Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring well deserved praise to a fine group of young people from Hay River. It gives me great pleasure, Mr. Speaker, to take this opportunity to recognize the 2002 graduating class of Diamond Jenness High School.

Mr. Speaker, due to the fact that some of the names that I will mention are constituents of my colleague, Mrs. Groenewegen, this will be, to some extent, a joint statement of recognition. Mr. Speaker, I have consulted with my colleague on this matter.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the following graduates: Candace Balmer, Raymond Benoit, Sharon Bernarde, Jamie Blaibel, Joseph Boden, Misty Bourdages, Teresa Calvin, Candice Cockney, Jennifer Coleman, Heather Cowger, Trenton Daniels, Valerie Desilets, Brandon Froese, Tyler King, Robert Lafleur, Derek Latimer, Kaylan Lee, Richard Leonard, Jennifer Morgan, Jeremy Planidin, Crystal Potter, John Pynten, Melanie Ranger, Chad Stewart, Corey Tybring, Marlee Zebedee, Paul Dube, Stacey Wasylyshun-Flett, Jeremy Studney, Kristie Vyse and Vince Walsh.

Mr. Speaker, this group of fine young people is a perfect example of dedication and commitment. Graduation is truly a cause for celebrating this most important milestone. It is my hope that their well-deserved success will serve them well in all of their future endeavours.

Mr. Speaker, as they begin their journey of independence, I would like to wish them every success in all of their future endeavours. It will be my distinct pleasure and honour to attend the Diamond Jenness Secondary School graduation ceremonies on June 29th in Hay River.

Mr. Speaker, it is my sincere wish that these graduates take the knowledge that they have garnered and apply it well to their future career paths, wherever that may take them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge and recognize the achievements of two constituents from Thebacha. Specifically, I speak of Dixie Penner who was recently awarded the NWT's Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award for her considerable work with the local animal shelter which she has made a growing concern as it deals with the needs of animals in our community. She has also put in extensive time over the years with the Fort Smith Friendship Festival, and by her work has been a tremendous asset to the community and provided a service we cannot afford to pay for.

I would also like to recognize the award of achievement of Ms. Sarah Daitch, who was awarded the 2002 Mary Beth Miller Memorial Award for being the NWT's top Senior Female Athlete of the Year. Mr. Speaker, I also have the privilege of having Ms. Daitch working in my office in Fort Smith as a student this summer. I will be recognizing her in the gallery here in a few minutes. As a cross-country skier, Sarah travels all over the world and North America, and has represented the NWT. In 1999 she represented Canada at the World Junior Championships in Austria, and this year she placed fifth overall at the Senior National Championships and second overall at the Canadian University Championships.

Mr. Speaker, both these individuals in their respective fields of endeavour have excelled and have brought credit to our community and to the North, and they have made a difference in the work and the things that they have done. I thank them for all the things they have done and the achievements they have managed to complete. They truly make me proud to be the MLA for Thebacha, and I thank them for all the things that they have done. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to rise today to speak briefly about the value of supporting northern business. I think that in all our discussion about the BIP last week this is something that seemed to get lost. I think that in past statements in the House by myself and other Members we have talked quite a lot about the value of supporting our northern businesses, so much so that I think it seems very obvious to us, and maybe some of these points have almost become cliché, Mr. Speaker, but I think that many of them bear repeating.

Obviously, we know that northern businesses hire Northerners, Mr. Speaker, and that the money spent by these northern businesses enters the circular flow of income in the North. Conversely, money spent on southern contractors and in southern businesses constitutes a withdrawal from that same circular flow of income. Mr. Speaker, northern businesses continue to make money and in-kind donations in our communities. It seems every time we turn around, whether it is golf tournaments, Super Soccer or sponsoring the arts, it is the small northern businesses that are contributing.

Past governments, Mr. Speaker, have recognized this value and have looked to support our northern businesses. The BIP is a perfect example. Yes, it has its flaws, and we understand it is being reworked and we look forward to a new and improved version. I think it would be a serious mistake to throw the baby out with the bath water, as it were, Mr. Speaker, and abandon it now.

Even this government has been quick to point out that we want to be in the capacity-building business in our communities. I guess that is why I find the setting aside of the BIP policy on a singular project to be what I see as short-sighted and a knee-jerk reaction based on little more than speculation. Today in question period, I will have questions for the appropriate Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just want to make a brief statement today about how much I am looking forward to the activities planned for this upcoming week surrounding the True North, Strong and Free National Symposium. I was only 17 years old when I arrived in Hay River 28 years ago and I will never forget the very distinctive feeling I had when the wheels of the jet touched down. It was an overwhelming sense of being home, although I knew very little about the place where I had landed.

Mr. Speaker, I had the very good fortune of becoming involved politically very early on and I do not so much recall all the distinctions of the issues of the day as much as the relationships I began to develop with Northerners. There is no real shortcut to the kind of history that evolves and the friendships that develop over a period of time. I feel very privileged to have known many people who have so positively affected the North as we know it.

Mr. Speaker, we have much to celebrate when looking back at the past 25 years and we also have much to celebrate when we reflect on the unique richness of this Territory.

