Good afternoon. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Northern trade students showcased northern talents at the 9th Annual Canada Skills Competition in Waterloo, Ontario, May 29th to June 1st. For the second year in a row, northern students trained through the Workers' Compensation Board's safety and youth worker program have won medals at the worksite safety event at the national skills competition. In partnership with Skills Canada and Education, Culture and Employment, the WCB holds the territorial competition and supplies an advisor to the youth at the national level competition.

The Workers' Compensation Board of the NWT and Nunavut helps sponsor the annual NWT/Nunavut Skills Canada competition. All participants must complete the WCB's safety and the young worker program, prior to competing at the territorial level. Our ongoing success at the national level can be attributed, in part, to this very successful program.

Congratulations to Yellowknife's Mara Smith, who won her second medal for worksite safety in this competition, adding a silver to the gold she won last year. There were four other NWT medal winners, including two silvers for Richard Walsh of Yellowknife and Reg Evans of Fort Smith, and two bronzes for Amanda Johns of Inuvik and Mandy Lyons of Yellowknife.

Another Northerner, Isabel MacDougall of Iqaluit, made Nunavut proud by winning the gold medal for worksite safety. This was Nunavut's first gold medal at the national skills competition.

I'm sure that all members join me in congratulating Ms. Smith, Ms. MacDougall, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Evans, Ms. Johns and Ms. Lyons, and all members of the territorial Skills Canada team, for their outstanding performance at this year's national Skills Canada competition.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to have this opportunity to address some concerns and misperceptions about the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The Youth Criminal Justice Act, or the YCJA as it is also known, is new federal legislation that came into effect on April 1, 2003. This act replaces the existing federal Young Offenders Act. The YCJA takes a new approach to youth justice, focusing on addressing the causes of youth crime, rehabilitating young people and ensuring meaningful consequences for youth who commit offences.

The Youth Criminal Justice Act encourages both police and the courts to consider alternative measures before proceeding with charges against a young person. We have been diverting young offenders out of the courts and into community justice committees for many years.

If a young person is charged and convicted, the YCJA sets out that the judge must consider alternatives to custody. These could include fines, restitution, community service, or community supervision. Young people will be sentenced to custody for repeat or serious offences.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Justice has been preparing for the Youth Criminal Justice Act for some time. The department provided extensive training on the new act to employees and all of the partners in the justice system.

The department has also committed more resources to programs impacted by the YCJA. Recognizing that more youth will serve sentences in the community, three more community corrections workers were hired to supervise youth. The department has also provided up to $20,000 for every community to hire a part-time justice coordinator as more young people will be diverted to community justice committees.

The Government of the Northwest Territories has its own youth legislation based on Canada's old Young Offenders Act. Our act sets out that youth convicted of territorial offences will be treated differently than adults. During the last session we made necessary amendments to comply with the new Youth Criminal Justice Act in the short term. In this session, Mr. Speaker, I plan to introduce a new Youth Justice Act that will replace the NWT's Young Offenders Act. This act will be based on the same principles as the YCJA and apply to youth who commit territorial offences, such as those in the Motor Vehicles Act or Liquor Act.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to address the Quebec Court of Appeal decision and how it relates to the YCJA and the Northwest Territories. It has been reported that this decision resulted in the release of young offenders. This is not correct. This decision had nothing to do with the release of young offenders in the NWT. The Quebec Court ruled that the burden should not be on youth who commit serious violent offences to say why they should not receive an adult sentence. This means the Crown must now prove that an adult sentence is required.

I hope that these comments clarify any misperceptions that people may have about the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am speaking today about the success of the Department of Justice aboriginal law career development program. In 2002-2003, six aboriginal students from the Northwest Territories received bursaries to study law at a Canadian university. This is the highest number of students we have ever had participate in this program.

This summer, we are pleased to have two of the bursary recipients working with the department. They are gaining valuable experience that will help them in their studies and give them an idea of the work that is available with the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the aboriginal law career development program provides students with financial bursaries, summer employment, a mentor from the department and the opportunity for students to article with the department after they have completed their education. Over the past four years, the department has provided $160,000 to indigenous aboriginal students pursuing a law degree.

Each year, more aboriginal students are choosing a career in law. The department is pleased to be able to support them in their goal. We hope these students will go on to a long career in the North. In fact, one of the early participants in the program is now legal counsel with the Department of Justice.

Mr. Speaker, the aboriginal law career development program is consistent with our goal of maximizing northern employment. One day, these students may fill senior positions in the Department of Justice, and I wish them all well with their studies. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for the Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are facing a health crisis in our communities right now, and I am not speaking about specialists. I am referring to the children of the Northwest Territories who may be facing a lifetime of disease, ill health and frailty due to the lack of physical activity in their lives. Our schools lack the funding necessary to provide a vital physical education program that builds the foundation of amateur sports that we depended on for so long. Children in our communities lack the after school programs that would keep them both safe and provide them viable, physical activity. Small communities lack the infrastructure and funding to provide recreation to our youth.

There has been much discussion in this House and in the media about the attempt of MACA to develop a new system to deliver sport and recreation to all NWT residents. Mr. Speaker, I can understand Sport North and their volunteers being upset about the new board being proposed by MACA. However, even Sport North and other agencies handling sport and recreation programs in the Northwest Territories have to acknowledge that they have a great deal of difficulty getting coaching and training into our smaller communities.

