Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will be attending the Western Premier's Conference in Kelowna, British Columbia, starting Monday night, for Monday and Tuesday, along with the Premiers of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut and Yukon. The Northwest Territories will be leading two agenda items at this year's conference.

I will be speaking to the issue of devolution, in the context of a general discussion on the state of federal/provincial/territorial relations and options to improve the currently rather strained relations between provinces and territories and the federal government.

I intend to make the case that devolution is an important step towards rebuilding these relationships by setting the stage for mutually respectful intergovernmental relations.

All jurisdictions must manage and control the scope and pace of development of their resources and benefit from that development. We will make it clear that a devolution agreement will allow northern governments to influence the scope and pace of future developments and will ensure, as well, that Canadians are ready to seize the economic opportunities brought on by development of northern resources.

It is imperative that First Ministers realize that a devolution agreement is an important element in ensuring that northern governments have the financial resources to invest in their people and their economies, and that it is, in fact, in the national interest to support a fair and equitable agreement.

The Northwest Territories is also leading the discussion on diamonds. As you know, Minister Antoine and the Department of RWED have worked hard to raise the national awareness about diamonds.

I will continue to make the case that Canada needs to develop a Canadian diamond strategy that aims to maximize the benefits to all Canadians from all stages of the emerging diamond industry, including exploration, mining and value added. I will seek support from Premiers to invite the federal government to join the provinces and territories in the development of a Canadian diamond strategy, including an open exchange of the issues associated with the promotion of a Canadian secondary diamond industry.

As in previous meetings of this nature, I will, of course, work closely with my northern colleagues, honourable Premiers Okalik and Fentie, to ensure that our collective northern voices are heard loud and clear.

I will report back to the House on any progress upon my return. Thank you.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I'd like to make a statement on the capital planning process. This issue has been a concern for quite some time now, it's been raised in this House many times, it's also an issue that was raised to the Non-Tax-Based Community Affairs committee and we heard complaints from all over the North. In fact, my colleague Mr. Lafferty made a statement regarding this issue two days ago. Granted this government has made several attempts to rectify the situation, last winter the Premier sent a letter to all the communities in the Northwest Territories, asking them for input on capital plans. I'm not sure what the outcome of that was, we haven't seen anything yet.

So I took it upon myself as an MLA to go to the communities I represent to meet with the chiefs and to meet with the leaders, to bring in some of the Ministers. Almost every Minister on that side of the House came to the communities and met and talked about capital planning and capital projects. Some came twice, in fact. There was a lot of time, a lot of energy and a lot of money spent on this whole process.

So when it came to this year's capital planning, I was quite comfortable with the meetings we had, with the 20-year needs assessment, with last year's business plans, that we were going to have a fairly decent capital plan in place. I was quite pleased to see that the Minister announced that we would have government officials attending the communities, having meetings with the leaders and working on developing a long-term plan.

So you can imagine my surprise, Mr. Speaker, when I was informed that this group was actually presented plans that didn't reflect anything that we talked about. In fact, I'll show you Hay River's plan. For the next three years we have $25,000. What happened to the school that we agreed to? The reserve is putting in $250,000 of their own money. It's not here. The road improvement program; that's not here. We had an arena, we had a health centre in the 20-year plan. That's disappeared. Where is it?

Mr. Speaker, we have NWT-wide paving programs that have been announced and swimming pool programs that are not reflected anywhere. So I ask where did this new plan come from? When I ask the Ministers to explain it, they say they don't have any say into what goes into the capital plan. It's up to a deputy ministers' capital planning review committee.

Mr. McLeod, your time for Member's statements is over. Mr. McLeod.

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, Mr. McLeod, you may conclude.

Mr. Speaker, when I approached the Ministers for some answers they claimed it's up to a review committee made up of deputy ministers. Many of the Ministers have never met this committee. So I ask who's representing my interest? Who meets and lobbies the deputy ministers for projects in my riding? And what is my role as an MLA in this whole process? The Ministers certainly seem to have little say. I don't even know where to direct my questions.

The responsibility for capital planning for this government lies with an invisible, in-the-shadows group of deputy ministers whose names we don't even know.

