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.

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.