For example, Mr. Speaker, out of the NWT's 33 communities, only four have a level three trained coach. Out of the 1,100 participants in the regional trials for the Arctic Winter Games, only 23 communities took part. Out of the 321 athletes that participated in 2002 Arctic Winter Games, only five came from my riding of the Deh Cho. Finally, Mr. Speaker, out of the 28 territorial sports organizations, or TSOs, listed on Sport North's web site, 26 of them are from Yellowknife, Hay River or Inuvik. Mr. Speaker, the greatest majority of Sport North funding goes to organizations based in the larger centres with ready access to facilities, volunteers and local companies willing to offer donations. Our small communities simply cannot compete. Clearly, Mr. Speaker, it's time for a change. Mr. Speaker, our smaller communities need a fairer system by which sports and recreation programs are offered and delivered in their areas. Clearly, Mr. Speaker, our children in the smaller communities deserve better. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was sad to hear the news that the Inuvik native arts program is going to be cancelled. Mr. Speaker, I think it's essential for the North's economy and also for the people who don't find themselves in the oil and gas or the mining business that they have just as much right to expand their arts and crafts businesses, from the men and women who sew, to those who carve or make prints. They expand our economy and also build on something that's unique to the Northwest Territories and the North, which is arts and crafts.

Mr. Speaker, we, as a government, spend something like $900 million a year in the budget, but we can't find $50,000 to run a program for arts and crafts in our colleges. Mr. Speaker, how do we expect the different economic initiatives that we have such as tourism, arts and crafts ... those businesses that don't seem to have the sparkle of multi-million dollar projects ... compete with this government's tendency to focus in only where they get the big dollar amounts. Mr. Speaker, when the bust and the boom is over, what's left? The people. Without taking advantage of the people we have in the Northwest Territories, especially our artists, we do not have anything to promote to the outside world.

Mr. Speaker, as a government, it's crucial that the programs we develop enhance our industries rather than simply catering to large business. Mr. Speaker, I, for one, have always supported the arts and crafts...

Mr. Krutko, your time for your Member's statement is over. Mr. Krutko.

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

Thank you. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his Member's statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, this industry is just as valuable as the sparkle of a diamond or a trickle of oil or being able to put gas in your vehicle. Mr. Speaker, native art is recognized worldwide. It's a...(inaudible)...and other countries around the world. We have a native arts festival every year in Inuvik, the Great Northern Arts Festival, which attracts people worldwide to appreciate this art that our elders, young women and young men have created with their unique skills, such as the coat I am wearing in the Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, this government has spent a lot of money developing an arts and crafts strategy, yet we have not seen that strategy come to fruition. We are giving out million-dollar loan guarantees to the diamond industry to establish polishing plants, yet we can't find $50,000 for an arts and crafts program in our college. I believe that's pathetic.

I will be asking the Minister where we are with regard to the arts and crafts industry and to ensure that we continue to support them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the past few days, there's been considerable talk in this House about Sport North and the organization of sport and recreation in the NWT. A lot of our discussions have been very political, sometimes confrontational and it's the nature of our business, Mr. Speaker, we need to have these kind of discussions and we will get through it. We need to focus more, I believe, Mr. Speaker, on making sure that the kind of discussions we have and the decisions we make really are focussed on the people that they're meant to serve.

Today I want to talk about the very best of what can be done in sport and the volunteer system that we have. More particularly, Mr. Speaker, I want to look at what people with mental disabilities can do when an opportunity is placed before them and a support system is in place to help them achieve their goal.

Mr. Speaker, there is an inspiring example of perseverance, hard work and faith that is evidenced in the NWT's next Olympian, Pierre Lafond. Pierre's winning performance last summer at the National Summer Games in Prince Albert earned him a spot on Team Canada's 2003 swim team. Tomorrow morning, Pierre will depart with 81 Team Canada participants for the world's largest sporting event of the year, the 11th Special Olympics World Summer Games in Dublin, Ireland. It's expected to attract 7,000 athletes from 160 countries competing in 18 events and it will be watched by more than a half a million people.

Special Olympics Canada is a national organization that provides sport training and competition for over 28,000 athletes and more than 8,500 certified volunteer coaches support these programs.

As a member of Sport North, the Special Olympics NWT Committee provides opportunities for people with mental disabilities to participate at their level of choice in athletic and sport training programs and competition. Mr. Speaker, Special Olympics NWT is a Yellowknife community-based organization with 38 athletes and 30 volunteers from different Nunavut and NWT communities and includes Fort Simpson, Fort Good hope, Tuktoyaktuk, Inuvik, Fort Resolution, Wrigley, Dettah, Rae, Fort Liard, Deline, Fort McPherson and Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, I would like unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his Member's statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Braden, you may conclude your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge some of the volunteers who are helping Pierre get where he is going. I acknowledge Tracey Robertson, who is recognized as the Special Olympics coach of the year this year; and Karla Cairns, who also supported and coached Pierre and is assisting in him achieving his goals. The NWT Special Olympic Team of volunteers and their program ought to be recognized and congratulated for their great work, especially, Mr. Speaker, our admiration and our best wishes go to Pierre and all his fellow athletes, the Olympians, in Ireland later this month. Way to go! Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to a group of very dedicated Hay River volunteers who oversee an extremely important venture in Hay River. Mr. Speaker, the group of volunteers I referred to is the Hay River Heritage Society, whose labour of love is the Hay River Heritage Centre. For approximately the past 10 years, ideas were bandied about amongst several key people whose dream it was to see a heritage centre become a reality. Mr. Speaker, one of the biggest hurdles encountered in erecting a heritage centre is the ability to secure an adequate facility. To this end, I am pleased to report that NTCL, a local Hay River company, donated one of their buildings to the heritage society. The building that NTCL donated is an integral part of Hay River's heritage itself, as it is the old Hudson Bay building that dates back many years.

This is another wonderful example of Hay River's corporate sector doing their part. Once a building is located, Mr. Speaker, another challenge is obtaining ongoing O and M funding to keep a heritage centre operational. Mr. Speaker, the support of our community residents is evidenced by the fact that the Hay River public has brought forward a steady stream of artifacts to the heritage centre for display and preservation.

I was very alarmed, Mr. Speaker, to learn the plight of the members of the Hay River Heritage Centre, who have indicated that they may have to close up our heritage centre if more financial resources are not found to keep this centre operating. Mr. Speaker, the Hay River Heritage Society recently held a press conference and stated that they have three choices: one is to operate the museum on its usual shoestring budget; two is to close for the summer and clean and catalogue the artifacts due to a lack of funding; three is to close its doors permanently.

