Thank you, Mr. Premier. Supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would suggest that Ministers can already do that because they are all Members and they can go to Member functions on Member travel. For instance, if I want to go to a mining conference in the south and I think it has relevance and has a huge impact for my constituency, I will go out of my constituency funds. Are we saying that Ministers now have another pot that they can draw on and do not even need to use their Member travel funds now? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Under the old system Ministers from Yellowknife had no home travel budget, so unless they could justify travelling under their specific portfolios there were no provisions to allow them to attend any functions. We thought that for greater flexibility, to provide fairness and to ensure that Ministers from Yellowknife can attend events and functions where it is appropriate for Ministers to be there, sometimes with their spouses and sometimes even with their children or a companion of their choice, whether an elder, a former MLA, whoever they can ask, under this procedure they can have it covered. If we feel it is inappropriate, it will not be covered.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Your final supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier indicated that formerly Ministers from Yellowknife had no home travel budget. I think that is largely because we can drive home.

-- Laughter

-- Applause

However, I am not quick to try to put down something that will somehow benefit Yellowknife Members, but I do not, in fact, think that that is the thrust of this. I guess I want absolute assurance that that is duty-related travel and has nothing to do with leisure. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The system is such that if you ask to go on a trip, for instance, in the future Mr. Dent might ask to attend the Great Northern Arts Festival and if Mr. Bell, for instance, should consider attending these good important functions like that, this policy would provide for that. It would provide that their spouses and their children can attend functions like that that are currently not provided for, unless they are a Minister with a portfolio that is related to those events. It is something that can be seen positively and will allow for government to have flexibility in providing for it.

If it is deemed by the staff to be frivolous or purely of a vacation or travel nature, the cost will not covered. They will not be reimbursed and the cost will be recovered. That has been the case for years and the staff are very, very strict about that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for RWED, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Antoine.