Maybe, Mr. Speaker, that's who we, as MLAs, should be meeting with. Maybe that's who should be going to the communities to talk to the community leaders. Maybe we should be reducing the number of Ministers on the other side of the House and making these people responsible, because they're doing all the work. They're the ones being charged with the responsibility. We're always hearing task teams, deputy ministers' review committees.

We need a system, Mr. Speaker, that is going to be clear, that places the responsibility back into hands of the Ministers. We need a system that will give us a say as MLAs, and we need a system that's going to be clear and transparent so our people in the communities can take part.

Mr. Speaker, the system we have now is complicated, it doesn't work, we don't know who's in charge and we have to fix it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. 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, this afternoon in Hay River the closing ceremonies for the 13th Annual Territorial Track and Field Meet will take place. This year's meet got kicked off in fine form again on Wednesday night, as 1,142 athletes and their 130 coaches poured into the arena under the banners of their schools. Whether the delegation from the little school in Kakisa or rather large from as far away as the Samuel Hearne in Inuvik, school spirit soared as the audience applauded to the backdrop of music and flashing lights.

The 300 volunteers required to carry off this event were readily identifiable in the crowd in their bright yellow jackets, sponsored by Hay River corporate contributors.

Also cheering on the athletes on stage were eight Members of this Assembly, and I would like to thank them for making that effort at the end of our very first busy day of session. Your presence, Mr. Speaker, and that of Minister Jim Antoine, Minister Roger Allen, Minister Vince Steen, Members Michael McLeod, Leon Lafferty, Mr. Delorey and myself, I am sure, conveyed the government's support of this event for these young people.

The lighting of the torch, the athletes' oath, the greetings from Sharon Firth and Michael Argue attending as part of Sport North Esteem Team and the musical presentations all made for a very exciting event.

I look forward to hearing the stories and highlights about outstanding efforts and achievement of this year's meet in the days ahead. Thank you again goes to the volunteer efforts of Hay River for hosting what I'm sure was another very successful territorial Track and Field Meet. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to all the seniors in our communities throughout the Northwest Territories for the crucial role that they play in giving us guidance, providing us wisdom and also showing us the road to respecting others.

Mr. Speaker, the seniors are a key aspect to how our communities function. Yet, Mr. Speaker, still today we see a lot of barriers put in the way of our seniors to partake in just the day-to-day work of our councils, or in providing language programs, or even in pursuing sewing as a hobby. Mr. Speaker, I think as a government we have to bring down these barriers so that seniors can play a meaningful role in all our communities.

We talk about seniors' fuel subsidy programs, where there's an inequity in the way that it was calculated based on seniors income. I raised that issue in this House and there has been some direction to change that.

We have a system that basically deals with property tax rebates, where you have to go in every year and reapply. We suggested that they consider that once you register as a senior, automatically that system will continue.

Mr. Speaker, there are other initiatives in our communities that we feel are crucial to keeping our seniors in our communities and making sure that they don't have to be sent away to long-term care wards either in regional centres or elsewhere. We need more seniors' independent housing in our communities. We need to ensure that there are elders' homes available to our seniors so we can offer them an alternative to being sent away; to keep them in our communities so that they can be close to their loved ones and families, especially their grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I think it's important as a government that we take that extra step and make that extra effort to make the lives of our seniors more comfortable. We need to simplify the policies, procedures and red tape so that the seniors don't have to deal with the extra pressures and stress of worrying about why their pension was deducted, or why was a fuel subsidy taken away, or why did we not allow them some improvements to their independent houses through housing programs.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think it's important that we as a government do everything we can not only to improve the lives of our seniors, but to simplify the bureaucracy that seniors have to go through. That's something we can do here in this House for the benefit of our seniors.

With that, again I would like to thank all our seniors in the Northwest Territories for all that they do for us day in and day out, and wish them good health and mahsi cho.

---Applause

Mahsi, Mr. Krutko. 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 matter that has proven time and time again to be a hindrance in northern development. The matter I refer to, Mr. Speaker, is the cumbersome regulatory process in effect in the Northwest Territories which does absolutely nothing to show prospective developers that the North is open and ready to do business.

Mr. Speaker, I was very disturbed to learn that a large international seismic company by the name of Western Geco is unable to return to Hay River this year due to their uncertainty about our unyielding regulatory process. As a direct result of this, NTCL in Hay River -- a wholly northern company -- has lost a $2.5 million contract, and that is totally unacceptable to me.