According to the heritage society, Mr. Speaker, it costs approximately $10,000 a year to operate the heritage centre on a bare bones existence. The heritage centre creates employment as well, Mr. Speaker, as the heritage society employs one summer student every year.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that the preservation of our unique Hay River heritage is vital. Hay River has a long history as a transportation and fishing hub and Hay River has always possessed a cultural component. The preservation of all these facets is critical. Mr. Speaker, the support for museums across the North is nothing new. I have witnessed many examples...

Mr. Delorey, your time for your member's statement has ended. What is your wish?

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

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his Member's statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Delorey, you may conclude your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, the support for museums across the North is nothing new. I have witnessed many examples of this government supporting heritage centres throughout the North and the Hay River Heritage Centre should be no exception. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I have the pleasure of greeting two Grade 6 classes from Princess Alexandra School, along with teachers and chaperones who have come from Hay River on a fieldtrip to visit the Legislative Assembly.

These students have been studying government as part of their curriculum, and have been learning in the classroom about the various levels of government: federal, territorial and municipal. The students prepared for this trip with a classroom visit from my colleague Mr. Delorey and myself, along with an outing to the town hall where they performed role playing, and now, to top things off, they are visiting with us today to witness the territorial government in action.

The Grade 6 teachers Kim Ivanko and Janine Pushie have taken this opportunity while session is sitting to teach the students by giving them a firsthand view of what government does and how it operates in the Legislative Assembly. The group arrived by bus yesterday. They have visited the Prince of Wales Museum, where they enjoyed a scavenger hunt; from there they toured the Buffalo School of Aviation, and then off to the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool for swimming and pizza. This morning they had a bus tour of the Old Town.

I'd like to thank Commissioner Glenna Hansen who made a presentation to the students while they had lunch in our caucus room. I'd also like to thank Premier Kakfwi and yourself, Mr. Speaker, for helping us with a group photo in the Chamber over the lunch hour. I'd like to thank Joe Gagnier from Ile Holdings and Frontier Coachlines for being their bus driver for this trip. I'd like to thank the Elk's Club of Hay River who sponsored the cost of the bus trip. The pool and pizza last night was sponsored by Northland Utilities.

I'd also like to thank the parents, most notably one parent, Wendy Morgan -- her son Mikey is in one of the classes -- who helped coordinate the trip. I would also like to thank the Pentecostal Church for allowing the use of their facilities to sleep in.

Also, I want to thank public affairs officer Pam Colquhoun for her help with the tour of the Legislative Assembly. I would lastly like to thank the Grade 6 teachers for their efforts in bringing their students to Yellowknife. We welcome the visitors and the chaperones today. 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. Mr. Speaker, I've had a chance to go through the Department of Health and Social Services' core services document. Mr. Speaker, it identifies core services, defines them, talks about what they are. It suggests that core services are intended to help all residents be healthy, and to lead long and productive lives in their families and in their communities. It defines, as I said, core services as those services and programs that are available to all residents in the Territories throughout their lives, regardless of age, sex, race, culture or location. That's very important, Mr. Speaker.

It then goes on to talk about how the core services are made available to territorial residents. It acknowledges that not all services are available in all communities. Sometimes you will have to travel to other communities or even outside the Territories in order to see healthcare professionals. But what it doesn't talk about, Mr. Speaker, are those who don't have third-party insurance coverage, and the fact that they may have to pay a co-payment to travel, they may have to take care of their accommodations while they're outside their home, they may have to pay for food so they can eat while they're away from home. Mr. Speaker, I think this is an issue that needs to be addressed. It's certainly something that many of us have been talking about for a number of years, since we were elected, Mr. Speaker. I had a chance to go back through some of the transcripts of Social Programs committee meetings and we've raised this issue with the Ministers a number of times. In fact, some of the most compelling arguments were made by the current Minister of Health when he was on this side of the House.

I've looked at the numbers of questions in the House. I've read a couple of articles written in newsletters. It really has dominated much of the discussion in this area over the last couple of years.

I was very happy to hear when Mrs. Groenewegen raised the issue in the House the other day in questioning the Minister, that the Minister has taken a proposal to Cabinet; this is something that Cabinet is looking at and analyzing. I think it's important for us to realize that people without third-party coverage are often employed in lower-paying jobs. They are working people, and they can't afford insurance and end up getting stuck with these extra costs. These are the folks we need to take care of, Mr. Speaker, so that there truly is equity. I urge Cabinet to deal with this, and deal with it quickly so that we can do something for these people before the time that we have in this Assembly is up. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak again about an issue I believe that is worthy of repetition, Mr. Speaker, and that is to remind the government and the legislature of the importance of sending both parties in the specialists' negotiating dispute back to the negotiations table. Mr. Speaker, the way I see it, if the relationship between the two parties continues to deteriorate and the worst case scenario happens -- for example, the specialists are let go or walk out -- the impact on the future viability of this hospital and the future of this city and territory will be a major disaster.

Mr. Speaker, the contingency plan currently in place will not carry us through July and August, never mind until new specialists are found. If we do manage to gather locums together one week to the next, it will cost us a lot more financially or otherwise in the long run.

Mr. Speaker, I do firmly believe, and we must, that there is still room and time for all of us leaders to play an important role in bringing this to a close. I believe there is a way we can contribute without taking sides or interfering with the negotiation process. All of us need to privately or publicly, however we see fit, put the pressure on both the government and the doctors to get back to the table and hammer out their differences.

