Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, knowing the financial situation we are in as a government, these cost overruns are eventually going to affect us through our social programs. I have a real problem with the way this project is being handled.

I would like to ask the Minister, when will he have the actual figures? Will he have the figures in hand before the adjournment of this House so we can see what the real cost of this project is going to be? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Public Works and Services, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, I have to respond no. We will not have it before the House adjourns because the tenders do not close until the end of the month.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister if he has suggested to his colleagues that they may have to extend this program or delay the construction of the project within the time frame that is set, knowing that these cost overruns will be a burden on other areas of this government? I would like to ask the Minister, have you put forth a recommendation to your Cabinet colleagues to ask for the extension of this construction, phasing it out over a longer period of time instead of trying to do it all at once?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Public Works and Services, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that Public Works would probably take about one to two weeks to analyze the bids. We would then know what the costs are going to be. We would then go back to the client department and we will consider options, such as what the Member suggested. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier, and it reflects on the days that he spent last week in Dawson City, I believe, with other western and northern Premiers. Deputy Premier Antoine delivered a statement reflecting on this, in which he noted that the NWT continues to work with our neighbouring territories, and that:

We managed to get agreement from all Premiers that the federal government should begin discussions with all three territories to determine how current and future federal funding can best meet the economic and diversification needs of northern people.

I would like to ask the Premier, what steps will this initiative involve? What is the plan as far as getting the federal government to act in a coordinated manner for economic development across the North? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The territories, Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, have been without an economic development agreement for a number of years now. We have been consistently, on an annual basis, soliciting support from one another, as well as from other Premiers, to pressure the federal government into providing an economic development program for the northern territories. We have not been successful to date, but the Minister for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development and his officials have been working in coordination with my own officials to continue conveying that message to the federal government. We will continue to do that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is well known that other regions of Canada have long-standing agreements with the federal government. I believe there is the Western Economic Diversification Fund for the Prairie Provinces, the Atlantic region has ACOA. I understand that this is something that has been a persistent request on the part of the Territories to the federal government. Can the Minister give us any kind of explanation or perhaps his views on why the federal government is resisting a plea from the North to put together a similar agency? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I could not possibly speculate on the reasons why the federal government has failed to recognize that the Northwest Territories, Nunavut in particular, and as well, the Yukon Territory, represent the most remote, high cost areas in Canada. We represent over a third of the geographic area of Canada, and some of the greatest mineral and oil and gas potential, yet we lack infrastructure and basic elements necessary for development to proceed in our areas.

It has been difficult going to Ottawa and convincing the federal government that there should be some resources made available to us. We have been lobbying and advocating that for a number of years, but the fact is, most of the Members of Parliament come from southern cities, from the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The Northwest Territories has one Member of Parliament as does Nunavut and the Yukon Territory. That probably says a lot about why there is very little action from the federal government for the northern part of Canada. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Those are very good observations. I am wondering if it is time for us to reflect on what the current Minister of DIAND has to say. I am quoting from an April 5th edition of the Yellowknifer, in which the honourable Minister, Robert Nault said: "The department is mainly for aboriginal groups."

This seems to be essentially a rejection on the part of DIAND's mandate that it has anything to do with fostering economic development in northern Canada. I am wondering whether or not Mr. Nault has communicated this view to the rest of the federal government, and thus cleared the way for us to really approach the federal Cabinet and say look, it is time to put together something that is...

Mr. Braden, may we have a question, please? We are running out of time. A question, please.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is it time for us to renew our approach to the federal government given that the present Minister of DIAND seems to have abandoned us? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I understand the Minister to have said that he actually gets specific dollars from Cabinet for aboriginal people and that sometimes includes aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories. He does not receive dollars specifically for the Territories. The territorial government, the Yukon Government and Nunavut all have to, as provincial governments do, go to the respective federal Ministers in departments in trying to access required dollars for the programs and services that we are mandated to carry out.

Has he abandoned us? I would say definitely not. He continues to advocate for such things as the Intergovernmental Forum, for oil and gas development, for development of diamond mines, for the clean-up of the contaminated environmental areas in the Northwest Territories, and continues supporting us on issues like climate change and Kyoto, but many of those are actually responsibilities that are with other federal Ministers and not with Minister Nault. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Final supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Without some kind of protocol or framework that the North can use in a consistent manner with Ottawa, I think we are going to be consistently challenged when it comes to work such as our infrastructure scheme. We have had to find it appropriate to go on several different trips to appeal to different Ministers one-on-one. Is it not time that we, as the three territories, renewed this call for a sustained protocol that we can rely on as our avenue to get Canada's attention and investment in the North? Thank you.