Good morning, Members. Before I go on, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and offer my collective thanks to the Pages who have been serving us so well in this House over the past two weeks. They are from Range Lake North School and Ecole St. Joseph School in Yellowknife. Thank you for a job well done and good luck in your studies for the rest of the year.

---Applause

Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to all Members about the Canadian Young Worker Memorial Life Quilt that will be unveiled today at 12:00 noon in the Great Hall.

The memorial life quilt, Mr. Speaker, pays tribute to those young workers involved in a workplace injury.

The quilt was created in 2003 for the Day of Mourning and was sewn together by volunteer quilters from across Canada. The quilt is a lasting memorial to 100 young workers aged 15 to 24, who were killed at work. At the same time, Mr. Speaker, it spreads a powerful message about the importance of accident prevention in the workplace.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT and Nunavut have three panels affixed to the quilt for the young workers that lost their lives while on the job. They are Jason Stewart, Peter Barnabas and Michael Daniska. The families of these young workers will be present during the unveiling of the quilt. I invite all Members to pay their respects to both the families and the memorial life quilt later today.

The memorial life quilt has been brought to the NWT as a prelude to the WCB's "What if You Couldn't" National Young Workers' Safety Conference that also commences today. Mr. Speaker, over 100 young workers and their supervisors representing seven provinces and territories along with six foreign countries will gather this weekend at the first ever North of 60 Youth Safety Conference hosted by the Workers' Compensation Board.

I commend the WCB for taking the initiative and making prevention the focus for our northern young workers to stop the cycle of workplace injuries. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Charles Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Speaker, I would like to announce an exciting new pilot program to provide leadership opportunities for young people in the Northwest Territories: the Northwest Territories Youth Abroad Program.

The Honourable Michael McLeod, Minister responsible for Youth and I, as Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, have agreed to jointly contribute start up funding for a pilot project that will operate over the next two years. This NWT pilot project will be operated under the direction of the Nunavut Youth Abroad Society and coordinated by Northwest Territories volunteers to involve young people from across the North.

In 1997, a group of educators in what is now Nunavut envisioned a comprehensive program to encourage young people to gain the experience and skills that would equip them to be future leaders of their territory. Subsequently, the Nunavut Youth Abroad Program was formed. At the time, the GNWT provided start-up funding to support the effort.

Mr. Speaker, the Youth Abroad Program is designed to take young people from smaller communities who haven't travelled much beyond their local area and who show potential as leaders and to assist these youth obtain a variety of academic and life skills they can use in their future. These skills include an emphasis on succeeding in school and the development of a view of life beyond our borders.

After acceptance into the program, each participant must complete career and technology studies courses that are part of the NWT school curriculum. Participants will be matched with a local mentor and participate in skill development sessions. Ultimately, participants will go in groups of two to stay with a family in southern Canada and be placed in a summer job for a period of five weeks with the support of program workers. This support is key to the program's success.

At the end of the first summer, participants return home and continue their academic studies in their home communities with post-placement activities.

In Nunavut, it was demonstrated that this link with the school system helped students to stay in school or, if they had already opted out, drew them back into the system. Of the young people who participated in the Nunavut

program, 96 percent continued on to complete their secondary education and graduate. It's important to note that some of these youth were initially identified as being at-risk, so these results are dramatic, indeed.

Once the NWT pilot program has been completed and assessed, consideration will be given to continuing onwards to the second phase of the NWT Youth Abroad Program.

Mr. Speaker, in phase two, youth who have completed the southern Canadian placement, may go on to international placements.

By the Government of the Northwest Territories making this two-year contribution to the Northwest Territories Youth Abroad Program, we are making an investment in the future leaders of tomorrow. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, the week of October 17th to 23rd is National Foster Family Week. I would like to take a moment to recognize the valuable contribution that foster families make to our communities and our children.

Foster families form an important network of safe, caring homes for children. They have a very challenging and demanding role and provide care for children when parents are unable. There are about 200 foster homes in the NWT that give children a stable, nurturing home environment. It is encouraging to see that so many people in our territory have offered to care for children. Over the past few years we have seen an increase in the number of extended family foster homes.

Mr. Speaker, foster parents are an integral part of our child and family services. Their work goes beyond providing children with food and shelter. They offer children a supportive environment while supporting their interaction with their birth families. They are key members of a team dedicated to helping children and youth work through problems. Foster parents work with the social workers in their communities to meet individual educational, medical and developmental needs.