Mr. Speaker, I believe being neutral on this is putting pressure on both parties to do their talking at the negotiating table, not outside, not in the media. Mr. Speaker, further, there is a judgment call that needs to be made here by all of us. Have we crossed, or are we dangerously close to crossing the line to where we've been before? I know we don't want to revisit the Giant Mine situation of a decade ago, but I was working in the government at the time and I recall all the leaders, everyone from the federal Minister responsible for labour, the MP, the mayor, the territorial government, going around in circles, paralyzed with questions about the power and authority they had, or didn't have, to intervene in the process. Everyone felt helpless about getting directly involved, though many thought, or might have thought, that they had done everything they could. But in the end, Mr. Speaker, the outcome was a major disaster of horrible proportions.

Mr. Speaker, this may turn out very differently, and I do hope that it will. But if it all goes down badly, Mr. Speaker...

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

Thank you. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Ms. Lee.

Mr. Speaker, in the end, this may turn out very differently, and I do hope that it will. But if it goes down badly, we'll all be responsible for the outcome and the impact of the outcome. I need to be able to know that I've done everything I could at the time that I ought to have, not only to prevent disaster, but to lead the process into optimal resolution.

I firmly believe, Mr. Speaker, it is wrong for anybody, in this House or outside, to think that we're better off paying millions of dollars to southern hospitals and doctors and businesses than to the highly-qualified people and the facility we have right here. Mr. Speaker, our lack of action on this matter is threatening our very sovereignty as an independent and sovereign jurisdiction capable of being self-sufficient.

Once again, Mr. Speaker, I urge this government and the legislature and the leaders in and out of here to act on this urgent territorial issue immediately. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on the same issue that Mrs. Groenewegen recently spoke on and my colleague from Yellowknife South just today. Several times over the years I've risen to address the issue of medical co-payments, which has created a terrible inequity for my constituents. This $250 charge for each way of travel impacts people particularly who are in lower income jobs.

I know that the Minister of Health and Social Services has said over and over in this House that his department is looking at the issue as part of an overall review of supplementary benefits. I know, when I made statements on this issue in February and March of this year and asked questions at the time, that the Minister at that time promised he would soon have an answer and would be telling us what that was. So it has been dragging on for a long time and it hasn't been dealt with.

My constituents can't afford to wait any longer. As things now stand, they not only have to pay for a good portion of the travel when they are referred to a doctor outside, but if they're not hospitalized they may wind up being on the hook for food and accommodation as well. So this has become an issue that is broader than just travel, particularly if things don't go well at the negotiation table with the doctors here.

Mr. Speaker, even the most conservative of provinces -- Ontario -- treats its northern residents better than we do in terms of the cost of medical co-payments. Manitoba used to charge $50 as a co-payment to its residents. They've eliminated that. So I'm pleased to hear, as the Minister told Mrs. Groenewegen, that he will soon be going to Cabinet and that he would see these co-payments dealt with. I can only hope that that plan will eliminate the need for my constituents to come up with those payments.

I call on the Minister to take a look at the example set in Manitoba, and eliminate the co-payment plan completely. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Yes, I suppose that's a good example of how government works. Thank you, Mr. Nitah. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Antoine. Item 3, Members' statements. The chair recognizes the honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to go to item 6 on the Order Paper, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Thank you.

Thank you. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to advance to item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Are there any nays? There are no nays, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a number of people today. Could I just ask them, perhaps, if they could just jump up and give a wave? Their parents might see them on TV this way. I ask the indulgence of my colleagues here. It's an extensive list, but this is very important to them. They had a bake sale to raise money; these kids are really into this. Kim Ivanko, Grade 6 teacher; Jennifer Morgan, supervisor; Chelsea Beck-Mandeville; Michelle Caudron; Jordan Champagne; Michelle Daigneault; Jason Desjarlais; Travis Dobs; James Dumas; Jessica Farmer; Marissa Hiebert; Raelen Lamalice; Mark Leblanc; Patrick Minute; Mikey Morgan; Terry Rowe; Grant Roy; Rena Squirrel; Brent Thomas; and Steven Wade. Welcome.

---Applause

Thank you, and welcome, students. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to make welcome this very distinguished group from Hay River and introduce the other half of the group up there. I'd like to introduce Janine Pushie, the teacher of the second class; Sandy Coady and Cecile Richards, supervisors; and the students are Deidre Aldridge; Shelly Bourne, Bailey Corrigal; Cali Groenheyde; Patrick Hunt; Kyle Isiah; Geoffery Johnson; Reiss Kruger; Kenny McBryan; Colton Parker; Debra Richards; Jamie Ritchie; Michelle Rymer-Salopree; Shanna Sage; Tiffany Sheils-Campbell; Justin West and I would also like to recognize a constituent of mine and their capable bus driver, Mr. Joe Gagnier. I would also like to recognize my constituency assistant Debbie Pottle up in the gallery who came over to help me. I will recognize Jane's constituency assistant Wendy Morgan. I would like to wish all of them a very safe trip home. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

That was a bit over the 30 seconds you are allowed, however the students have come a long way and the people have come a long way, so it was worth the introduction. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to recognize in the visitors' gallery from the Special Olympics of the NWT, Karla Cairns, the swimming coach and support of Special Olympics; Val Braden, Special Olympics volunteer of the year; Pierre Lafond, Special Olympics male athlete of the year and Special Olympian and member of the Team Canada swimming team for the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Dublin, Ireland. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 6, 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 a constituent and former assistant to the Member for Range Lake, Mrs. Jean Wallace in the audience today.

---Applause

Item 6, 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 a few people in the gallery. I understand a senior, Ms. Madeline McDonald from Aven Court and her friend are in the gallery, as well as Blair Dunbar, who is my constituent, as well as Connie Henderson, a Yellowknife resident. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to follow the lead of my colleague, the Member for Nunakput, in recognizing our Olympian Pierre Lafond; his coach, Karla Cairns; my wife Valerie whose involvement with Special Olympics I am very proud of; and, my constituency assistant John Argue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize today my constituency assistant who is in Yellowknife for a few days, Ms. Denise Yuhas.