I recently commented to someone that the Northwest Territories is the best-kept secret in Canada, and maybe even the world, but I am glad that I found it when I did and I probably will not fully discover or experience all that the North has to offer if I live to be very old. Mr. Speaker, I do encourage everyone to celebrate with us and to get involved in the activities that will take place this week. I believe it will be very exciting and remind us once again of the uniqueness and the special Territory in which we live. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is a season for graduations around the Northwest Territories. I would like to congratulate those who are going through their final stages of formal schooling years. In Inuvik, when I was back home, I had the opportunity to take in three different ceremonies, Mr. Speaker. One of them was the Aurora Campus Certificate and Diploma Programs, where a large number of students had finally come to the completion of their courses and were ready to move on and move into the job market, Mr. Speaker.

As well, I had the opportunity to take part in the graduation ceremonies at the Samuel Hearne Secondary School 2002 class, and again at the Aurora Campus for the adult upgrading, the Nursing Access Program, and the University/College Access Program.

Mr. Speaker, in all of those programs and graduation ceremonies that I attended, I would probably miss a number of the students, but I had an opportunity to speak to them. One thing I stated to them was the importance of their education. That was one of the things that I could look forward to as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, to see some of the work that we do in this forum come to completion, in a sense, that students out there are actually moving through the program and they are graduating and moving on and are being prepared to take on life, so to speak, in the work world and job environment.

Mr. Speaker, it is not done there. They will continue to, as we know, through their life in the Northwest Territories, come back to this government for one program or another, and to depend on our guidance and wisdom as we develop laws and programs in the Northwest Territories. It is important that we continue to work hard in the field of education to ensure that those who are going through our system get the full benefit of the education and the years they put into it.

With that, Mr. Speaker, a quick congratulations to all the students across the North, especially those who come from my community. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak today about education issues that have come across my desk lately. The first has to do with the lack of proper financial assistance programs for students with disabilities. Mr. Speaker, like every other member of our society with a disability, students with disabilities have a number of barriers they have to overcome in order to pursue education, especially in post-secondary institutions in the south.

One would think, Mr. Speaker, that the government would encourage and support the students who forge ahead, despite the difficulties. Instead, Mr. Speaker, I was dismayed to learn that the department policy is written in such a way as to exclude students from the student financial assistance for those who are going to schools geared towards helping students with disabilities advance and prepare for jobs in society. I urge the Minister to review and correct this injustice, Mr. Speaker.

The second issue I would like to speak about today is the fact that I am inundated with concerns from my constituents who have answered the government's call for more northern-trained nurses. Those with the qualifications and the desire to enter the field of nursing to serve are routinely being turned down due to the lack of space, or for a slew of other reasons not understandable nor sensible to those who are being rejected.

They rightly ask, Mr. Speaker, why is it that the government keeps saying they need more northern nurses and spends thousands of dollars recruiting nurses down south, yet the government shows no foresight to accept with open arms those candidates who live in the North and want to be a nurse? Why is it that so many of them have to fight every inch of the way to get into the program?

Mr. Speaker, I must ask the same questions. I urge the Minister and Cabinet to review this situation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. I just want to remind Members that Members' statements should only consist of one topic at a time. I have been lenient today, however... Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, last week I attended meetings in Ottawa with federal Cabinet Ministers along with the Premier, Mr. Krutko, and NWT Chamber of Commerce president, Kelly Hayden. I would like to thank the Premier for inviting me to attend these meetings with him.

I was happy to help in the pitch to the feds for a share of the $2.2 billion strategic infrastructure fund. I was pleased with the reception we have received -- pleased to hear that the fund has not yet been committed and that we are still in the running for some of the money.

Our pitch was well-received. It was gratifying to see the Ministers we met move from wariness, almost saying, "Now what do these guys want?" to what appeared to be genuine interest when we outlined the economic benefits that accrue across Canada from non-renewable resource development in the Northwest Territories.

As Members here know all too well, almost all of the taxes and royalties from oil and gas and mining development flow directly to federal coffers. Alluding to that, Mr. Hayden had a particularly catchy line for the Ministers he met when he answered the question of why we were looking for money for roads and bridges. His response was, "We want to make it easier for trucks to get to northern resources so they can come back full of money for the federal government." Mr. Speaker, that garnered some interest, I can assure you.

Mr. Speaker, we did not come back with a signed cheque, but I was pleased that we had at least one Minister who explicitly said he would support our application for funding, and others expressed support. I guess only time will tell, but I certainly hope that the federal government really does see the value of getting those trucks north so they can help fill our new Finance Minister's coffers for the benefit of all Canadians. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 3, Members' statements. Are there any further Members' statements? Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Sarah Daitch, university student studying political science, but also a top-ranked Canadian athlete who has just been honoured with the Mary Beth Miller Memorial Award. I would like to welcome her from Fort Smith. She is here to see how the Legislative Assembly works and how all you fine legislators do your jobs. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Mr. Whit Fraser and our cameraman Mark and the latest interviewer in the media field, Rebecca Wong of Yellowknife. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I will take this opportunity to recognize a long-time Northerner, a fisherman from Hay River, Mr. Alex Morin. Also, I want to use a little bit of Speaker's license here to say hello to my mother who is watching me today in Fort Smith, Thebacha.

-- Applause

Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Premier regarding my Member's statement. I think it is important to ensure we have some respect for our small communities, through the presence of government institutions, boards, agencies and departments when they host events, workshops or have a strategy session, that they make every attempt to go into our communities.

I would like to ask the Premier, if there is no policy or procedure in place to allow for these workshops and strategies to take place in small communities, will the government implement such a policy so that these agencies will be conducting their meetings in small communities?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe the Member is making a good suggestion. There may be other ways in which to arrive at the suggestion he is making. We will take that under consideration and advise the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Premier, how soon can he get such a strategy in place and when can we see that strategy as Members of the House?