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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Public Works did not consult with those particular organizations. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, does the Minister state by that comment that the Department of Public Works is undermining land claims agreements, which are constitutionally protected agreements which this government has signed with First Nations organizations, when it comes to policies and procedures in this House? Have you looked at the implications of that decision in land claims agreements?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Public Works took a recommendation to Cabinet. It is not a decision of Public Works alone. It is a Cabinet decision to suspend BIP on this particular project. The need to consult before changing some policies is something that is beyond Public Works. All we did was make the recommendation. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have policies and procedures for a particular reason, especially when it comes to contracting procedures, the BIP process. The whole idea is to ensure that we entice the industry in the Northwest Territories.

I would like to ask the Minister, have you looked at the pros and cons of this decision, knowing that this could set a bad precedent when it comes to other policies and procedures in this government, such as negotiated contracts?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe that was one of the concerns that was taken into consideration of Cabinet. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister, has he received a legal opinion on the decision he brought forward to government relating to the implications of land claims agreements on that decision? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do not know if Cabinet received a legal opinion or not. There is something we need clarified here, and that is Public Works is not responsible for the BIP policy. That responsibility lies with the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development.

Public Works recommended to Cabinet that the policy be suspended. It was just a recommendation. It was accepted. The questions the Member has may be better directed to the Minister responsible for the BIP policy. 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 this morning is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. It concerns what I believe is a small anomaly in the Student Financial Assistance Program that we have.

There is a difficulty, I believe, with a definition of what a semester is. I am hearing from a constituent about a difficulty where they have not attended a university program within the past 12 months. They want to go to a spring session of college but they find they are ineligible for student financial assistance. It seems to be because our definition of semester is that it has to be a 12-week program. Spring and summer sessions are often less than that, eight to ten weeks.

My question is, would the Minister undertake to review this anomaly and the definition of semester and hopefully enable people to qualify for financial assistance, even though they may not be taking in a full 12-week program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, the Member's understanding of the definition of a semester is right, it is 12 weeks. I will look into this situation and see if there is a way of working it out for summer students. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you very much, I appreciate the commitment. If this is something that can be expedited sooner than later, I think it would potentially make a difference for a few students who may be on the edge of making a decision about taking some spring or summer courses. I would ask if the Minister would be able to undertake that by the end of the month. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, the purpose of student financial assistance is to assist people in furthering their education, so I will speak with the Member and find out the particular circumstances of the individual and see what we can work out so the person can continue with their education. Thank you.

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