---Applause

Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me pleasure to welcome Madeline McDonald to the gallery. She's very special to my former athletic career being a chaperone to our team. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. On behalf of all the Members, welcome to the Legislative Assembly, particularly Mr. Dunbar. Mr. Dunbar and I are colleagues from the social work profession of some years. The chair recognizes the honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee, on a Point of Order.

Point Of Order

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a Point of Order on the first opportunity available to me. My Point of Order is that in answering questions in the House about the issues related to the specialist negotiation situation, the Minister of Health and Social Services has misled the House.

Mr. Speaker, this is my first opportunity as I was not able to verify the page number of the Hansard that I had to quote from. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Ms. Lee, the chair is concerned with your Point of Order in terms of being the first opportunity. We've been in the House for an hour, you haven't left. You could have raised it sooner. As a matter of fact, the chair did hesitate earlier in anticipation of you saying something, but nothing came about. First opportunity means first opportunity, but the chair will recognize your Point of Order. Ms. Lee, what is your Point of Order.

Mr. Speaker, I do apologize. I have had a lot of information to observe. Mr. Speaker, the substantiation of my Point of Order is as follows. On June 4th in his Minister's statement entitled Specialist Negotiations, the Minister stated the following, and I quote from page 1761 of the unedited Hansard: "I wish to reassure members of the Northwest Territories public that primary healthcare, that is care provided by general practitioners, nurses and other front line staff in our communities, will continue to be provided to Northwest Territories residents. People are referred to specialists only if their medical requirements cannot be met by front line healthcare..."

Ms. Lee, a moment, please. What date are you referring to when you refer to this? It's based on my concern about the earliest opportunity. I heard the date, but I am not sure. What date are you referring to?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I understand your concern but my point is I was not able to raise this point until I got the documents that I tabled in the House yesterday, which didn't come to my possession until yesterday which sheds a different light on what has been said in the House.

Okay. The chair will hear your Point of Order and we can decide on it after we've heard more information. Ms. Lee, continue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank you for your patience and the patience of the Members. Mr. Speaker, he made the statement that I just read, but yesterday I received a copy of the letter dated May 14th, which is a full three weeks prior to his statement that I just read signed by all 18 general practitioners in Yellowknife and it was tabled yesterday. I quote, Mr. Speaker, from the latter part of the second paragraph of that letter: "Family physicians providing obstetrical care, including high risk obstetrics, will not be able to continue to provide this care without specialist obstetrical backup. Similarly, those family physicians that provide surgical services cannot continue to do so without specialist surgical or obstetrics backup." The letter goes on to say, in the next paragraph: "Many emergency physicians chose to work in Yellowknife because of the level of acuity and the specialist backup that allows ongoing treatment locally. Without specialist backup, the role of emergency physicians will be altered, with more patients needing simply to be transferred south for ongoing care. GP anesthesiologists chose to practice in Yellowknife because of the ability to work with general surgeons, gynecologists, ENT surgeons, orthopaedic surgeons and ophthalmologists. In the event that these specialists are no longer represented in the community, many family physicians will find their scope of practice greatly curtailed. Given the situation, some family physicians may elect to look for opportunities in other communities where they could utilize their skills to the fullest."

This substantiation is that the Minister was misleading the House by not providing the full answer and making a statement that was, I don't want to say contrary, but not a full picture of what he was aware of.

Mr. Speaker, my second substantiation is from what he said on June 4th. This comes in light of the document that I was able to get yesterday. Mr. Speaker, as you recall yesterday, there were extensive discussions about the fact that some mothers were having to travel to Edmonton for labour and he said, on page 1781: "My job as Minister is to ensure the maintenance of the health and social services system, to deal with issues in a careful, measured way, not to promote fear and concern and needless apprehension among the people. Mr. Speaker, the Member has raised and thrown out a number of third-hand comments that I have no knowledge of, I have no context, I have no way to verify what she has said, so I am not in a position to address what may be considered hearsay at this point."

Mr. Speaker, this sheds a different light on the issue for me because of the document that I tabled, which is a letter dated June 5th that gives more context addressed to the Minister and signed by all four members of the OBS department in Yellowknife. The letter states the following, in the second paragraph: "In the short term, we are absolutely clear that we cannot carry on as usual without intermittent locum obstetric backup. Although in theory, we could carry on low risk obstetrics under those circumstances, in fact risk stratification is fraught with difficulties and when impending disaster is diagnosed from Yellowknife, we are hours away by air from additional resources, particularly paediatrics. In addition, two of the family practice obstetric group members have resigned from the obstetrics practice as of July. With holidays, this leaves three family practitioners doing intra-partum obstetrics without paediatrician availability for at least several weeks in July. This is not doable. Thus, we must not accept obstetrics patients from out of town for confinement and we must be making arrangements now to send our local patients to another centre to await delivery. We cannot wait until the end of June to begin this process."

Further, Mr. Speaker, the letter goes on to say, and I quote from the fourth paragraph: "We will be contacting the communities immediately, advising them that we will not be accepting prenatal patients for confinement and making arrangement with other local patients for their ongoing care outside the territory."

My Point of Order is in saying that he was unaware of this problem and that it was third hand knowledge when he knew or ought to have known this information and I await your ruling. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The chair is primarily concerned with the timing of your Point of Order and the dates that have gone by and want to seek some more reference to this. So I am not going to rule on the Point of Order yet, whether we should allow it or not allow it or hear debate on it, until I have checked out that point. We are talking dates that go back a considerable period of time. I want to be sure that I've looked at some of the facts here first. So I am not ruling on this. I am taking this under advisement and I will bring it back up again either later today or tomorrow. I am not going to allow any debate on it at the moment, until after I have ruled on the admissibility of the point. So we will continue on with our business of the day and we will set that aside for a little while.

Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

On October 25, 2002 the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories passed Motion 14-14(5) instructing the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures to undertake a review of the operation and accountabilities of the committee structure and system. The standing committee was also instructed to provide a report on such matters to the Legislative Assembly no later than June 30, 2003.

Process

The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures initially met on December 9, 2002 to consider background information on the evolution of committee structures in the Northwest Territories and to formulate options on how best to proceed with the review of committee structures and systems.

Committee Members decided the following three basic premises would guide the Committee in its deliberations. It is likely that consensus government would continue for the 15th Assembly.

1. The structure, roles and responsibilities of the Legislative Assembly and its committees would not change in the face of self-government agreements.
2. The review of the operation and accountabilities of the committee structure and systems would be a separate process from the transitional planning exercise.

Mr. Speaker, our staff was instructed to research and prepare briefing notes on potential committee structures that would lend themselves to the consensus form of government.

Committee staff was also asked to consult with key managers on their thoughts on the current committee structure in relation to the legislative and budgetary processes and to receive input on potential for changes they see as beneficial to both committees and the bureaucracy.

In addition, the standing committee provided direction to staff in the preparation of a survey designed to elicit Members' opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of the current committee structure as well as their thoughts on potential changes to committee structure and systems.

Findings

The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures met again on April 17, 2003 to review the research undertaken by staff and to examine the results of the Members' survey on committee systems and structure.

Committee Members noted in a majority of jurisdictions modeled on the Westminster parliamentary system, the potential of standing committees to add value to legislation has been somewhat derailed by the adherence to party politics.

For this reason, the rules committee did not extensively examine committee structures in other Canadian or international jurisdictions modeled on the Westminster parliamentary system.

The other committee process Canadians are most familiar with is the American system. While the American committee system is seen as essentially non-partisan, meaning that committee Members from different parties can work together to achieve common goals, there is nonetheless an adversarial approach taken with the executive branch of government that does not translate well to the Northwest Territories' consensus form of government.

As many Members are aware there are other jurisdictions, particularly the Channel Islands, where committees have played a significant role in the day-to-day operations of government. However, these jurisdictions have or are in the process of changing committee structures with a view to improving accountability within their systems.

Remarkably enough, Mr. Speaker, these jurisdictions have engaged in significant consultation with our own Clerk of the Legislative Assembly in adapting the Northwest Territories' committee and Cabinet system to meet the needs of some of the Channel Islands.

The Members of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures examined several new options for committee structures that contemplated the increased sharing of powers between the legislative and executive branches of government.

However, it became apparent to committee Members that there needs to be a clear delineation between committees and the executive (Cabinet) in order to ensure that government is held accountable, both in fact, and in the eyes of the general public.

In the end, committee Members were forced to dismiss each option as unworkable and realize that our current committee structure, which is not without its imperfections, does at the very least ensure government is held accountable.

The feeling that government is being held accountable was borne out by the results of the Members' survey on committee structures and systems.

Results Of The Member's Survey

Those Members of the Assembly who responded to the standing committee survey were almost unanimous in their belief that any suggestions for change to committee structures and systems take the form of recommendations to the 15th Assembly.

This made sense to the Members of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures in light of the potential for major restructuring of government that may fall out of the transition planning exercise.

Committee Members could see no point in effecting major changes to current committee structure and systems when we do not know exactly the future organizational structure of government at this time.

It was interesting that, even though the majority of Members surveyed thought there was a definite need for a major overhaul of committee structures and systems, no Members were comfortable in making any specific recommendations in the absence of knowledge of the future structure of government.

Many Members responding to the survey also commented on the need to realign the departments to ensure a balanced workload among standing committees.

Members of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures also see this need but are hesitant to make a specific recommendation, given the potential for the redistribution of programs and services among existing and possible new government departments.

The survey results also indicated that Members thought there was a need to "firm up" committee guidelines and handbooks and perhaps even provide more training to committee chairpersons on committee operations and running effective meetings.

According to the survey, some Members believe individual Member constituency issues, which should be dealt with in another more appropriate forum, occasionally overtake the committee process.

One suggestion for remedy comes from the Catalonian Parliament in Spain where regular meetings take place between committees and Ministers. These "taking stock" meetings provide Members with an opportunity to discuss overall policy issues, as well as raise specific constituency issues with the Minister.

The 14th Assembly has established a similar convention with the monthly meeting held between the Premier and the Members of the Accountability and Oversight committee at which the issues of the day are discussed and feedback provided to the Premier.

Opinion was split on the need to re-evaluate the budget review process, with some Members believing the current process allows Members the most opportunity to influence government programs and spending, and some Members believing the process becomes repetitive between the in-camera review of the draft main estimates and the review of the main estimates in Committee of the Whole. Senior management, who pointed out that the current process might not be the best use of scarce human resources in the departments, made a similar observation.

There may be an opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to streamline the process for reviewing the draft main estimates while still ensuring that Members and committees have influence over government programs and spending.

Development Of Government Policy

In discussing the working of the 14th Assembly and analyzing where problems were encountered, the Members of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures observed that the issues that caused the most friction between committees and Cabinet were matters of government policy.

In a majority of cases, a new government policy or changes to an existing policy is developed by the responsible department in response to a real or perceived need.

Once the responsible Minister approves this new policy or changes to an existing policy, he or she takes the policy to Cabinet for approval. Only if the policy receives approval from Cabinet does the appropriate standing committee get informed and become involved.

It was observed by Members of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures that by the time we reach the stage of policy development where the standing committees become engaged; the department and Minister have invested significant time and resources in getting the policy to this stage.

It is only natural that by this time, positions have become entrenched and the Minister would be resistant to any significant changes proposed by committee.

The Members of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures see a need to establish a new convention on the development of government policy that involves standing committees at an earlier stage. Mr. Speaker, this would allow Members opinions and constituent's needs to be taken into account in the development of the final product.

