Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, some people say, "Think real and get green" with this recyclable legislation. I say, "Think green, but let's get real."

---Laughter

Are we ready, Mr. Speaker, to load up our garbage and move to Beverly?

---Laughter

Recently, on the local radio station, a study was referenced indicating that a lot of people feel that the GNWT is out of touch with the average residents of the NWT with regard to this piece of legislation that is going to be implemented on November 1st.

Mr. Speaker, there are unique conditions and limitations of small and remote communities that have to be taken into consideration. The small communities of Nahendeh have difficulty enough transporting essential goods in and out. This additional burden, through environmental and handling levies, would be just too much. This will require people to pay more, but will get their money back when they return their empties, in a period where the cost of living is skyrocketing and out of control in the communities, and healthy living is quickly becoming a lifestyle of the privileged and the rich. This year, the residents will have to cope with skyrocketing costs of fuel, heating fuels, and groceries, and now this. This is too much, I say, too much.

If there is a program in the community, Mr. Speaker -- that is a big if -- many communities will have to stockpile their recyclables until the barge or winter road is established, unless the GNWT is willing to fly out their recyclables on their many empty charters that go into the communities. Has this government evaluated the skyrocketing costs of fuel and how much fuel it will require to transport the recyclables not only to the nearest depot, but to the nearest facility? Mr. Speaker, the communities are not ready for this type of program, but, perhaps, Yellowknife is.

Lastly, I want to clarify that I have, and will always, support green legislation, Mr. Speaker. I recognize the importance of a healthy environment from having lived most of my years on the land, hunting, harvesting and learning from my elders. Although the fundamental objective is good, their approach needs some changes, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to speak about rehabilitation services and the teams. Rehabilitation services in the NWT will be provided through teams made of rehabilitation professionals who travel to the communities to address their needs. Mr. Speaker, the rehab team is a very broad category. It involves the kinds of services that most people think of immediately, such as physiotherapy, a service to help people get back on their feet after an accident or injury, occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, and audiology which are all under rehab services, Mr. Speaker.

An important part of the work that rehabilitation professionals do, Mr. Speaker, takes place in schools throughout the North. They work with children who may be suffering from cognitive or physical disabilities that get in the way of their learning, Mr. Speaker. As my colleague for Range Lake has previously pointed out, the special needs for children in the NWT is staggering, Mr. Speaker.

Rehabilitation professionals can identify, and assist, a child's needs and make plans to address them. This makes a big difference for teachers who can, then, focus on doing what they do best: teaching our children. From problems that relate to being undiagnosed, it can be disruptive for an entire classroom, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud the government for the work they are doing to address the rehabilitation needs in the Northwest Territories. In my view, this is a very good use of government funding.

The problem, Mr. Speaker, is waiting time; for a business, from the current rehabilitation team, is too far along. In my region, the waiting time for the Chief Jimmy Bruneau School is as long as six weeks. Mr. Speaker, I pointed out that the Chief Jimmy Bruneau School is a regional high school. What goes on there affects young people from across the Tlicho region.

Mr. Speaker, the community of Behchoko is an important regional centre for the Tlicho region. It is also the largest aboriginal centre in the Northwest Territories and can serve as a base for the teams that visit communities in the Deh Cho as well as Monfwi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Mahsi.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pass on my condolences to a friend and colleague, Calvin Pokiak, on the loss of his sister. It is always difficult when we lose members of our family and friends.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I inform this House of the passing of a northern leader. Pat Lyall was known to many of us as a person of great character, and for his tireless work on behalf of northern people. Pat was in Taloyoak, in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut. Prior to 1999, he served the Northwest Territories and, subsequently, Nunavut with commitment, wisdom and diligence in many capacities.

Most recently, Pat was chairman of the board of the Nunasi Corporation for 15 years, and both chair and vice-chair of Norterra for the same period of time. Pat was an advocate for the furtherance of Inuit people and their culture, and a respected businessman. He devoted boundless energy towards promoting Inuit culture to southern audiences, and raising awareness of northern issues across the country. Raising money for youth initiatives was always on his mind, and he was extremely successful in this regard. He raised an enormous amount of money so northern youth could travel to participate in sporting and cultural activities across Canada, thereby broadening their horizons, becoming more experienced and successful as individuals, and ready to share in a newfound knowledge with their peers. Pat was a dedicated family man, proud of his children and committed to his community. He had a great sense of fun and a ready smile. I would like to offer my personal sympathy, and ask all Members to join me in offering our deepest condolences to Pat's wife, Leah, his family, many friends, and loved ones. He leaves behind a legacy of good work and he will be deeply missed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to express my personal condolences to the Lyall family and the Pokiak family for the loss of two great northerners, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to express some of my concerns about the Beverage Container Program in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources that will be put into effect November 1, 2005. Mr. Speaker, currently there are eight community depots approved for licensing, which represents 76 percent of the Northwest Territories population. This is a good indication that northerners are supportive of everyone's environmental responsibilities and recognize the important role that recycling will have toward retaining a pristine northern environment for future generations to enjoy. This type of positive response, Mr. Speaker, is something that makes me proud to be a northerner.