The children in foster care range in age from infants to teenagers. They include children from every part of our territory. Our foster families have welcomed these children into their homes, and should be admired and congratulated for the services they provide every day.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize the Foster Family Coalition of the NWT. This organization strengthens the network of foster families. They advocate for children, provide a support network and participate in the development and delivery of foster family training all over the NWT. The coalition is an important resource for foster parents, to help them understand that they are not alone and that there are others who can support them through difficult times.

I would like to take this opportunity to call on families throughout our territory to become foster families. I ask the Members of this House to join me in applauding the efforts of those who have taken up this service throughout the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Mr. Dent.

I am pleased to announce today the latest appointment and reappointments to the Status of Women Council of the NWT.

Patricia Lamouelle of Rae-Edzo has been appointed for a term of three years and Lynn Brooks of Yellowknife, Lorayne Menicoche-Moses of Fort Simpson, and Geraldine Sharpe-Staples of Inuvik have been reappointed for terms of three years.

These women will join Betty Tsetso of Deline and Therese Dolly Lafferty of Fort Resolution. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of departing board member Natasha McCagg.

I want to take this time to thank all of these individuals and the staff of the council for the good work they have done to advance women's equality issues in the Northwest Territories. Under the excellent leadership of these individuals, we have seen increased education and awareness in a number of areas including prevention of family violence, ongoing improvements to the resource library and research projects such as the social and environmental impacts of resource development on women. Of particular note is the Women's Voices in Leadership project. This project provided women from across the NWT with training and support as they consider careers in political leadership. This is an important initiative as it encourages women to enter into politics. I hope to see many more women running, and winning seats, in the next territorial election.

Mr. Speaker, the Status of Women Council has been the impetus for many major developments such as Family Violence Awareness Week. They have actively supported the newly-established NWT Human Rights Commission, the work now underway for the implementation of the Protection Against Family Violence Act, and, most recently, the release of The Government Of the Northwest Territories Response to the NWT Action Plan on Family Violence, 2003-2008: A Framework for Action.

Much has been accomplished and still much needs to be done. I look forward to continuing my collaboration with the council to improve women's economic, social and political equality. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in this House to speak of some people in my riding. First, I would like to send my condolences to the families of an elderly woman, Mrs. Mona Wolki of Paulatuk who passed away peacefully earlier this week. I understand the funeral will be held this afternoon. My prayers are with the families of the late Mona Wolki.

I would also like to send birthday greetings to Mrs. Persis Gruben of Tuktoyaktuk who turned 86 years young on October 20, 2004.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to send a very special birthday greeting to my son, Darren John, who turned 17 years young today. Happy birthday, son, and listen to mom. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the National Youth Safety Conference hosted by the Workers' Compensation Board of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The conference will be held in Yellowknife on October 22nd, today, the 23rd and 24th. Over 110 young people from across the country between the ages of 16 and 24 will be arriving in Yellowknife to sharpen their safety skills in the workplace.

This will be the first National Youth Safety Conference hosted North of 60. The conference is called "What if You Couldn't." It's aimed at instructing young workers about the tragic, long-term effects of on-the-job injuries and how to increase workplace safety so that injuries do not occur.

Over the course of the three days, participants will gain skills and knowledge about workplace safety that they will be able to share with co-workers once they return to the worksites. I was pleased to hear that Yellowknife has the honour of hosting a national conference of this value.

Given that industry in the Northwest Territories is booming, I find it appropriate that a conference on workplace safety is happening in the Northwest Territories at this time. As we rush ahead with these heady days of development, it is important that we, as leaders, work with industry to ensure that the safety of workers remains a top priority.

I took a look at the schedule of events for this conference, Mr. Speaker, and I was pleased to see a number of local industry reps who will be participating in this conference: Diavik Diamond Mines will host one evening; Beaver Enterprises, together with the community of Fort Liard have collaborated for an afternoon session. Both of these sessions are called "Walking the Safety Talk."

In addition, presentations will be made by nationally-renowned leaders in safety, and young workers who have had the experience of being injured on the job. Employers will participate in the National Youth Safety Conference, as well, Mr. Speaker, gaining insight into the specific needs of young workers and their responsibility to meet those needs. I have no doubt that this conference will serve as an important learning tool for both young workers and their supervisors alike. I would like to welcome the participants to Yellowknife. I hope they have an informative and enjoyable time, and are to take their new safety skills back to their communities, when the conference is over, for the safety of everyone. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about our style of government. We take pride in our unique style of consensus government, and I agree that there are many advantages to the way in which we conduct the business of this government when one observes the gridlock and adversarial energy often expended in governments with a party system. Incidentally, I think many of our legislators in the House of Commons are gaining a whole new appreciation for consensus government since they convened after the last federal election.

Another major component of our work is that of the committees which we sit on. I believe I can say that our required participation through membership on the various standing committees in the government is where we spend the most of our duty time, apart from the work in our constituencies. We have been in session for about the past week and a half. Sometimes we attend in Yellowknife when session is not on for committees, but we also meet and have at least one committee meeting a day while we're here while session is on. Mr. Speaker, as the Members know, it's not uncommon to meet at 9:00, 10:30, noon, 1:30, and then at adjournment. I have a problem with this on a number of fronts, Mr. Speaker. I fundamentally believe that too much of our work is conducted in committee behind closed doors.

I object to this, because firstly it takes too much of our time. I represent a very busy riding, and when session is on I must apologize to my constituents in that on days when we meet for 12 hours, I often don't even get a chance to return their phone calls.

I'm not complaining about hard work, but I do resent redundant work. For example, we often go through things like supplementary appropriations or bills in painstaking, line-by-line detail in committee, just before it comes to the House to go into Committee of the Whole, where we could theoretically ask exactly the same questions. Unfortunately, the questions -- often very good questions -- don't get asked again in the House, and I don't have much appetite for asking the same question twice. If I'm satisfied with the answer, I'm not likely to ask it again for

the House performance. The public is then deprived of having access to these questions and the answers on the public record, and they will only be contained in the official transcript of the committee. Oh, yes, that's another issue. The deliberations in committee are also all recorded and painstakingly transcribed as is Hansard in the House. Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, there are matters of discussion which need to be in camera, things which other councils of elected persons discuss in camera related to personnel and legal matters, or where there is information of a proprietary nature. There may be some argument to be made for discussing things like business plans of departments in camera, simply because Ministers and departments share this information with Members in confidence to secure their input; a privilege not normally enjoyed in other styles of government. But apart from that, I don't know of anything that could not be handled in the public.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I am all for efficiency, and apart from making our government more transparent, doing more business in public would avoid the duplication of effort on the part of our busy Members, including me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Mr. Speaker, mahsi cho. (English not provided)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to speak again on the one-rate power zone, which on Wednesday I gave notice of motion to. I apparently raised an old debate, and I welcome that. But, Mr. Speaker, this is a debate that the public never had. I am supportive of this motion and the decision rests solely in the...

Mr. Menicoche, I want to remind you that the topic you're speaking on is on the order paper for today and it can't be brought up in Members' statements.

---Ruled Out of Order

Thank you very much then, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about a human resource government policy, another human resource government policy that's inconsistent due to the way the various government departments are carrying it out. Mr. Speaker, I am referring to the government employee leave on treaty day. Mr. Speaker, since the first treaty was signed in 1871 and the last one was signed in 1921, all aboriginals use this day to gather and celebrate a new way of thinking and living, not to mention receiving the token monetary gains from the federal government. This also serves as a reminder of a time when co-existence and cooperation to ensure our survival was a priority for all aboriginals and especially non-aboriginals.

Mr. Speaker, I have received numerous enquiries from government employees, some aboriginal and some non-aboriginal, in reference to treaty day leave. A policy of this government allows treaty Indians to half-a-day off to go and get treaty. The problem, Mr. Speaker, is that some departments may grant treaty aboriginals the leave, regardless of whether they are treaty members from another community or not, and some departments require the treaty member to be receiving treaty in the community that they are working in in order to be granted the leave. Mr. Speaker, I feel that all treaty Indians are entitled to what we consider this leave as a treaty right. I will be asking the Minister later today on what he will be doing to ensure that for all treaty Indians, this government is respectful of this right and will develop a policy which will allow all treaty members time off without question or recourse should they take it upon themselves to leave the workplace to celebrate with their brothers and sisters, no matter where they are residing or working. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to talk about a march that I participated in on October 2nd, I believe. It was organized by Alternatives North and it was with regard to Canada's involvement in the missile defence program with the United States.

Mr. Speaker, if I may read a couple quotes from the Polaris Institute's brochure, which is also on their website -- which would be polarisinstitute.org -- I would like to start with that. An Ipsos-Reid poll says, "Did you know 69 percent of Canadians disapprove of Canada joining the U.S. missile shield?" Mr. Speaker, I wasn't polled, but I agree with that quote. I don't believe we should be in it either. On the back of the brochure, I further quote an open letter to the Prime Minister of Canada, Mr. Paul Martin, "Canadian involvement in the U.S. missile defence would undermine decades of Canadian efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons. It would represent our acquiescence and willingness to become an active participant in a permanent nuclear future. As such, it

would directly collide with the wishes of the Canadian people, who have expressed overwhelming support for nuclear disarmament.

"True security can only be achieved by establishing relationships of mutual respect and cooperation, free of exploitation, with nations and peoples throughout the world.

That is what we, as Canadians, have always believed and proudly stood for, and that is the kind of Canada that we want now and in the future. Mr. Martin, we implore you -- and all Canadians -- to keep Canada out of missile defence."

Mr. Speaker, not everyone will agree with the Polaris Institute's point of view and I can respect that, however, we have to also look at the fact that not everyone out there would agree with the missile defence program either, so have to respect that side of the coin, too. Mr. Speaker, I implore our Prime Minister to reconsider this issue. Don't lead us down that dark path.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, in that brochure on the web page that I referred to it had 10 simple questions and simple answers. I'm just going to read the 10 questions and not the answers. They're pretty straightforward, Mr. Speaker. But at this time, before I do that, I'll ask for unanimous consent if I may finish my statement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. I would like to remind Members that the rules of the House are not to read from a document extensively that is not tabled before the House. You can make reference to a document, but not read from the document. The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will keep that in mind; I appreciate you pointing that out. Mr. Speaker, I won't read the questions then at this time, because, as you are right, the document has not been tabled in the House. However, I will table it later today in the House for all Members to have this in front of them. Again, I won't read the questions, but I will say that there are 10 simple questions that are straightforward and there are 10 straightforward answers. Everyone can access them on their own. Again, it can be found at polarisinstitute.org. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to also take this opportunity to welcome the participants of the National Young Worker Safety Conference to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. There are many who are coming from south of 60 and from around the world, and for them I am sure this will be a great experience to see the North and meet the youth of the North.

Mr. Speaker, I could tell you a number of them are also coming from the North, and their participation at the conference has been made possible not only by the big sponsors mentioned earlier, but by many small businesses who pay the fee to enable the students to attend this gathering. I would like to send our sincere thanks for that.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to also honour the memory of the youth who have died while at work. I know that by the unveiling of the memorial life quilt today we are remembering them and are being strongly reminded of the importance of work safety, especially for the youth.

Mr. Speaker, while I'm on the topic of WCB, I would just like to also remind the Minister and Members of this House that when the WCB says when you go to work we have you covered, this is not always the case to the fullest extent possible. Mr. Speaker, I'm dealing with at least three cases in my riding of relatively young men who worked all their lives and have been injured at work but are not being covered for their rehab, training and living expenses. Mr. Speaker, I am also aware of the fact that there are many workers with chronic pain syndrome who continue to be excluded from coverage. This in spite of the fact, Mr. Speaker, that the Supreme Court has recently rendered a decision that speaks to this issue and says that they must be covered.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the Minister responsible for the WCB is new on the job, but I want to advise him that I expect to hear from him on this very soon. As well, in the last Assembly, the WCB was comprehensively reviewed and some legislative changes were made, but what remains to be done is the operational review of the WCB which has, I believe, not been concluded.

Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that the Minister has been well briefed on this and that he is setting out direction in this regard, and that we're going to all hear the benefit of his deliberations and decisions. Mr. Speaker, I could tell you that the honourable Minister Krutko worked tirelessly for the little guy for his entire time as MLA on this side of the House, and I expect no less now that he is sitting on the other side. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about our future. Mr. Speaker, the elders have always told us and spoke very passionately about our future, and they continue to speak even more so in light of the changes of our lifestyles and our communities.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard, witnessed and supported our youth in many areas that contribute to the strengthening of our families, our communities and, more importantly, strengthening the youth spirit. Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge several youth in communities in the North; specifically, a young lady in Fort McPherson who is working on behalf of her people to continue their way of life: honouring and protecting the caribou in the North Slope area. Mr. Speaker, let us acknowledge a young singer from Norman Wells who wanted to have a chance

to make the North of 60 Idol and made it happen to come down to Yellowknife to sing.

