Item 3, Members' statement. The Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to address an issue that is very important to myself as a Member representing the community of Hay River. It is in the area of manufacturing. Mr. Speaker, manufacturing in the Northwest Territories has been an industry that has been around for quite some time. Obviously, as the way the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development put it yesterday, this industry has grown in export from $15.3 million in 1998 to $43.6 million in 2002.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is an industry that stands to have a lot more growth in the Northwest Territories. I would like at this time to recognize and thank the then-Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Joe Handley, for coming to Hay River last fall and addressing the issue of capacity building in bridges across the Territories, because with all of the bridges that we are going to be putting in in the next few years, there is a huge potential for increased capacity building and bridge building. The Minister worked out a deal with the Hay River companies that saw an experimental project to build capacity to handle that task, and I want to thank him for that.

In the Finance Minister's opening address, the Minister mentioned that there seems to be an awful shortage of affordable housing in our communities. I know that the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, the Honourable Michael McLeod, is tasked with that deal of trying to put as many houses in the communities as he possibly can. I know that from seeing a contract that has just gone out for mobile units or prefab units, that that is one way he is trying to address that situation. I think, Mr. Speaker, rather than putting out a tender and cancelling one of our government policies, which is the BIP, that there may be a better way to do this. I would like to encourage the Minister and this government to look at our partners in industry to see if there is another way that we can come up with prefab units that we can put in our communities and meet the needs that we are trying to address. I know that there are industry partners out there that are willing to take on this challenge and see if we can build these prefab units in the Northwest Territories at a comparable price to the South. Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? No, there aren't. You have unanimous consent to conclude your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, rather than putting out tenders and waive our own policies, such as the BIP that bring out statements from the public as we are doing things that are laughable and a sleazy move by our government to get around our own policies, I would like to encourage the Minister and the government to look at our industry partners and put a prefab unit building in the North so that we can benefit, our industry benefits, the Minister benefits, and our communities benefit. I would like to encourage the government to do that. Thank you.

Item 3, Members' statements. The Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to use my Member's statement today to speak about the discussion we had yesterday as it pertains to the grant-in-kind of $120,000 to forego the interest on a $2.6 million loan guarantee for Det'on Cho Diamonds.

Mr. Speaker, I know I was close to the line in terms of questioning how this deal was brokered. Mr. Speaker, one thing that this government and other Members will quickly learn from me is I like to call it like I see it. Sometimes, Mr. Speaker, this may land me in hot water, but I have a sense of right and wrong that I will continue to rely on. If my comments yesterday were close to the line, I apologize for that. What I will not apologize for is the message that I feel was delivered yesterday to the government and the Premier that I and other Members are paying close attention to the dealings this government has. The Premier made reference yesterday that should the $120,000 be deleted it would come out of the budget and we would have to make up for it elsewhere. His suggestion, Mr. Speaker, was legal aid and some other programs. I did not appreciate the threat, Mr. Speaker. It reminded me of my days at city hall when we were discussing our budget and possible spending cuts and or tax hikes. The threats then were that the pool would close, the busses would stop running, all of which were unfounded. The city had a budget of $32 million, Mr. Speaker, and our budget is nearly $1 billion. For the Premier to suggest other areas of the operation would suffer as a result of the deletion of this item is ludicrous.

The bottom line, Mr. Speaker, is that we are the stewards of public money and we have to safeguard those interests. I am a supporter of economic development and business here in the Northwest Territories, and will continue to be. We must make sure that any dealings are as transparent and as upfront as possible, Mr. Speaker. I look forward to working with the Premier, Cabinet and my other colleagues here over the next four years to ensure that we safeguard public funds to the best of our ability. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Ramsay.

I would like to welcome you to the House. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to also recognize our chief negotiator for the Tulita Yamoria Community Secretariat, Mr. Ernie Lennie. It is good to see him in the gallery watching over us. Thank you.

---Applause

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

Mr. Speaker, I too would like to recognize a good constituent of mine, Tony Vane. Thank you.

---Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't think he is in the gallery, but no stranger to this House is Mr. David Hamilton. He is bouncing around the building, back from Victoria on business. So I would like to do a special recognition to Mr. Hamilton. Thank you.

---Applause

I would like to also welcome Mr. Hamilton back to the Legislature, but you can only recognize people when they are present in the gallery. Just a reminder. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. For the lady sitting in the gallery who hasn't been recognized, I would like to recognize you and welcome you to the House.

---Applause

Item 6, oral questions. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my Member's statement on the disability action plan, my question is to the Minister responsible for Persons with Disabilities, Minister Miltenberger, although this question involved many departments in the government. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to ask the Minister whether or not he has received the draft action plan in his hands and whether or not he has had a chance to review them. Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I have.

Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the succinct answer from the Minister. Could we have some elaboration from the Minister as to what steps he has taken, what work has been done within the Cabinet with respect to this action plan, and would this be brought to the House for discussion? Would it be brought to the committee? What is he planning on doing with this plan? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the intention is to move this strategy forward. We will do a final review of the deputies, at which point I want to take it to Cabinet in its draft form, as well as to committee so that we have a chance to look at the results of a number of months' work and what is being recommended by this multi-departmental agency task group that did the work. Thank you.

Supplementary, Ms. Lee.