Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, occasionally, we do have to stand up on this side of the House and give the government a little credit for some of the things they do, although it pains us greatly to do it.

Mr. Speaker, I had not had a chance to speak to the tax issue yet, so I wanted to say that I am very pleased with the recent announcement by the Minister of Finance that he was introducing legislation to change the NWT corporate tax regime. It is important that we as a territory remain competitive with other Canadian jurisdictions by setting our corporate tax rate. We have benefited from large tax filings in the past and hopefully we can experience more tax filing windfalls that we can use for the benefit of our residents in the future.

However, Mr. Speaker, as pleased as I am about the potential of reducing our corporate tax rate, I am also very pleased that the Minister decided to reduce the small business tax rate on the first $200,000 that a small company earns by 20 percent. I am proud to represent Hay River in this Legislature, a community with a long history of entrepreneurship, and a community where the majority of residents are employed by the private sector. Allowing businesses to retain a greater portion of their pre-tax earnings will in some cases allow the expansion and for the hiring of new employees.

The Northwest Territories is on the cusp of many exciting opportunities in the resource development field. Anything we can do as a government to encourage the development of sustainable business opportunities for our residents or for those people who choose to come to the North is a laudable goal.

If we want a strong business sector, reduced dependence on government and increased employment, then we need to, as a government, look at every opportunity possible to encourage the private sector to grow. Reducing corporate and small business taxes in the Northwest Territories does do that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, on the last day of session -- at least on the last scheduled day of session, I guess we will see what happens -- I would like to recognize some local residents who have recently received national recognition.

Last night, with all the rest of the Members in this House, we took part in a ceremony in our Great Hall to pay tribute to 15 territorial firefighters. Two of my constituents, Stephen Moss and Dennis MacAskill, just completed training and received certification by the National Fire Protection Association. Mr. Miltenberger referred to the three years of hard work these folks have put in, and I think the key is that they will now be able to train others in our communities and make our communities safer.

I would also like to recognize Pat Fowler, who the Minister of Transportation spoke of earlier. He was recently awarded a Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal for his work with our Department of Transportation out at the Yellowknife airport.

Mr. Speaker, I think after September 11th, we all have a better understanding of both the contribution firefighters make and the risks that they take every time they suit up. Also, speaking of September 11th, Mr. Speaker, Brent Pushkarenko recently received the Gordon Sinclair Award on behalf of Mix 100 for his newsroom coverage of local events on that day. This Sinclair award is very prestigious and is handed out every year to radio and TV stations for best local coverage in areas of populations of less than 50,000 people.

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of all these local award winners, and I hope my colleagues here today will join me in recognizing their efforts. Thank you.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this being the last day of session, we will be joining our families and constituents in celebration of the summer and special celebrations, starting with National Aboriginal Day this week and Canada Day the week after.

There are people in our midst who are not able to enjoy this time as much. They are members of Union Local 1574, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, who work for NorthwesTel, who have now been off the job for more than a month with apparently no end in sight.

Mr. Speaker, I respect the role of collective bargaining and the need for both parties to negotiate as much as possible to arrive at the most favourable package possible for their side. I am also aware of the fact that there is very little we can do as a Legislature to influence this process. This is a very difficult situation all around, given turbulent international and national telecommunication markets and the challenges they pose for employers such as NorthwesTel.

At the same time, Mr. Speaker, I must say that I sympathize with the striking employees who feel that they must be able to keep their wages and benefits package at a level that would keep them competitive with the rising cost of living in the North for both current and new employees. To be frank, Mr. Speaker, it is very frustrating for me not to be able to do much more in this position.

I would just like to take this opportunity to let them know that I am thinking about them. I am sure that many Members are also thinking about them, and I would urge both sides to keep on meeting and talking to come up with a position that is agreeable to them.

I would also like to take this opportunity to call on this government and the federal government, because as I understand it, the federal government is in charge of the labour telecommunications market. I would urge both levels of government to pay attention to this process and assist in any way possible and appropriate to bring this dispute to a close as soon as possible. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Members a safe journey and our constituents a happy National Aboriginal Day and Canada Day.

-- Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I have a Return to Oral Question asked by the Member for Hay River North on June 17, 2002. Mr. Delorey asked me, "Who is responsible for the condition of the railway tracks on the sections of highway just approaching the railway tracks?"

Regarding the level crossing of highways and railways, the highway authority is responsible for the highway up to the railway crossing. The railroad is responsible for maintaining the highway across its tracks. The highway authority does not work on the railway's tracks. Keeping in mind the possibility of derailment, this arrangement preserves the railroad's responsibility for the integrity and continuity of its track.

At the railway crossing on Highway No. 2 in his constituency that the Member referred to, the timbers that carry Highway No. 2 traffic across the tracks are replaced by the Mackenzie Northern Railway every year. The Department of Transportation maintains Highway No. 2 up to the timbers on either side of the track. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a Return to Oral Question asked by Mr. Krutko on June 17, 2002, regarding water and sewer operations agreements.

As suggested by the Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development, Public Works and Services had updated the standard memorandum of understanding for water and sewer services. In order to comply with the Financial Administration Manual directive 901, section 4.1.1, on charges for a service to the public, the changes from the previous agreement include:

• • Recalculating the administration fee and clarifying the tasks covered. The administration fee is now 5 percent. Tasks include payroll, leave and attendance, office equipment and supplies, duplication, processing and storage of records, cost of invoicing and reconciliation of invoices and system support.
• • Calculating a planning and management fee to cover management and supervision. This fee is 11 percent and covers costs incurred by Public Works and Services to provide services such as planning and budgeting, supervision of on-site staff, management of contracted services, procurement of supplies and materials and troubleshooting.
• • Setting charges at the hourly rate for provision of administrative services to make additional support documentation available to the community when requested.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Pat Fowler. I think he is still up there. I think he is joined by his daughters, Andrea and Melanie. Members may recognize Andrea. I believe she has worked here on a couple of occasions as a receptionist. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Yellowknife resident Lynn Brooks, a local person who is always interested in politics. Thank you.

-- Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize my summer student, Bret Talbot, who I believe is in the gallery, though I cannot see him. He is working for me for the summer and he has been working diligently on a database for me. He will be attending Fairview Community College in the fall. I would like to recognize him and thank him for a good job.

-- Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would like to draw your attention to the visitors gallery and the presence of Ms. Hannah Edwards, from Perth, Australia, a visitor of the Whitfords on what I think the Australians call a walk-about. Ms. Edwards.

-- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question this afternoon is for Mr. Handley, the acting Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment. It is a follow-up to a letter from a constituent, Anne-Marie Giroux. I am a supporter of the Income Support Program. I am on record as being behind the principles of the program. However, Mr. Speaker, there are some people who fall very hard through the cracks.

My question for the Minister regards the National Child Benefit Supplement. Five jurisdictions in Canada no longer deduct it, and two no longer deduct the whole payment on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Why does the GNWT clawback the National Child Benefit Supplement from income support recipients? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The question is directed to the honourable Minister now responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Presently, the National Child Benefit Supplement is taken back by the department. It is used to reinvest in programs and services for all low-income families, so we take it back and we put the money back into the support of low-income families. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess on that point, I would like to explore the opportunity that families across the NWT have. Could the Minister give me some idea of just how accessible those early childhood benefit programs are in Yellowknife? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, I will have to take that as notice because I am not really familiar with exactly how accessible each of the programs are in Yellowknife, or in the other areas. Thank you.

Thank you. The question has been taken as notice. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.