Mr. Speaker, in addition, the first Sahtu Youth Strategy Conference was held in Fort Good Hope on August 16th to 20th of this year. We had 35 youth from the Sahtu region attend the three-day event. They gathered to discuss such issues as the Mackenzie gas opportunities, alcohol and drug issues for communities, family violence, and the impact of a Mackenzie gas pipeline. Mr. Speaker, these issues are also important to us as legislators, leaders, parents and grandparents, and even as elders. Mr. Speaker, there are lots of young people in the North who have taken the gift of life and are making the most of life, and that's their gift back to us in the Northwest Territories. For this I applaud them, Mr. Speaker.

In closing, I offer a statement from the Sahtu youth to the Sahtu leadership. They said we ask that you do everything in your power to take the alcohol and drugs out of our communities. I would like to thank the previous Minister of MACA and the present Minister of MACA for making this Sahtu youth conference a success, and I look forwarded to other successes in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.

---Applause

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to today echo and endorse the comments of my colleague from Range Lake regarding the Workers' Compensation Board of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Indeed to compliment them on hosting the National Youth Conference that's about to get underway, but also to the point of the mandate that the WCB has to assist and look after those workers who, for whatever circumstance, have experienced injury and now have to go through a process of adjusting their life and coping with whatever the conditions that may have resulted from their accident or their workplace injuries.

Mr. Speaker, like my colleague, I, too, am dealing with a number of cases of constituents and others who for many, many months and years seem to have fallen through the cracks of the WCB system. The issue of chronic pain, which other compensation boards in Canada have dealt with and are managing, is one that is yet Nunavut and NWT's board has to take up.

Mr. Speaker, one of the most frustrating situations that I run across is the conflict that arises when medical opinions -- and these can be medical opinions from a number of specialists, batteries of tests, years of examination -- that when they are put before appeals boards and other mechanisms in the WCB just land on deaf ears. We have a major problem, I believe, Mr. Speaker, where our system does not recognize these things.

This gets to my third point and perhaps the most significant one that we need to deal with, which is within the WCB. Mr. Speaker, they have a policy of where there is doubt the benefit goes to the worker. Over and over and over, Mr. Speaker, this is not being followed and this must be addressed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. 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 have an opportunity to recognize the families of the people we are going to be acknowledging at 12:00 noon with the unveiling of the quilt. Excuse me if I mispronounce your name, but I would like to recognize Jamie Clease of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Welcome, Jamie.

---Applause

I have Ruth Oyukuluk from Arctic Bay in Nunavut.

---Applause

Also with us is Walter and Florence Daniska of Vancouver, British Columbia. Welcome.

---Applause

Also from the Workers' Compensation Board we have Marie Wilson, director of policy, planning and communications. Welcome, Marie.

---Applause

I saw Dave Grundy. If Dave is still there, he is also with the Workers' Compensation Board. Welcome.

---Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize my constituent, Marie Wilson, and also I don't know if Dave Grundy is there either, but Dave, as well, is a constituent. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a constituent who is present, Marie Wilson. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for the Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my statement today I talked about supporting the youth. My question will be directed to the Minister of MACA with regard to supporting our youth in the Northwest Territories. I ask the Minister of MACA what initiatives we can see in the Northwest Territories that would continue supporting our youth in terms of ability to make great contributions to our people in the communities in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, the Honourable Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the youth portfolio, as the Members know, is fairly new. We have a number of programs that we operate currently. First of all, we have the Youth Corps Program, for which we budgeted $750,000 and we targeted that funding towards youth at risk and also some of the educational programs. We also have some funding towards youth contributions.

In the last while, we've been quite focused on where we intend to go in the future with this whole portfolio. We are doing a review of what is in the other departments. We're cataloguing all the programs that youth can access and we're also doing a review of the funding that we've been distributing in the last while with the intention that we will have a portfolio that can respond quicker to the youth in the NWT.

We are quite aware that the youth themselves have been taking advantage of our funding and have been focusing on organizing themselves in terms of conferences. We've worked with the youth to look at an NWT youth conference over the last couple of years and more so in the last while on the youth councils that are starting to develop in the different ridings. So our intention is to take a look at where the money is being earmarked and where the money is being spent and also what the other departments have.

