Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister knows I have a lot of respect for him but, Mr. Speaker, I think we're losing the point and losing sight of this issue. When he talks about annual basis, we didn't foresee this in March of this year. We didn't foresee this when the business plans were being built a year ago that oil prices would practically double, Mr. Speaker. I need to hear that we're doing this on a proactive rather reactive basis, Mr. Speaker. I need a commitment that this Minister will take a proactive position rather than paying the bills long after the energy has been spent. Can the Minister commit to that proactive approach? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I started out in response to the Member, the Government of the Northwest Territories has, on an annual basis, as well as targeted for future cost initiatives, looked at the way we do business, looked at what type of fixtures we use in our offices, lighting fixtures, for

example, as well as looked at vehicle operations, and looked at the appliances that were being put into the Housing Corporation units to ensure that they were cost effective and knew that we would see a savings. So we have done a lot of those things on a daily basis, in a sense, to try to mitigate the cost of power and fuel in the Northwest Territories. It is difficult on a budget planning exercise on an annual basis to try to build something in there for an anticipated price. I know departments have raised the issue already that we're going to be looking at increased costs that were not committed for at the time. There is difficulty there. We will, on an ongoing basis, continue to work around lowering the costs of government in whatever way it may be. One of those areas would be the cost of utilities in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Your final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Minister talking about an annual basis, a global basis, but, Mr. Speaker, this crisis wasn't here a year ago. This is why I'm stressing that we need action today to avert the crisis of the spending we're going to need to do and make up and borrow in the new year. Mr. Speaker, bills are doubling, oil and fuel bills are doubling. Mr. Speaker, I need some type of commitment that we will do this up front before we get the bills. We'll turn down those lights. The Legislative Assembly glows all night long. Let's turn those lights down. This affects every school. This affects every power plant. This affects everything that we do. Mr. Speaker, can I get some type of commitment that we're going to start dealing with this up front, now. We can do it now before these oil bills come in. We can do it now before these power bills come in. Let's be proactive, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess we can send a directive out that all light bulbs will be no brighter than 40 watts, but we are doing our work on a daily basis and trying to address the very issues the Member has raised. The problem is that we cannot build into a budget exercise anticipated costs where we might see some of those double. But on the ongoing basis of daily program services, how long a vehicle idles for, what type of fixtures we use in buildings, hours of operation, we've done those things. Departments have put those things in place. When we set targets for departments, hopefully they're looking at those things before they decide to cut a program dollar and they're looking at how they operate on a daily basis.

We have a number of programs, as well, as a government trying to assist residents across the North. RWED has a program around the environmental protection services where they do have an Energy Conservation Program. We're trying to reach out in ways of that nature to try to help individuals across the North with the increasing prices. We realize that there are going to be some impacts and we're doing what we can to try to mitigate those as we're going forward. But we are going to be hit by them because of our process of planning. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can't say the exact number of teacher graduates since 2001 off the top of my head, I'm afraid, but I do believe we've had a very good success rate of finding positions for people who are interested in teaching the Northwest Territories once they've graduated from the program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm wondering if the Minister could supply the Regular Members with the statistics that back up the claim that all northern graduates from the TEP have gotten employment in the Northwest Territories and are gainfully employed in the teaching profession, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will commit to provide all of that information to the Regular Members. I will do that within the next two or three days.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I look forward to hearing the response from the Minister on the statistics.

I'm just wondering if the Minister is aware that there are graduates from the Teacher Education Program in the Northwest Territories that can't find employment and that some of the larger district education authorities are still recruiting teachers from southern Canada in large numbers, Mr. Speaker. Is the Minister aware of this fact? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I am aware of that fact. I know some teachers who have not been able to find employment. The Premier's guarantee and the one that this government is standing by is one that a position will be offered; not necessarily in the community to which the person is interested in applying though. So we are convinced that the positions are available across the Northwest Territories, but not every graduate is prepared to go to every community. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Your final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for that, Mr. Minister. So I'm just wondering, and the Minister has spoken of the fact that they're offered positions, but what is the Department of Education, Culture and Employment doing with the school boards in Yellowknife in terms of recruitment of teachers and why can't some of these teachers that take the program that live in Yellowknife not get jobs in Yellowknife? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have raised the issue with the chairs of the two Yellowknife boards, but the department does not get directly involved in deciding who should be hired by which board. We make sure that all of the boards are aware of people who are looking for positions and are interested and at this point we are confident that there are positions available if teachers are prepared to take them, but we can't guarantee what community the positions will be available in. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.