Western Geco is an international seismic company that conducts seismic studies and gathers data, which in turn they sell to oil and gas companies. The project in question is the study of the Mackenzie and Liard rivers, and it could be said that this is indeed part of the big picture, that being oil and gas development and the Mackenzie Valley pipeline.

I might add, Mr. Speaker, that Western Geco has conducted these same seismic studies worldwide, in such places as Europe, Asia and the Amazon. Last year alone, Mr. Speaker, Western Geco spent between $5 million and $8 million on this project, and a fair chunk of that was spent in the Hay River area. However, most of it was spent proving that their system is environmentally friendly and it did not kill fish.

But, Mr. Speaker, due to the uncertainty surrounding our regulatory process, Western Geco lost momentum on this project and has reassigned their equipment and personnel to other areas until next year; providing, of course, that they are approved by then.

Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that due to the hoops that companies like Western Geco have to jump through, such as uncertainties on timelines and the length of time to be approved, a review must be undertaken by this government of the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act. Mr. Speaker, it is imperative that we as a government be seen as proactive and encourage developers to come and do business in the North. Mr. Speaker, I believe it is crucial that we devote more resources to such groups as the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board so that these long, cumbersome processes are shortened. We need to stop coming up with roadblocks that impede development.

Mr. Speaker, this would go a long way to ensuring that companies such as Western Geco are able to do business in the North, and prove to developers that the North is a realistic place to come and do business. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, June is a special time of year. Not only does the colour return to the land in the form of gardens and the greenery that we now see; as well, Mr. Speaker, it's a special time of year for students across the Northwest Territories, as the majority of students look at this month as the end of their school years between kindergarten to Grade 12.

Mr. Speaker, it also marks the end of a journey for some of those students, as some of those students look towards their graduations and their final exams during this month. I say this because, Mr. Speaker, I will be travelling back to my constituency today to attend the graduation ceremony of Samuel Hearne Secondary School. It has always been a pleasure to travel back and see the students and their parents as they finish this part of their journey, and then embark on their next as they look at life as an adult and take that journey in earnest, to move forward and take their skills and put them into practice.

So I'll just inform the House and my constituents that I'll be glad to be home this evening and take part in that activity. Thank you.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last night I, along with a number of my colleagues, had a chance to attend a Community Wellness Coalition meeting. This is a group of concerned citizens who have decided to band together to do something to change the state of alcohol and drug abuse, specifically in our community, Mr. Speaker. It's not just a Yellowknife problem clearly. A lot of the people who are in need are from surrounding communities, because I think as we all know, as many gaps as there are in these services in Yellowknife, the problem is even further exacerbated in the communities which have even fewer services.

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about something that I found very interesting around this recently. The RCMP have become obviously very involved in trying to combat the problem, and it's no secret when you look to their motivation, Mr. Speaker, when you find that 90 percent of their calls and 90 percent of their work is alcohol related, when it speaks to callouts in the city of Yellowknife. That's amazing, Mr. Speaker, especially when you consider that we don't think of people who are drunk in public as criminals. They really are people in need. But 90 percent of the RCMP workload on callouts is alcohol related. It's simply amazing.

They sent a number of members of this detachment to Anchorage, Alaska, to study a program and a way of coping and dealing with the problem in that city, and they invited a member of our local media, Ms. Jennifer McPhee, from the local newspaper to tag along. I'm glad they did that. It was an amazing and great way to use the media to their advantage. We know that the media has such reach and has played an amazing role here in galvanizing public support for this cause. I've had a number of people stop to talk to me about the innovative Anchorage approach, and ask me if this was something that we were considering and discussing. I can reassure the House and reassure the public, that after the Community Wellness Coalition meeting, this is certainly on the radar of the coalition, it is something they are discussing, and I think we can give full marks and full credit to the RCMP for looking to find solutions and do something about this. We know they are under-resourced. That's a challenge that we continue to grapple with, and something that this Assembly is going to have to find a solution for.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the RCMP for offering to take Ms. McPhee along on this research mission. I think we'll see in the coming months that this will have an impact like few other approaches could. I also want to thank the local paper for agreeing to send their reporter along to do the work. Clearly, she had to be out of town, there were other stories that she couldn't cover. There simply would have been a cost to a small business like the newspaper for doing something like this. I think as politicians quite often we like to criticize the media, feel that we're unfairly treated, and obviously that's because of the immense reach. Simply there are times, that to be honest, we'd rather they didn't have the reach when we're in compromising positions. By the nature of the media, you can see that this reach that they have is affecting our community, it is galvanizing support for this cause. I'm glad to see that. I wish the Community Wellness Coalition all success, and we'll continue to play an active role in this coalition. I think it's great to see something happening here. It's great to see members of our community mobilizing to find solutions. 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. This being Friday, I am pleased to make a statement on a good news story. Mr. Speaker, 29 competitors and 12 advisors from Skills Canada Northwest Territories and Nunavut, along with over 600 other competitors from across Canada attended the 9th Annual Canadian Skills Competition from May 29th to June 1st in Waterloo, Ontario. The two-day competition challenged participants through projects that tested their theoretical and practical knowledge in various trades and technology areas.

Skills Canada NWT/Nunavut experienced unprecedented success at these competitions, bringing home one gold, four silver and two bronze medals; a total of seven medals. Of the 29 NWT and Nunavut competitors, approximately 25 percent of the team placed in the top three in Canada. This is an enormous accomplishment that makes us all very, very proud indeed, Mr. Speaker.

The winner who received a gold medal in worksite safety is Isabel MacDougall from Iqaluit; and silver medal restaurant services, Joel Fortier from Iqaluit; from Team NWT a silver medal was received in heavy equipment mechanics by Reg Evans of Fort Smith; another silver medal in graphic design by Richard Walsh in Yellowknife; another silver medal in worksite safety by Mara Smith of Yellowknife; bronze medal in job interview by Amanda Johns of Inuvik; and a bronze medal in prepared speech by Mandy Lyons of Yellowknife.

Mr. Speaker, Allyson Stroeder, executive director of Skills Canada NWT/Nunavut deserves a lot of congratulations for this, but attributes the success of the team to the partnerships that the organization has been building in the North. For example, Mr. Speaker, this organization is the only one in Canada to insist that their competitors have completed the Workers' Compensation Board safety and the young worker program in order to compete in the worksite safety event. It is paying off, because the team won the gold last year and they won again this year.

Mr. Speaker, I understand that not only these medals, but the team spirit was so strong that this team tied with Alberta for the Spirit Award in the yelling and cheering contest at the closing ceremonies.

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that the NWT and Nunavut team have made their presence known to all other teams across Canada, and I'm sure everyone in the House joins me in sending our heartfelt congratulations for a job very well done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you very much, Ms. Lee. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, on March 5th of this year in the previous session, I tabled a petition of some 500 signatures from people in Yellowknife who are looking for answers to sustained and unaffordable increases in the cost of their rent.

Two days ago in this House, the Minister of Justice filed a response to that petition and in one area, Mr. Speaker, it was a fine answer, in fact one that had already been addressed where we were looking for more affordable housing to be built. Indeed, the Housing Corporation has assisted by making equity financing available to more builders, and much has been made of that and my compliments are duly given.

But, Mr. Speaker, on the issue of addressing affordable rents and the increases that many people have been experiencing, the Minister's response was a pathetic and flimsy and shabby and lazy attempt at taking the concerns of 500 people seriously. All the response did, Mr. Speaker, was dodge into the area of rent control. I'm running out of breath on this one, Mr. Speaker. I've said over and over and over, rent control is not something I want or the market wants. What we do want is a way for low and middle income people, who are seriously being hurt by rental increases, to be able to address this issue and find some way of resolving what is an unsustainable pressure on all sectors of our economy.

Mr. Speaker, the response demonstrated absolutely no innovation. It demonstrated absolutely no consultation, and it demonstrated absolutely no sensitivity to the situation that is affecting so many people here in Yellowknife and I think in communities that are also under the pressure of resource activity in the NWT. We're fortunate to have the kind of economic activity that we do have, Mr. Speaker, but the consequence of high rents is something that must be managed.

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. Mr. Braden, you may conclude.

Mr. Speaker, I reject that portion of the Minister's response to my voice and that of 500 other people in Yellowknife. With the resources that he has available as the Minister of Justice and as the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, I know he can do better. I would like him to go back and readdress the issue of affordable rental housing in Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I got a letter from the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, responding to questions I asked in our last sitting about the Wildlife Act on March 12th. In his answer, Mr. Speaker, the Minister noted that rather than making amendments to the Wildlife Act -- because significant amendments were required to ensure consistency between the general provisions of the act and wildlife harvesting and management provisions of land claim agreements -- it was determined that it would be more prudent, timely and cost-effective to draft a new Wildlife Act.

But, Mr. Speaker, we've had, I think, one of the longest consultative processes ever undertaken for an act with our new Wildlife Act. Consultation has gone on for a number of years; very, very detailed consultation, in particular, for the last four years. In fact, we've spent, as a government, somewhere around $1.5 million over the past four years on the consultation process, and that was outlined in the letter the Minister sent me as well.

But, Mr. Speaker, if we don't bring this legislation forward in the life of this Assembly, this expenditure is put at risk. How many times have we seen initiatives get lost as elections come and go? Often, a new crew of legislators will have different priorities or may face a new rash of critical issues, and things that were higher up on the agenda of the Assembly before slip off and don't get done. I'm worried that what we have here is an opportunity missed.

We were first told by the Minister in the year 2000, when this process was started, that we would see new legislation by the fall of 2002 at the latest. Later on that slipped, and we were told that we would see it in the February/March session of 2003. Then later still, we heard, well, we'll certainly have it done by June 2003 so we can have it in the House and completed by October.

But now we've been told, Mr. Speaker, that we can't do it in the life of this Assembly. I'm really sorry to hear that. I know that I've had a look at the latest document that has been put out, which is called "Drafting a New Wildlife Act for the Northwest Territories - A Progress Report" and it's set out in there what would be included in the new act.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and honourable Members. Mr. Speaker, I've talked about what's in this document with my constituents. I know they were certainly pleased with what they saw. They thought it reflected a reasonable compromise between what I'm sure the department heard from different points of view, and they were prepared to accept the provisions set out in here as being quite acceptable. So they saw no reason for this not to proceed.

I know we've heard from other Members in this House that their regions felt that we should proceed with a new act. So, Mr. Speaker, I'm extremely disappointed that we have been told now that we won't see a new act. I really don't understand why, when the Minister last told this House that legislation could be tabled in this session. Why then, if that's possible, could we not table it in time that we could take it to second reading, get it to committee and have a chance of having it passed in October of this year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to make my statement on the participation of youth in my riding, Inuvik Twin Lakes, in two major events in the Northwest Territories that happened to occur at the same time.

Mr. Speaker, the youth from Inuvik Twin Lakes have been participating in the NWT track and field championships in Hay River during this past week which concludes today. Mr. Speaker, I have seen examples of the dedication of sports teams, coaches and volunteers that put up such successful events. As the MLA for Inuvik Twin Lakes, I want to personally thank Dave Reid and Ruth Hoddy, for the dedication and supporting the following members of Samuel Hearne Secondary track and field team. Those students are: Dennis Dosedel; Holley Lenin; Ryan Binder; Derrick Seabrook; Danny Fehr; Gerrald Kisoun; Shane Gordon; Kyle Taylor; Noel Cockney; and Alex Groepper.

Mr. Speaker, travelling to other communities often overlaps events such as this, so with your concurrence, I would like to add a few extra words to compliment the youth of my riding. Today I want to take this opportunity to welcome the fiddle dancers to Yellowknife. They are the dancers from Ingamo Hall. They will be performing at the Elk's Hall tonight and the Aven Seniors' Manor on Saturday.

Mr. Speaker, these events allow the youth of my riding to travel to other constituencies not only to participate in events but to develop new friendships and new perspectives. I want to congratulate both groups for representing my riding and also the town of Inuvik. I wish them well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is National Seniors' Week and as a Member of the Legislature for the Sahtu, I wanted to add a few comments as well. In our language, in the particular dialect of Fort Good Hope, the word for elders or seniors is denehisha, which means somebody held in high esteem. In the other dialects of the Sahtu, it is odah, which also means the same thing. It's somebody held in high esteem. This is a value that is shared with the Inuit, with the Inuvialuit, with the Metis and all northern peoples. It's something that many of us have been raised with and this is something I believe that all of us should be very proud of and try to support this rather unique tradition.