We also have a program through MACA that is being utilized for youth. A lot of the youth facilities in terms of youth centres that are starting to come forward are being funded through our Community Initiatives Program. So, Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of activity in the area of youth. There could be more. We have really kind of become more focused and developed our long-term goals for this whole portfolio. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Mr. Minister. You gave a really good scenario of all the programs and things that we could do to support our youth. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister continue to maintain and I believe that the needs should have more dollars going into the program? So would the Minister see or work toward the youth contributions that the youth are getting that they would see an increase or at least see something that could be a core program for our youth in our region? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated earlier in my responses, we are reviewing our programs in terms of how effective they are and our dollars are being spent and utilized accordingly. We are also coordinating, as a department, an interdepartmental youth program, which meets with other departments twice annually to share information to see what we are doing and what other departments are doing. As part of that, we'll be looking at what the requirements are for youth, as I stated earlier. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Education in his Minister's statement...I applaud him and the Minister of MACA for putting the initiative out there in the communities to help our youth. At the same time, Mr. Speaker, youth are killing themselves in the small communities. The honourable Members Mrs. Groenewegen and Mr. Dent were talking about that earlier and I'm asking the Minister what can we do to set some strong policies? I appreciate the Minister revisiting the portfolio and seeing what can we do for youth in the communities that sets some strong guidelines, legislation, policy. That could really help our youth in the communities. It is getting really scary in the communities.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. I heard a question and maybe the Minister can answer.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That question of what can we do for our youth is a very difficult one. It's been raised here in the House on a number of occasions during this session and it's something that we are very concerned about. First of all, we have to get our own programs and our own infrastructure requirements and programs for infrastructure in order. We are attempting to do that by cataloguing what other departments are doing. We are looking at our programs. We are reviewing them to see if they are adequate. We are meeting with other departments in terms of social program Ministers and we are trying to coordinate all our programs and infrastructure in a way that one Minister would be responsible and be able to be more responsive and be able to refer communities and youth groups to proper funding sources or organizations that are out there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us when that report will be tabled in the House?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have a lot of information to review. We've had conferences all over in the Territories in this past year. We've had conferences in the Sahtu, we've had conferences in the Deh Cho and the South Slave regions. We have a report that's coming forward to us with regard to the review of our Youth Corps funding and that is being put together as we speak. I'm expecting those recommendations for my consideration in the next little while and I'd be glad to share that information with the Member, Mr. Speaker, as soon as I receive it.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday in this Assembly we had quite a day debating the merits of the process of devolution and resource revenue sharing. I think it was one of our better days so far as the 15th Assembly, Mr. Speaker, and I would really like to congratulate my colleagues and our staff for assisting with this process. My question today is a follow-up to that debate. It's to the Premier on the issue of devolution. Mr. Speaker, last week in response to a question, the Premier committed to make available the GNWT's devolution mandate and my question to the Premier is when might we be able to expect it to be made available? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday was an excellent debate and I would say in my view it certainly was one of our better days if not our best day as legislators here. With regard to the mandate on devolution, I had said that I would make it available to Members and I certainly will do that. Mr. Speaker, because we are in negotiations, I really don't think it would be wise to make public our mandate unless everybody wanted to put their mandates on the table because it is a negotiated process. But, Mr. Speaker, I'm ready to make it available to Members privately. I'm ready to make it available to the committee and if the committee wants to meet on it, then I certainly take to heart one other Member's statement of not wanting to do too much business in committee, but there are some things that probably are better dealt with in committee so we don't bias our process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can appreciate that and certainly, in general, I support the protection of a mandate when there is a negotiation going on. That will certainly be something that committee can consider is the opportunity or the offer made by the Premier to have a look at this mandate, but I would like to explore it a little bit more. I'm wondering if the Premier could talk a bit about what are the principles that have gone into the mandate. What are the criteria by which the mandate has been set? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, some of the main principles that our government has been very public on and certainly our principles that underlie what we do in devolution include that we will not somehow abrogate or somehow compromise any aboriginal rights of any groups or their treaty rights. As we negotiate devolution, we will not prejudice any land claims or self-government agreements. Mr. Speaker, as well we have said that aboriginal governments should have a role and responsibilities when devolution is complete. We are not just looking at devolution from federal government to us, but rather we want to include aboriginal governments. So that would be another principle. We also believe that all governments, including the GNWT and aboriginal governments, should have reasonable net fiscal benefits as a result of devolution. Mr. Speaker, those are some of the main principles that our discussions on devolution are based upon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, one of the things we talked about yesterday was the role of some of the timelines and the expectations. In fact the agreement that was signed earlier this year said that all three levels of government, federal, territorial and aboriginal, agreed to shoot for April 2006. Now is that agreement still in place, or is that target still in place, Mr. Speaker? Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, yes, that continues to be in place. It's in the framework agreement that all three parties signed last winter and we signed in January; I think the federal government signed off in March. That's the only time frame we have right now, and at some point soon we will have to sit down with the aboriginal governments and with the federal government and review that and see if this is still a realistic target for us to be aiming at. Mr. Speaker, I want to make significant progress or complete devolution during the life of our

