Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to advise the House of the passing of a great educator yesterday in Yellowknife.

Mr. Cliff King of Inuvik was a dedicated teacher working for more than 30 years in Inuvik at the Samuel Hearne Secondary School. Mr. King will long be remembered as a teacher with a keen sense of humour who cared for his students, his profession and his community. He was a part of the school community, giving of himself in ways too numerous to mention. Many people in Inuvik will remember the 25 years Mr. King dedicated to his hockey teams and those he coached.

He demonstrated dedication not only to his students, but also to his profession. Most recently, Mr. King served as a vital member for the Northwest Territories Teachers' Association, in the current collective bargaining sessions here in Yellowknife.

His passing will be a great loss to our teaching community in the North, and for the community of Inuvik.

Our hearts and prayers go out to his wife Jodie and sons David and Jason. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Indeed our condolences go from this House to the family. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, as well, would like to rise today and speak on the passing of Mr. Cliff King. Mr. Speaker, I had opportunity to work with Mr. King in my role as a Member of the Legislative Assembly and his involvement with education as a teacher on the negotiating team. But even before that, Mr. Speaker, I had opportunity to deal with Mr. Cliff King as a young student at Samuel Hearne Secondary School as he taught me a couple of courses in accounting, and his commitment to our community is one that will be missed. It's difficult to express the loss that members of the community and his family would feel. Our prayers go out to his family for their loss at this time and to the rest of the teachers that he's dealt with and his friends back home. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge a major milestone of aboriginal people and the Government of the Northwest Territories. They are reaching a goal set forth in Towards a Better Tomorrow. The signing of the memorandum of understanding between the Gwich'in Tribal Council and the Government of the Northwest Territories ensures the participation that will give aboriginal governments more success in the business sector.

Mr. Speaker, the aboriginal people being the majority of the population in the Gwich'in settlement region, it is only fitting that they benefit from economic development through public sector contracts, providing employment, capacity building for communities and for the region. The seasonal work being considered as sole income for a lot of our residents and also for the North, has caused much delight, knowing the government has taken the steps Towards a Better Tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, this partnership will guarantee that both partners are working for the people and the residents of the NWT to ensure that the jobs, employment and economic opportunities stay within the local communities and the regions. With a more accountable system, the Gwich'in Nation would surely benefit from communities having ownership of the economic resources in the area they are serving. Mr. Speaker, the MOU intends that Gwich'in businesses be awarded 50 percent of public contracts for a five-year span. The GNWT contracting policies and procedures remain in place to ensure maximized local, regional and northern employment in business opportunities. This ensures that aboriginal ownership and work towards self-government in the Mackenzie Delta region is a success that allows for an economic footing in the developments that take place in the Mackenzie Delta and in the Gwich'in settlement region. With that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to wish the parties all the best and I look forward to the next five years of a fair footing for the people of the Mackenzie Delta. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe that every citizen of Canada, including Northerners, has at least two fundamental rights, that being the right to access quality education and the right to quality health care. By way of this Member's statement, Mr. Speaker, I would like to help rattle the federal government's chain once more on behalf of all Northerners. Mr. Speaker, I fully support the northern Premiers' stand against the federal government. It is high time we tell Ottawa that we won't be their puppet on a string anymore. The critical state of our northern health care system demands that we do nothing less. Mr. Speaker, the recent decision by the federal government defining health care funding on a per capita basis has effectively taken away our right to quality health care based on the proposed amount of funding that we are to receive.

Mr. Speaker, I don't have to remind everyone that of the proposed $12 billion offered to the provinces and territories over the next five years, the NWT's share would amount to $15.6 million. Mr. Speaker, this paltry sum offered by the federal government is absurd and a slap in the face to all Northerners.

Mr. Speaker, we need to keep the pressure on Ottawa to adequately fund us to reflect the reality of providing services in the North. Residents of the Northwest Territories have the worst health care statistics in the country. In addition, we have the highest health care costs in the country. Yet, we are slated to receive the smallest share of the pie. That really goes to show where the federal government's priorities are.

Mr. Speaker, I am somewhat encouraged by recent developments that have come to light since the three northern Premiers took their stand. I am honored that the Premiers have a meeting scheduled this coming Thursday with the Prime Minister. I truly hope that the Prime Minister will do the right thing to ensure that Northerners have access to the same quality of health care as other Canadians. I find it extremely sad, Mr. Speaker, when I hear Canadian taxpayers saying that the only time the federal government makes any attempt to listen to them is at election time. It appears this is sad, but true. Mr. Speaker, as I deliver my Member's statement in this House, Finance Minister Handley is getting ready to deliver the federal budget in the House of Commons.

---Laughter

---Interjection

Order, please. The time for your Member's statement has ended.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Thank you. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to continue his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Proceed, Mr. Delorey. Brief us on who is going to be the next Prime Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, as I deliver my Member's statement in this House, Finance Minister Manley is getting ready to deliver the federal budget in the House of Commons. I anxiously await what he has to say. This will give Northerners a clear understanding of exactly where the federal government's priorities lie. Mr. Speaker, after the Prime Minister announced that he won't be seeking re-election, he has spoken at length of what he wishes to leave as his distinct legacy for Canadians. Well, Mr. Speaker, it appears that if we, as Northerners, appear to have our distinct needs ignored by the federal government, then this legacy will truly be a legacy of neglect. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for the Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to revisit the subject of gun control as it impacts many of our constituents of the Northwest Territories. January 1st has come and gone, a date that should be of interest and concern to all Northerners who possess firearms. As all firearms were to have been registered by that date, firearms owners must have a registration certificate for every firearm in their possession. I previously voiced a concern that the offices of the Canadian Firearms Centre both in Yellowknife and Hay River have been closed. To date, there appears to be no commitment by the federal government to reopen these offices. This makes it very difficult for many people to access firearm registration information and registration forms. Firearms owners are being encouraged to register through mail-ins, telephone or the Internet. Mr. Speaker, not all residents have access to telephones or the Internet. Not all our residents understand what the consequences of not registering your firearms might be. Not all residents maintain English or French as their first language. Not all residents can read or write. Not all residents have access to someone who will assist them with their registration of a firearm or their gun. Penalties for not acquiring a licence can result in fines or imprisonment or seizure of the firearm. Mr. Speaker, possession of non-registered firearms can lead to charges under the Firearms Act or the Criminal Code. The firearms office has indicated it wants gun owners to comply with the law voluntarily, but is ready to enforce compliance if necessary. If this compliance is to be enforced, how many of our residents will become criminals for non-compliance? Mr. Speaker, during question period, I will ask this government this question. What action and support is this government willing to provide to the residents of the Northwest Territories to ensure they do not become criminals for failure to register their firearms? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Very early this year, residents of Yellowknife got a long-anticipated review of the arsenic storage situation at the Giant Yellowknife Mine. This was a well-received report, Mr. Speaker. It was quite technical in nature, but for anyone who took the time to read it, it really presented the whole situation very well and I recommend it to anybody who has any interest in this very dangerous situation out there. But it's something I have a growing amount of confidence in, Mr. Speaker, because the science and the expertise being applied to research this issue and the way it is being communicated to the community, I think, is very good. I want to reinforce my confidence in the process to date, Mr. Speaker.

Now there is another briefing tonight at Northern United Place of the experts and officials from DIAND and the public is invited to this. Mr. Speaker, the message I want to deliver is that this is a situation that this whole community should be paying attention to, should be involved in. We are getting very good support from the DIAND people so far, but the quality and the depth of the understanding and the commitment we have to the solutions that are going to be eventually decided on are really up to this community. So I want to urge people to take in these opportunities to hear what's going on.

One thing I have learned, Mr. Speaker, is that we are not looking at something that is going to be solved in one potentially huge and expensive solution. We are looking at a perpetual management situation here at Giant Mine. This is going to go on for hundreds or thousands of years. The kinds of decisions that we make are very critical to how much this costs and how effective it's going to be. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

I would caution Members to be careful with the words they use in the House. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to conclude my statement that I was not able to finish yesterday. Mr. Speaker, as I stated yesterday, the current capital planning process and formula to determine how the GNWT capital investment is spent and which projects receive the priorities is not serving Yellowknife any better than it does other communities. While a more transparent and standardized process could help, I am not sure that getting more justifications of where the little money we have goes is going to make it any less painful for us to accept that some of us will inevitably and perpetually end up at the back of the bus. Mr. Speaker, I believe the fundamental problem lies in the woeful lack of funds we are putting into the capital investment pot. If we are really going to tackle this problem head-on as a consensus Legislature, we need to make some difficult choices together.

Mr. Speaker, I believe we want to make this a priority and agree that we need more capital investment in small communities for job creation. We should look again at what programs we currently have to meet that objective and how well we are doing at it. Perhaps we should look at reprofiling or channelling our money for that purpose. Mr. Speaker, perhaps it is time that we came up with a way to address the situations of rural non-tax-based communities, which are different from the tax-based communities that have capacity to raise some of the money for their infrastructure. Perhaps it is time because the needs of our cities and communities are so divergent and incompatible that two separate capital budgets with different standards and criteria need to be created. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, the reality of taxing the residents of Yellowknife is not as rosy as it might seem. The reality is that property taxes continue to go up year after year. Many of my constituents are paying more than $4,000 a year just in taxes, yet they continue to see crowded schools, inadequate recreational facilities and no land in the city to build affordable houses. Mr. Speaker, the reality still is that the presence of a territorial jail does not do away with the need for a school and an arena. Yellowknife still needs and should be entitled to its fair share of schools, recreational facilities, municipal infrastructure and land development for houses. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't want to seek any more unanimous consents.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Maybe we can credit you for tomorrow. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Well, thank you, Mr. Nitah. Best wishes go with the athletes. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.