Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's come to my attention that there has been a directive issued to government departments that if northern post-secondary students are not registered on the GNWT's Northwise Web site that they will not be eligible for summer employment with the Government of the Northwest Territories. Could the Premier please confirm to this House if that indeed is a government policy now for summer students? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's not essential for students to register. Students can go about it in whatever way they want to contact the government to indicate their interest in getting employment. They can undertake that initiative entirely on their own. We provide this service and we encourage them to register so we can know who they are and what interests they have and try to help them as much as we can. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am taking it from that answer that there was no such directive issued. I would like to make sure the Premier checks with his departments to ensure that that is not a policy. If there is a directive put out there, it's going to be very hard for students to get employment. Upon receiving this information, I had my constituency assistant do an unofficial survey of 10 students from Hay River who are attending universities in the South and they had heard nothing of this. Nothing had been communicated to them about a policy for the GNWT. I guess I will have to ask the Premier to make sure he checks with the department and if that is a policy, then how are we going to inform our students? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Premier.

Final supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just ask the Premier, Mr. Speaker, if he would check into this and if that directive is out there in any of his departments that he will have that directive withdrawn? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if the Member is correct and there is a perception problem, then we will correct that.

Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question will be directed to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs in the area of sport and recreation. Mr. Speaker, during the committee review of his budget, I believe there was some reference to some federal funding that could be accessed by our government in the area of sport and recreation. I would like to get more detail from the Minister if that funding is made available to our government and to organizations throughout the territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for the question. Mr. Speaker, we just recently signed an agreement with the federal government for federal funding for sports and recreation activities. Under this program, for this fiscal year, we have funding and a portion of that funding would be directed to the NWT Excel program. Under that program, we will be contributing $20,000 towards the Western Canadian Ski Championships to be held here in Yellowknife in March. This would be 10,000 federal dollars and $10,000 from the NWT for sports and recreation. Our partner in that particular program, Mr. Speaker, is the NWT ski division and the Yellowknife Ski Club. Future plans for this program, Mr. Speaker, could include the same type of contributions for other regions and for other sports activities as well.

Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's good news indeed. So how would communities and regions be able to find out more information about this program? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of MACA, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, MACA is getting the information to the communities through our sport and recreation people, but we also have a number of sports activities that are already taking place this year other than this one which helps to bring the word out to communities. For instance we have a program called multi-sports camps, which is presently being undertaken by our partners, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Aboriginal Sports Circle and NWT Hockey Association. Under that program, there is approximately $25,000 for an aboriginal hockey camp in Aklavik, Tuktoyaktuk, Deline, Fort Good Hope and Rae in January. Traditional games camps will be held in Fort McPherson February 28th to March 1st and funding support will be provided to camps in 2003, a winter sports camp organized at Yellowknife schools. As well, there is an event at the Education Week launch at the K'alemi Dene School in Ndilo. Everybody is aware of those programs taking place anyway. That's how we are getting the word out. Plus, we are making sure that all the community sports and recreation organizations or the hamlets or the bands will be given the information that this funding is available and these programs are on stream. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Nitah.

Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we have. We have done that over the last four years. We have done it through a number of processes. As the Member would be aware, we have developed the universal partner agreement model that engages the local aboriginal community, as well as the LHOs and the communities themselves. We have, as well, aboriginal and community self-government models. We have worked with several communities through the empowerment process. So we have worked with them at some length. Some have progressed faster than others. That we will respect. Not all communities should be treated equally. We have 33 different communities and we have been working with almost everyone. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.