government and I'm still aiming at trying to do it by 2006 if that is possible, if we have the willingness on all sides. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, the resources of the Northwest Territories and the value of those resources are leaving our territory at unprecedented and increasing rates as we continue to negotiate. Does the negotiating framework have any trigger mechanisms or ways in which we can force a conclusion in the event that our regular or agreed-to or hoped-for timelines are not met?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Premier.

Mr. Speaker, no, there are no trigger mechanisms that can force anyone to sign on a devolution deal that they are not willing to sign on. This has to be a good deal for everybody. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My question would be directed to the Minister of FMBS, the Honourable Floyd Roland, regarding the department which oversees all the human resource policies of this government. Mr. Speaker, I know the treaty issues are not something new, but to date government policy, that I feel can be quite concise and clear, has not been developed to date with regard to entitlement leave on treaty day. I feel all treaty Indians, treaty members, regardless of their place of employment are entitled to the half-day leave, which some receive today and some don't. I guess my question to the Minister is when is the Minister going to circle the government wagons and get a policy in place that entitles all treaty Indians to leave to go out and receive treaty no matter where they live? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. The Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board, the Honourable Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the civic leave section of the human resource manual states that civic leave is for those that are entitled to the treaty or have treaty status in the Northwest Territories and it is quite clear. It hasn't been an issue raised to me in the past, but it does state that Dene employees with treaty status would request one half-day leave per year to attend treaty celebrations in their community. That can be granted. So it is clear at this point, but I guess what I am hearing is that there is a concern that it should be eligible to status Dene whether they move from one community to another to take part in that day and that's something we can look at. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am well aware of the civic leave entitlement in the UNW agreement and the government policy, and the Minister did exactly hit the point that I am trying to put across to you, that many treaty Indians that have relocated for employment purposes and no longer go out and receive treaty in their respective communities, even though they are employed in and, in some instances, employees that are entitled to treaty in another community, are not granted the leave by their employers because they don't receive treaty in that community. So I guess my question is maybe the Minister should direct the department to omit the section in article 17 under civic leave, which states that employees are entitled to receive a half-day off to receive treaty in their community. I think that should be omitted out of the policy and maybe the Minister could direct his staff to carry out that initiative. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think, as the Government of the Northwest Territories, we are one of the leading jurisdictions when it comes to recognizing aboriginal rights throughout Canada. For example, we have provided National Aboriginal Day as an actual day that is recognized as a paid day off for employees of the Government of the Northwest Territories and have put it in as recognized throughout the North. So I think we have examples of being proactive here. I would gladly discuss with the Member the specifics of what he is looking at. The whole civic leave area is one of some concern as the more time we add to it, it means more cost to the government as we have to fill those spots of people leaving the place of work where we still require the work to get done. I would gladly sit down with the Member and try to work out some specifics here. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Third supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would be glad to sit down with the Minister just to make some changes on that policy, but I know this government is really supportive and develops a lot of good initiatives that deal with the aboriginal and treaty rights. The point, I guess, I am trying to make is that, on a government-wide basis, the human resource policy is interpreted differently from department to department. There is no consistency. It depends on which department you are working with. For instance, in Aboriginal Affairs, I am sure all the treaties in that department get a half-day off, including non-treaties, from what I understand. Then you go across to the other side of the government spectrum to the Department of Finance...

What is your question, Mr. Villeneuve? Could you please get to question?