But, Mr. Speaker, we cannot dismiss the legitimate concerns the other 24 percent of our population, who are approximately 11,000 people spread across 14 remote communities, have expressed. Although six of these remote communities have expressed interest in operating a depot, none has been approved to date. We are still left with many people who will experience more increases in beverage costs at their local stores, and who will be very limited in their ability to return their containers to receive a refund, simply due to the facts that:, one, the costs to store and ship their beverage containers will be above the amount of their refund, making it uneconomical for households to participate; and two, the sheer remoteness of some northern communities does not allow this type of program to be economically feasible for anyone interested in operating a depot, not when they have to sort, store and ship the empty containers to a processing facility which could be very expensive not only because of the high cost of fuel, but also because of the long distances between these remote communities and the three communities with processing facilities and operation.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that this program has to be considerate of the fact that the 24 percent of the population who are restricted in the number of options to receive refunds, and who have the highest cost of living in the Northwest Territories, will be contributing not by choice to an environmental fund from which they will not receive any benefits. This issue, Mr. Speaker, is very important and should be addressed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources prior to the implementation of the beverage container fees in these remote communities. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, during our pre-budget consultations, we heard from many communities that firmly believe that there is a need for regional treatment centres where there will be proper follow-up for clients. Many residents are saying that they need a regional treatment centre, whether they be on-the-land camps, or a facility in town. Why isn't this government listening to their concerns? They are not asking for multi-million dollar facilities, but either bush camps or well designed energy-efficient buildings, new or existing, that the programs can be run out of.

Mr. Speaker, more and more young people are drinking and doing drugs. When they cry out for help, we need to have the capacity to the system in the region and not have to send them away. By having them closer to home, they can have their family's support network when they need it, or want it. Mr. Speaker, some of the hardest working people I have ever met have now, unfortunately, become slaves to their addiction. If we have treatment camps in the regions, many of these people, and also our youth, can go out on the land and reconnect and see what they are missing, by the lifestyle that they have chosen or want to escape from. As a young man I knew once said, being on the land is very therapeutic.

This also brings me to my next point, which is, the people seeking help should be able to get it from someone who has lived in the region and has experienced the lifestyle. There are a lot of folks who might not have a degree this government recognizes, but who have a degree in life and can better relate to the problems facing recovering alcoholics.

Mr. Speaker, I urge this government to give people what they have said over and over again. We need to help people with addictions and not change this policy to the point to where they are phasing out people with degrees in life who have a ton of experience to offer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The subject of my Member's statement today will come as no surprise to my colleagues in this Assembly, as it has to do with an issue that is very important to both my riding and the city of Yellowknife. That is the issue of the Kam Lake access road, and the secondary access into and out of the city of Yellowknife.

I have taken this issue up with the government from a variety of different angles. The first is from the standpoint of public safety, because of the increased heavy traffic on Old Airport Road and the fact that Highway No. 3 is the only way in and out of the city of Yellowknife. In case of emergencies, like we saw with the CF-18 -- the one that went off the runway -- and another one that dropped a missile on the golf course, we have experiences there that show that emergencies can happen, Mr. Speaker. Both of these incidents effectively shut down Highway No. 3. Mr. Speaker, the question has to be asked, "What if a major incident happened at the Yellowknife Airport?" From a public safety standpoint, this road, and secondary access into and out of Yellowknife, has to be addressed. With the Kam Lake industrial park also having only one way in and out, we also have been very lucky that a major accident or a spill hasn't taken place on Kam Lake Road which would cut residents and businesses off.

Of course, road infrastructure does not come without a hefty pricetag. The estimate that I have heard would be in the neighbourhood of $5.5 million to build this road. The questions have been: who would build, and be responsible for, the road; how would it be paid for; and the land availability issue. I have asked the Minister of Transportation many questions in the past about where this road is in his department's plans. I was very surprised when I read intently the Minister's press release on the National Highway Strategy dated October 14th where there was absolutely no mention made of a Kam Lake access road. Would it not have made sense to put this vital piece of roadwork into this strategy? This would ensure that federal dollars would eventually be your mark to help build this road. I don't understand its omission from the National Highway Strategy, and, