurant, the craft shop and the convenience store, the older section of the building is still operational and allowing some services to resume.

Today, I want to thank the local fire brigade who are credited for a speedy response and early containment of the blaze. As a result, currently available are re-fuelling services, lodging and a soup kitchen. I also want to thank the Evergreen Forestry fire fighters who were available to relieve the tired fire brigade members who worked a long, 12-hour shift.

Mr. Speaker, the fire was in the immediate proximity of very hazardous products. The gas pumps and propane storage was only a few hundred feet away from the fire, and this fire occurred during a very cold period of the winter. It goes without saying, Mr. Speaker, that these fire fighters had to work under extreme conditions.

As in most small communities in the North when incidents like this occur, community residents band together to help out. Don Plante and Cheryl Pztenue, owners of the Big River Service Centre, were certainly overwhelmed with appreciation from the response of the community of Fort Providence and others who helped out.

Mr. Speaker, plans are to rebuild. Clean up has already taken place and the new modular buildings will arrive by April 1st. They will house a restaurant, a craft shop and a convenience store. All construction was slated to be done by April 10th, with hopes of having full services restored by April 13th. This is welcoming news for all the customers that rely on the service station and the locals that frequent this business.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all of the volunteers who helped out, especially the Fort Providence fire department. I also want to wish the owners of the Big River Service Centre the best of luck. I certainly want to commend Don and Cheryl on their decision to stay in Fort Providence and rebuild, and by doing so, demonstrate that the North is a good place to do business. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity this weekend to travel back to my constituency, catch up at home with my own family and take in some activities. Mr. Speaker, it is interesting how our own families can look at situations and provide some input as to what we do in this House.

For example, Mr. Speaker, at our supper table on Saturday evening, for some reason the discussion got turned into what happens in this Assembly and the issues we deal with. This topic, Mr. Speaker, was around the issue of FAS/FAE. It was interesting to hear the young people's perspective on what is happening out there. I think it is even more reason why we need to address the seriousness of what it is and the impacts it has on the individuals and families affected.

Mr. Speaker, when talking to my children they not only asked questions of what it really is, but how it happens. Discussion on what happens to a baby that is still in the womb and is affected by the alcohol consumption and also the discussions that go on in the public amongst these young people in this area.

I must say that I am somewhat disappointed to hear that in some circles the discussion is more, again, about young people and how they would categorize each other or call upon each other with certain names. I do not believe they do it to harm individuals, but it is something that gets picked up in the school yard, discussion goes around, jokes get made and then name calling happens. I do not know if these individuals know the real extent of the damage that is done to an individual.

I think that is why it is that much more important for us as a government to take a strong stand on what happens to the unborn child. I will have questions for the Minister during question period on this issue. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, what about De Beers who is playing hardball with the territorial government and the aboriginal governments about what they are prepared to do or not do in their businesses in the North? What about our mega pipeline project that is hanging on the balance, especially in light of the discussions and legislative amendments happening in Alaska?

If we are not speaking with a united voice and we keep undermining the power and credibility of the Premier, I do not think we are doing good for any of the people in the North. Mr. Speaker, I am a strong advocate of the power and privilege of Members in this House, of every Member to speak. I do believe that what we do here matters a great deal and that we ought to think about implications and weigh the balance about what we are saying and the results of what is happening. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to acknowledge two very dear friends who are currently in the Stanton Hospital for medical reasons. Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize our elders who play such an essential role in our lives. To most of the people out there, you will not know much about who I am speaking of, but they are people back home. They have character and play an important role in the daily lives of their community.

Mr. Speaker, I want to wish both Martha Arey and Leyland Kayotuk a very quick recovery and I hope you are enjoying watching our Legislative Assembly from your hospital beds. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Allen. That ought to help in their recovery. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Colleagues, it is my great pleasure to introduce in the gallery visiting us Mr. Victor Chin, he is the director general of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.

-- Applause

As well, his assistant Mr. Edward Tao.

-- Applause

Also, accompanying them is our own protocol officer, Ms. Carmen Moore. Please welcome them to our gallery.

-- Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Mr. David Murphy. Mr. Murphy is president of the Northwest Territories Teachers' Association. It is great to see him here in the gallery. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Gerry Cheezie, the manager of the Yellowknives Dene Housing Association.

-- Applause

Thank you. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would like to say welcome to those of you who have come to see this Legislative Assembly today. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question this afternoon is for Mr. Ootes, the Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment. In the Budget Address, the Minister of Finance indicated that it was the government's intention to bring in a new tax measure to the benefit of Northerners, a minimum cost of living tax credit for low-income residents.

My question for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment is, is this new tax provision something that may be clawed back from income support recipients? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.