When is this government or the Minister going to ensure that the government makes all the government departments more consistent in the delivery of the whole leave policy on treaty day? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have started our work as a government to bring all departments and boards into line when we deal with our human resource issues. We have begun that work to ensure that. The rules that we have in place are interpreted the same way across the board. We have heard the concerns before and are starting to do some work in that area and bring it into line. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. A very short supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that response because I look forward to seeing some changes in the near future. I am willing to sit down with the Minister and help develop some new policies with respect to more consistent delivery of the human resource policies in this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I didn't hear a question there. We will go to the next one. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Premier in his responsibility as the Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation. It is with regard to the oil spill at the Jackfish plant.

Mr. Speaker, in the newspaper on October 8th, the story was covered. The Minister indicated that, because of less usage of the plant with the Bluefish plant being more operational, there has been less need for 24-hour supervision or there has been some cut. It is a cost-cutting measure. The Premier questioned whether or not having more people there would have prevented it. I think the point is that not that more people would prevent that, but when it does happen, that the more people being there could take care of the situation. So I would like to know from the Minister whether or not he has had any discussions with the Power Corporation about having adequate staff there to monitor it so that when something does happen there is a quick response to it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, yes, I have had discussions with the Power Corporation about security and having someone to make sure that these kinds of incidents don't happen if they can at all be prevented. Mr. Speaker, we have to recognize as well, though, that the generators out at Jackfish do not operate many hours any more because of the mine shutdown and because we have bought the Bluefish hydro project. We are, in the city here, now largely a hydro power serviced community. The only times that the Jackfish plant generators are running is for routine maintenance; the need for them to be started up every now and again. They will be used when the weather turns colder and a few days when it is minus 40 and so on. We don't need operators to watch generators that are not operating, that are just shut down. What we need, though, is more security. I have talked to the Power Corporation about that issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, even if the plant is not in full use, it is situated practically in the middle of the city, next to a lake that people frequent for recreational uses and for other reasons. It is important that that facility be monitored and the safety is taken care of so that environmental disasters don't happen that affect the people. Mr. Speaker, I understand that extra security would monitor it, but you still need operators on standby in case something happens. I don't know if the security is enough. Mr. Speaker, there are varying numbers as to how much oil was spilled. It was initially reported by the company that 3,000 litres were spilled. There is an employee who is suggesting that up to 50,000 litres were spilled. The latest report a couple of days ago suggests that it was 13,000 litres, which is still 10,000 more than what the company was suggesting. I would like to know what investigation has gone on to determine exactly what happened, how much was spilled, and how to prevent this from happening. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I will answer the last question. Mr. Speaker, the Power Corporation has a way of calculating the amount of fuel that is used, that is by measuring how much the fuel has gone down in a tank. They know that, in running the engines, some of the fuel is consumed by the generators when they are started up and when they run. When they first did the calculation, they made an error in the amount of hours that the generators were running and estimated something over 3,000 litres. They have since done a closer calculation and are now pretty comfortable that 13,000 litres is the amount that was spilled. I don't know how the employee who mentioned 50,000 litres calculated that or where that came from. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Short supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It seems to me that the federal government is somehow involved in investigating this. Could I ask the Minister to tell us whether or not the GNWT is responsible for monitoring and enforcing and cleaning this, or is it the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, the lead department on these kinds of spills is the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. Having said that, Mr. Speaker, because of the size of the spill, if Environment Canada chose to become involved, they have the right to become involved as well because of the size of the spill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Your final supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the opportunity for final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, the report suggests that the workforce at the plant, for whatever reasons and maybe for valid reasons, has been reduced from 10 to four, and there are no longer operators beyond 5:00 p.m. where it used to be monitored 24 hours a day. There seems to be a lot of morale problems. There always is when there are changes going on in a facility like that. There are people who have been working there for many decades. I would like to know if the Minister would speak to the corporation to make sure that all the workers there know what is going on, what the future plan of the plant is, what they should be expecting and that their concerns and grievances are dealt with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, there are always morale problems whenever any operation reduces staff and so on. At one time, we did need a lot of operators when the two mines were operating, the city was growing, and we were using the diesel power from the Jackfish plant a lot. But now, with the two mines closed, with the Bluefish onside, we don't need the number of operators, so we have cut back, and that has caused morale problems. I have spoken to a couple of the workers myself. I will pass this information on to the Power Corporation, as well. Mr. Speaker, the reality is that we just don't need as many as we did before because we are not using that plant as much. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.