Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me start by offering my condolences to the Hardisty and Horesay families. I know that this has been a very difficult time for the community. I'd also say that we do appreciate the efforts of the LKFN and the entire community in the search effort. Public concern was raised about how it was conducted and, as the Member knows, there's now a full review being conducted of that work to make sure that it was done properly. If not, recommendations will flow from that that would speak to the protocols, but it's too early for me to know exactly what the outcomes will be, but I do anticipate getting that in early November, I believe. Certainly that will be shared with the families. As well, it was a public complaint so there will be an accounting of this, and I would like to sit down and better work through and understand these protocols for search and rescue, because I think we can all see how vital it is to us to have these protocols firmly established, especially when we're dealing with our smaller and more remote communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. What had to happen this summer is that we actually had to get political and force the authorities to bring in cadaver dogs, get search and rescue people out there, and one of the failures was that we were unable to activate the Canadian Rangers, Mr. Speaker. Perhaps the Minister can tell this House what procedure is used to activate the Canadian Rangers to help us in our search and rescue efforts. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll admit that I don't know exactly when the RCMP make the determination or for which cases they make the determination to call in the services of the Rangers. I'll endeavour to find out, and I can report back to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Do we have an established protocol in our government with respect to search and rescue, if the Minister can answer that question, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know that the RCMP have protocols. I know that the Municipal and Community Affairs department does have some disaster assistance. How those roles dovetail I'm not exactly clear, but I will get back to the Member and report back. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So I take it from this discussion that the government will be looking at a comprehensive search and rescue protocol and approach for all regions. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, we already have the RCMP that provide that service, and I think the first thing for me to do is to determine exactly what the protocols are that are currently in existence, and find out if they're meeting the needs of our communities. I will speak to the RCMP, report back to the Member, and then I think we can have a discussion around whether or not those are adequate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if somebody is on the Income Support Program, the Income Support Program would likely be paying their entire fuel bill. So the cost of fuel would not be something they would be impacted by necessarily. Therefore, this money, like all other income, would be considered as income when people come to the income support office and it would be part of what they bring to the table when calculating what they would qualify for in support for the next month. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the answer is yes, Mr. Speaker. Does the federal government put any conditions on territories or provinces such as ours that have this clawback policy that would ensure that this money, which is intended for all Canadians -- it's something that all Canadians put into and the federal government is putting back -- cannot be clawed back?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not aware of the details of the federal heating rebate. I think we will become more clear of what the details are in the not-too-distant future. In terms of something like the National Child Benefit, the federal government, the provinces and territories worked together when that was being devised and came up with an agreement that no person would be worse off after the NCB came into effect. So we made sure that our programs were not reduced, because the National Child Benefit was intended to improve the situation of people who were working, or those known as the working poor. That is where the focus of that program was.

I am not sure what the focus is going to be on the federal heating rebate. We haven't seen the legislation yet. We have just heard the public announcements. Based on what we've seen so far, it would appear that this money would be counted as income in the hands of somebody who comes to us for support and we would include that amount as part of what they bring to the table when calculating what they would qualify for in subsequent months.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister in his previous answer indicated that if a family is on income support, we pick up the fuel bill for them. That's right and a part of the program that I very much value. I can't agree with the Minister when he suggested there is no other impact on those families. What about all the other things that they have to pay for which are going to be as a result of the higher costs of fuel across the board in our society? We talked about airlines. We know the taxi fares are going up. Canada Post, Mr. Speaker, already has a freight surcharge on parcels. I have to go back to the intent of the federal government and the impact that all Canadians and every household is feeling because of higher fuel costs. Where is the heart of this government? It's mighty cold in downtown Yellowknife in January and $200 is going to make a difference to those families. Why won't our government allow that money to go directly to those families?