Last night, there was a gathering elders, seniors, from across the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon, as well as every province across the country. They have a rather unique evening of entertainment. Mr. Speaker, as you know, no other jurisdiction in this country could possibly see an event take place like that where the Speaker of the Legislature would actually be the master of ceremonies. As well Members of the Legislature Jane Groenewegen and Mr. Paul Delorey were amongst the many people who came to show the seniors and elders that we are close to our communities, close to our people. The commissioner, Glenna Hansen, and I provided some entertainment, as well. The remarks were very well received that people across the country came to see that this is a very unique and different jurisdiction. I wanted to share that with people because I think this is one of the many elements as to why people will continue to come here.

If I could ask unanimous consent, Mr. Speaker, to conclude.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his wonderful statement. Are there any nays?

---Laughter

There are no nays, Mr. Premier. You may conclude.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to share something on a personal side. My father-in-law who has been coming here to the North since 1982, he came to Fort Good Hope in the middle of the winter, he's been here, Hay River, Fort Providence, Fort Simpson. We've taken a river trip down the Mackenzie River together. In 1998, Neil and his wife Ellen Wilson, brought for the first time Neil's younger brother Cec, along with his wife Lois, from southern Ontario. One day he remarked to his younger brother with tremendous pride and humour, he said, "Cec, here we are elders, back home we are nothing but a couple of old guys." I just wanted to share that with you because people have been picking this up, the rather high esteem with which we hold people who are in their senior years and elders in our society. Mahsi.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. I believe the comment was made that it was the first time a Gum Boots performance was opened by the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories and the Premier of the Northwest Territories as leading acts. It was a great evening.

---Laughter

Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as seniors' week draws to a close, I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the time and effort that Helen Gruben has contributed towards the seniors' society as a representative of the Delta area. Ms. Gruben has served now for four years on the board and has assisted, I am sure, with many decisions and recommendations to the government as to ways to improve services to our seniors, as well as ways to improve our social programs overall. Mr. Speaker, I know that Ms. Gruben has spent many days travelling to meetings that have taken her away from home and I would like to, on behalf of my constituents, thank her for all the time that she spent on senior society issues and bringing back senior society concerns and issues to the boards on behalf of the seniors in my riding. I would personally like to thank Ms. Gruben for all her time and effort, Mr. Speaker.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would just like to take the opportunity to wish my daughter Shannon a happy birthday for today and my son Warren a happy birthday for today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Any other Members' statements? Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 4, returns to oral questions.

Colleagues, I would like to direct your attention to the presence in the visitors' gallery of a former Member of this Legislative Assembly who served in the 11th and 12th assemblies: Mr. Henry Zoe.

---Applause

He represented the riding of North Slave. Mr. Zoe, welcome. Item 4, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize Cindy Gilday who is well known for the environmental battle they fought with the Deline uranium project. I would like to welcome you to the House and thank you for that effort. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone who has attended the Assembly today and welcome back Mr. Zoe. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. As I alluded to in my Member's statement, I am very concerned about the delays that our regulatory process imposes on developers looking to do business in the North. I was very upset to learn about a recent example of NTCL, a local Hay River company, losing a $2.5 million contract as a direct result of uncertainties with our regulatory process. This is not the first time I have heard of businesses just giving up in frustration after experiencing delays with our cumbersome regulatory process, in some cases delays of up to two years. Could the Minister please indicate to this House what his department and this government, as a whole, is doing to address the obvious problems of long delays in our regulatory process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. We are having temporary delays with our sound. The Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am encouraged by the fact that the Minister is indicating that they are dealing with the federal Minister on this. I certainly hope that a company like Western Geco will stay the course and be willing to come back next year. There is still no guarantee that they are going to get their permits for next year. Would the Minister indicate if he feels that a full review of the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act is warranted due to the delays that we are experiencing now?