The benefits of such a convention are twofold. First, if such a convention works, as it should, the small bugs can be worked out prior to any public statement or position being taken. This would allow any subsequent public policy debate to focus on the intent behind the policy, rather than the smaller details that seem to derail us on occasion.

Conversely, if a policy does not have support at the initial committee stage, the government can either withdraw the policy or rework it for further study by committee. It is easier to do this at the committee stage than in a full sitting of the Legislative Assembly when it may have been referred to Committee of the Whole.

The second benefit goes to the true purpose of committees, which is to add value to government. Allowing committees the opportunity to help develop policy rather than just react to government positions, is more in step with the principles of consensus government.

Members of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures also believe there is a need for more broad-based policy discussions not related to any one specific policy, to take place between committees and Ministers on a regular basis. A clear understanding of committee Members' positions on such issues as taxation policy would be beneficial to Ministers and their departments in developing policy and implementing change.

Membership On Committees

Another practice the Members of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures believe worth examining is how the Striking Committee decides membership on the standing committees on Social Programs and Governance and Economic Development.

As it stands now, the Striking Committee tries to accommodate the Member's preferences in determining which committee he or she will serve on. While respecting the wishes of an individual MLA is an important criterion, it should not be the overriding factor in determining committee membership.

The Members of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures have observed that some of the conflicts encountered in the 14th Assembly were related to a lack of regional or rural perspective on the Social Programs committee or, conversely, a lack of an urban perspective on the Governance and Economic Development committee.

To ensure the perspectives and needs of all territorial residents are represented in committee deliberations, the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures are of the opinion that a new convention, similar to the one used to determine regional representation on Cabinet, should be used by the Striking Committee to determine membership of the standing committees.

Recommendations

1. The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the 15th Assembly examine the assignment of departments among standing committees to ensure a balanced committee workload.
2. The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the committee manual be updated and training sessions for theincoming committee chairpersons and Members on their respective roles and responsibilities be enhanced.
3. The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the 15th Assembly examine the advantages and disadvantages of streamlining the budgetary review process.
4. The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends the 15th Assembly examine options for engaging Standing Committees in the early stages of policy development.
5. The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Striking Committee establish a convention that ensures equitable regional and urban representation on the standing committees.

Mr. Speaker, that concludes the report of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures, on the potential committee structures and roles for the 15th Assembly.

I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, that Committee Report 14-14(6) be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. We have a motion. The motion is in order, but the chair doesn't recognize a quorum. May we sound the bells?

---Ringing of Bells

Thank you. We have a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. All those in favour of the motion, please signify. Thank you. All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Mr. Speaker, on October 29, 2001, you directed the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures to conduct a review of Rule 70 of the rules of the Legislative Assembly. It was felt there may arise some procedural difficulties, particularly with the provisions respecting the 120-day rule for standing committee review of bills.

In essence, the rule now states that a standing committee has 120 days to review a bill from the day it's referred to a committee until the day it must be reported back to the House. The rule further implies that if a committee has not reported a bill within this time frame, the sponsor of the bill is permitted to proceed with the bill in the Assembly.

Complicating matters somewhat is the occurrence, quite often, of standing committees' review of bills taking longer than 120 days due to the size, scope and impact of the bill, or the length of time between sittings of the Assembly. In all cases, an implicit concurrence of the bill sponsor, almost always the government, not to proceed with the bill in the absence of a committee report has been obtained. On two occasions, this concurrence has been obtained in writing, while others have been an implied mutual agreement.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the potential difficulty would arise under the present wording of Rule 70 if a bill's sponsor insisted on proceeding in the House with a bill that had not been reported from committee and the 120-day period had lapsed. The problem would stem from the lack of a mechanism to return the bill to the House by placing it in some fashion on the Order Paper, most likely in Committee of the Whole.

During the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures consideration of the issue on December 9, 2002, and April 17, 2003, a number of options were discussed.

Having the bill automatically appear on the Order Paper in Committee of the Whole 120 days after second reading was deemed to be undesirable, in that it does not take into account those numerous instances where the standing committee's review may be lengthy due to the complexity or nature of the bill and its impacts. In addition, there are occasions that the length of time between sittings of the House -- from the spring to the fall, for example, Mr. Speaker -- is such that reporting within 120 days is not possible. This remedy would also preclude the continuation of the long-standing parliamentary convention of allowing bills to die in committee.

The option of returning the bill to the House by order of the Speaker was not a preferred option because of the impartiality of the Speaker's position, and the fact that the Speaker would theoretically, and as a rule of procedure, possess no direct knowledge of the committee's activities or the wishes of the bill's sponsor in order to be able to ascertain whether a particular bill should be returned.

In considering the matter, the Rules committee decided that a mechanism was required to advise the House, and the Speaker, that a bill had not been reported within the required timeframe and that the bill's sponsor wished to proceed with the bill in the House. It was decided that this mechanism be incorporated into Rule 70 and be termed "Notice of Intent."

Mr. Speaker, this notice of intent to proceed with a bill not reported would be given to the House by the bill's sponsor under the item Minister's statements on the Order Paper if it is a government bill, or under Members' statements if it happens to be a private Member's bill. The mechanism would then provide that on the third sitting day following receipt of a notice of intent by the House, the Speaker would place the bill on the Order Paper in Committee of the Whole.

In addition, the committee also feels it is necessary to provide a more formal avenue under the rules for a standing or special committee to secure an extension to the 120-day rule if it wishes to do so. The Rules committee proposed that this be facilitated by an amendment to Rule 70, which would state than an extension may be requested by motion in the Legislative Assembly under the item reports of committees on the review of bills.

The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures is of the opinion that this course of action takes into account the interests of all parties and provides an effective and efficient remedy to the issues, and hereby recommends it to the House.

Mr. Speaker, that concludes the report of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures on the review of Rule 70.

I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River South, that Committee Report 15-14(6) be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. We have a motion. The motion is in order. All those in favour, please signify. Thank you. All those opposed? Thank you. The motion is carried.

