Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Do I hear Scrooge? Mr. Speaker, one way to indicate to Members...The way the program works is kind of like a glass of water. Everybody needs this much water in their glass. If you start with half a glass, then the program will top it up, but all of the water in the glass is counted. So as you have resources, no matter where they come from, they are counted as part of what you bring to the table. The income support program is offered as a...

Enjoy your glass of water now. Income support is offered as a program of last resort, it's not a guaranteed income. It is a program that I'm prepared to discuss its administration with the committee and discuss how it should be examined and reviewed, and then we can maybe move from there. But in its current format, it is a program of last resort, and all of your resources, all of an individual's resources that they have, whether that comes from legal winnings or a cash gift, are counted as something in your pocket and all that is provided is then a top-up to get to what is absolutely needed to survive.

Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Also with respect to other sources such as IBA payments, I'd like to ask the Minister what is the status of the government's deliberations on determining whether income benefit agreement payments should be considered as income, or compensation or restitution for land and resources of the people that receive them? Is it income or is it compensation? Thank you.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Education, Culture and Employment has been advised by Justice that the IBAs are private contracts and we do not have access to them, so we are unable at this point to determine the answer to whether or not they are compensation or cash payments as a gift or whatever, income. I am prepared again to review the entire income support program, and would be happy to discuss that with the Standing Committee on Social Programs. But I am reluctant to make any one-off changes. I would like to take the opportunity to spend some time, work with the committee to review the program, and then if we are going to make changes, make them in a comprehensive manner.

Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Braden.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My question this afternoon is for the Premier with respect to his position for the Deh Cho Bridge portfolio. In my statement, I outlined a situation where the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board is considering taking this project to a full environmental assessment. The GNWT is a major player in this project; the major player in this project, Mr. Speaker. What is the GNWT's position on the move to go to a full environmental assessment for this project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Premier Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Environmental Impact Review Board will be doing a full assessment, is my understanding of this project. Certainly, as northerners, we do take the protection of the environment very seriously, so as a government we are not going to try to intervene in a way to try to stop this process. In fact, we will do what we can to provide information that we -- and the bridge corporation are of the same mind -- provide good information that they have already collected to ensure that this is a good environmental review and that we all enter this project with the best information. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, I would agree with the Premier that we should never short-circuit the environment. The circumstances really seem to be unusual; that it is the Department of Fisheries that is advocating this on economic grounds. I have seen the Department of Fisheries' application to do this. It really seems to be unusual and unwarranted. I would ask, does the Premier agree that the reasons for the application going through really don't have much to do with the environment at all? Are they appropriate? Are they still appropriate or are they unusual or unwarranted? Thank you.

Premier Handley.

Mr. Speaker, sometimes it's very difficult to understand reasons why people would put forward an application for an environmental review. My understanding is that the concern was expressed by the NWT Chamber of Mines because of costs to the mining industry. That then triggered a letter from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, who forwarded it to the land and water board and then we were into the process. Mr. Speaker, I am not going to try to interpret the thinking by the Chamber of Mines, but certainly this has added an uncertainty and a potential increased cost for the bridge, if it's delayed as we go through an exercise to look at the cost to one sector of our economy. For example, if the interest rates were to rise in the next year while we are doing the review, that's going to be an added cost onto the bridge and, therefore, could potentially increase the cost to not only the mining sector but to all industries who are using the bridge for heavy traffic. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I feel compelled to press my case here because the circumstances of going through with this review and the potential consequences are of some significance. What actions are we taking, Mr. Premier, to expedite the approval and construction of a bridge project? Thank you.

Premier Handley.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned before, both ourselves and the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation will do everything we can to provide information we have as quickly as we can to the environmental review board as this project is assessed.

In addition to that, I intend, as Minister responsible for the bridge, to meet with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation and see whether or not there is some construction activity -- perhaps we could begin stockpiling material -- that would be allowed before we have the environmental review. I give that as an example. I don't know whether it would be allowed, but if there is a way of speeding up the review and the design, getting ready for construction, we intend to do that to make sure that the people in the Northwest Territories benefit from this project as quickly as possible. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Delorey

Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.