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister of RWED, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you hear of cases whereby companies have spent enormous sums of money, and waited in some cases up to two years for their environmental assessment and their final report of the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board, only to have it sit on the federal Minister's desk for months on end before he will give his approval. Is that issue being addressed? The waiting period that it takes the Minister to address issues after it's gone through the environmental process; is there anything being done with that particular issue? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister of RWED, Mr. Antoine.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, given the process that we have in place today and the delays and, in some cases, rejection being experienced by companies applying for permits and licences for what could be considered, by comparison, very small projects, how does the Minister envision a project the size of the Mackenzie Valley pipeline ever getting off the ground in this regulatory process we have today? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister of RWED, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Deh Cho. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask some questions regarding my comments from my Member's statement, or at least the frustration that I'm feeling right now regarding the capital planning. Mr. Speaker, a number of us who represent smaller communities have recognized and have received now our copies of the capital plan for the next five years, and it's quite frustrating to see in my case a whole winter's work, many, many meetings all go down the drain. The slate is just practically wiped clean. Yet, when we look at some of the budgets for the Ministers, they're still managing to hang on to some of their projects. There seems to be a different approach when we have Regular Members versus Ministers. I would like to ask the Minister of FMB to explain the difference between how a regular Member gets an item put on the capital plan, versus how a Minister gets an item put on the capital plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for FMB, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The process for getting items onto the capital plan is the same for all of us. The communities' needs are identified. Through the business planning process, recommendations are made to us. We review it during the business planning review, and then the main estimates are eventually voted. But it's exactly the same for regular MLAs as it is for Cabinet Ministers. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm glad to hear that our needs are all equal, just some of us are more equal than others. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister if he would present to this House before the end of the sitting, a breakdown of the capital budgets for all our ridings, per riding, so that everybody can see what's being spent. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board, Minister Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On January 21, 2003, I gave to the chairs of each of the standing committees a copy of the infrastructure plan broken down by constituency. That's for the 2003-2008 five-year plan. So everyone should have that. If you want another one, I can get you another one.

In terms of the next five-year plan, that one is one that we're just in the process of preparing right now. In fact, the teams are out and holding community meetings. So that will be some months before I can provide that one. But for 2003-2008, everyone should have that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, that's the very reason I asked for a breakdown of expenditures. Presentations that are being made by his staff are not the same as the breakdown that was presented in January. It's not the same as the 20-year plan that was presented to us, and it's not consistent with the business plans, and it's not consistent with the five-year capital plan. We had projects sitting on the 20-year plan for 10 years that have disappeared off the radar screen. I'd like to ask the Minister if he would review the situation and tell us what is going on and who's in charge. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for FMB, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, as part of our long-term planning, we do a 20-year capital needs assessment. That's a needs assessment, that is not a plan. It's not a capital plan we're committed to for the next 20 years, it's assessing what our long-term needs are. We also do five-year plans, and those all come through the planning process as we put together our business plans and eventually our main estimates.

Mr. Speaker, I'll be happy to look at any discrepancies that the Member has, if he wants to bring them to my attention. But, right now, I don't know for sure specifically which projects he's referring to. Thank you.