---Carried

Item 4, returns of standing and special committees. Item 5, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Dent on June 5, 2003, regarding the proposed territorial sport and recreation board.

Mr. Speaker, we recognize that meeting all of the sport and recreation needs of all of our communities and territorial organizations places great pressures upon the sport and recreation system. This is especially true as our government has made the promotion of active living a key priority.

The intent of the proposed territorial recreation and sport board is not to take away resources from the organizations that are responsible for direct sport and recreation program delivery. In fact, the proposal is intended, in a large part, to streamline the administration and governance of the system, resulting in more resources being made available for programs.

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the Member that volunteers are the backbone of the sport and recreation system. It is only through the dedicated efforts of countless volunteers in all the communities across the NWT that we are able to support the extensive range of activities that are occurring in our communities, such as track and field meets, hockey tournaments, Super Soccer, cross-country ski clubs, races and traditional games, to name just a few.

By streamlining the recreation and sport system and ensuring equitable access to lottery revenues across the territory we hope to realize an increase in the resources that are available to support these activities. It we are successful in this effort, we should be able to provide better support for volunteers in the recreation and sport system across the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, based on the recommendations put forward by the sport and recreation partners, it is obvious that we will continue to rely upon the important role played by volunteers in the system. It is not our intent to replace these volunteers with permanent employees. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have another return to oral question, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, Mr. Steen, you may continue.

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Delorey on June 11, 2003, regarding the new sport and recreation board.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs provides funding to community governments through a recreation and sport contributions program that makes funding available to all communities, both tax-based and non-tax-based, upon application, to support local activities. Contribution amounts for this program are determined based on a proportionate share of the total $825,000 program budget, and range from $14,000 to $80,000 per community. Communities are required to account for the use of this funding. This was a new program in the 2002-2003 fiscal year, and I have committed to provide a report to Members of this House on how the funds were used by communities. This information will be available shortly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, and it's in regard to closure of the native arts program at Aurora College in Inuvik. Mr. Speaker, this program has been operational for one year. It is a post-secondary arts program at the college, and I think it's essential that we have such a program in place. This government has put a lot of money and effort into the arts and cultural industry strategy. I would like to ask the Minister, what is his department doing to ensure and encourage that these programs have adequate funding so they are able to continue, rather than simply running these programs for one year?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not familiar with the reference the Member has made to the college program, that funding has been cut. That was news to me late today and I don't have the details to that. But with respect to funding programs, Mr. Speaker, we fund the college through a transfer payment of approximately $23 million and they handle the implementation of the programs that are conducted through the college system. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the reasons they gave for the closure of this program is that funding was withdrawn by the sponsoring organizations, which were the Inuvialuit and the Gwich'in who contributed some $48,000 each. They're going to spend it elsewhere. I'd like to ask the Minister, is it possible for his department to consider or look for those resources which were given by the sponsor organizations to continue this program at the college in Inuvik?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will have to check into the situation that has transpired in Inuvik with this particular program, and I will need a day to do that, Mr. Speaker, before I can provide any response to the Member.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this program has already been established, it's been up and running, the curriculum has been developed, and I think it's important as a government that we do invest in our arts and crafts industry, especially in the North where we do have a very important segment of our population that depends on the sale of arts and crafts, as their income, especially in the smaller communities among the people who are on the promotion side of arts and crafts. I would like to ask the Minister if he would take a serious look at long-term funding for these types of programs so that their stability is ensured, that they don't simply find themselves running one year and then being closed down?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will have to look into this and see what we can do about the Member's comments and suggestions. I will have to naturally, as well, consult with the college board who have the responsibility for delivering programs and I will undertake to do that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Your final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my earlier comments, I made reference that this government has spent quite a few dollars developing an arts and crafts strategy so that we can try to promote and enhance that industry. I would like to ask the Minister what's the status of this strategy which does have a fundamental impact on the arts and crafts industry in the Northwest Territories. Could the Minister give us an update of where that strategy is and what we're doing to implement it?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of RWED and I struck a panel to do an arts strategy for the Northwest Territories. That is under review by both our departments. We had anticipated having the government's response back by now. We expect it within a very, very short period of time, Mr. Speaker. Responsibility in the area of arts is shared by my department and Mr. Antoine's department. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Health and Social Services and it's in regard to the contingency plan in place. As indicated by the information provided in the House by way of tabled documents and letters from the doctors, they have expressed serious concern about our ability to provide healthcare with or without a locum. Having seen these letters, has the Minister changed his position about the viability of providing services with locums? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable of Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first let me indicate the letter referred to by my colleague that she tabled and said was sent to me on June 5th, signed by family doctors. It was, in fact, never sent to me. Mr. Speaker, it dealt with the issues and concerns, but it was stopped at the desk of Mr. Woods, the CEO who met, subsequently, with the doctors and resolved their issues.

Mr. Speaker, I have here a letter which I would be happy to share with this House, dated June 11th, signed by Dr. Mansouri, Dr. Fraser, Dr. Peters, Dr. Hansen, Dr. MacFadden and Dr. Woodside, in which they say as family practice members we have met to discuss our ability to provide labour and delivery services under the present contingency plan. Given the availability of obstetric and pediatric backup, we will be able to provide low-risk obstetrical care. The definition of low risk will be decided on a case-by-case basis. As the locum specialists' backup is for emergencies only, we will not plan to keep people who will most likely need the locum specialists' service; i.e., pre-term labour, diabetic mothers or insulin-dependent, et cetera. Whether or not repeat C-sections will be done will need to be discussed with the locum specialist as this is...

Mr. Minister, may I interrupt you for a moment? If you intend to read a letter, you must table that letter. Are you prepared to table that letter after you finish reading it as part of your answer?

Yes, I am, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. You'll table that at the appropriate time, of course. Mr. Minister, you may continue your answer.