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

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister if he would review the whole capital planning process. It's been a frustrating system that doesn't work. It's clear as mud, as they say. It has been expressed by many of us here over and over that it's not working. We have a group of deputy ministers that are not accountable to us, we can't even ask them questions and the Ministers don't seem to be talking to them. Can we review the situation and look at a system that will put responsibility back into the Ministers' hands where it belongs, and where we can have some input, and the communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for FMB, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, people have been raising concerns with regard to the capital planning process for a couple of years. As a follow-up to that, in fact on February 16th of this year, 2003, we did a capital planning process update. We advised the Members of what we were doing and how we were changing community consultations. Starting in May and June, we've had teams of people going out and meeting with the communities. We have advised the MLAs of when these teams would be in the communities. So we're going through that process now. As part of that process, we are asking communities for feedback on the planning process. So we are doing that review, but we want to do it with all of the MLAs and I expect that by the time we have all the information back, before the end of June, pull that all together and it's part of the planning process, we can have discussions on any concerns communities are raising with us or MLAs are raising and try to further refine at that time. But we are going through a process of review right now, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for Seniors, regarding the issues I raised in my Member's statement knowing that it's Seniors' Week and also that we have programs and services in place for our seniors. Mr. Speaker, there seem to be barriers in place in regard to how seniors are able to access these programs or else that they have to continue year after year and reapply for different programs. Mr. Speaker, I'll use an example of a program. We have a seniors' home repair program which is basically capped at $20,000. In most cases, Mr. Speaker, our seniors have lived in their homes and owned their homes all their lives, yet as they get older and the cost of maintaining their homes is high, that $20,000 doesn't do much. Now they're being told you maxed out the amount of the allocation, based on $20,000. Yet we also offer another program with regard to the fuel rebate program, and again we have a set amount of how much fuel you're allocated to maintain your home. Again, that hasn't changed for several years. I would just like to ask the Minister exactly what the Minister responsible for Seniors is doing to remove these inequities and barriers for our seniors to simplify the programs and make them more responsible.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Seniors, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the issues raised in the NWT action plan for seniors was that very issue. What was committed to and what is underway was the striking of an interdepartmental working group with a seat for the NWT Seniors' Society, to address a way to deal with barriers, as my colleague mentioned, to better coordinate the services for seniors which currently are located in several different departments. The initial request was to somehow consolidate all seniors' services under one umbrella or secretariat. That was deemed not to be the most effective way to proceed. That was an alternative that was suggested, that being the interdepartmental group, and they are currently at work on that particular issue. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in regard to my statement, I also touched on the area of accommodation for seniors in our communities so our seniors do not have to leave our communities and go to Inuvik, Yellowknife or wherever to have to go into long-term care. So I'd like to ask the Minister, have you looked at the area of accommodations and programs being delivered in the communities and having to go and access those programs elsewhere?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Seniors, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are looking at that issue and we are trying to beef up and improve our continuing care programs, home support, home care and supportive living to help seniors stay in their homes as long as possible. I know as well the Minister of Housing has a very aggressive initiative underway with seniors' housing, that there is in fact some housing being built in Inuvik, Hay River and Smith. We, as well, are looking at ways to upgrade and improve the facilities that we currently run in our multi-bed residences that deal with more long-term care needs. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister, do you have someone in house whose job it is to really look at the programs that are presently being delivered by this government for our seniors and see where we can streamline our programs and make them more accessible and user friendly for our seniors?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Seniors, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we do. That is a discrete program area that we administer and it is part of the responsibility of senior staff. We have a very close working relationship with the NWT Seniors' Society, as well. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister exactly what are the reporting mechanisms that are used so that the Members in this House and seniors in our communities know that we as a government are actually doing something concrete. I'd like to ask the Minister what's the reporting mechanism of this information that you say is being put together, and how does that information get back to the Members of this House and seniors in our communities?

The honourable Minister responsible for Seniors, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the initiatives are communicated in a number of ways. Yesterday in the Great Hall we released the update on the seniors' action plan, the NWT seniors' profile. As well the Housing Corporation and Education, Culture and Employment both have information pamphlets and processes that they make sure are available at the community level for the areas they administer of housing and fuel subsidy and such. We, as well, through our services and social workers and people we have on the ground in the communities speak to those issues. We have a business planning process and we have, of course, the contact MLAs can have at their pleasure with Ministers. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to follow up on some questions that Mr. Roland was asking of the Minister of RWED yesterday, regarding the Gwich'in MOU. The Minister, in response to the Member, said that there were about $29 million worth of contracts in the area and they've been negotiating up to about half of that, so about $14.5 million. I couldn't help but notice in the listing of projects by community, that they include things like the standing offer for electrical power. In there it's noted as currently sole-sourced to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. Another one is natural gas, which is currently sole-sourced to Inuvik Gas. Is there an intention by this government to change the sourcing of power and gas in the region?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister of RWED, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess my interest is to find out what the quantum is. Yesterday, the Minister said it was probably going to be half of the $29 million that would go to the Gwich'in side of the MOU. I am trying to get an understanding of what is going to be left over. If we are listing electrical power and gas as parts that are left over, that really doesn't mean that there is 50 percent left. There is no possibility of anybody else supplying those. So why are we showing electrical power and gas in this listing of contracts and including it in the $29 million?

The honourable Minister of RWED, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what I was really hoping to get from the Minister was that we weren't looking to replace the supplier in the region. For confirmation, would the Minister confirm that when it says electrical power in this listing of projects, they are not really talking about the supply of power, but rather about the provision of electrician services? Is that what I am to understand from this?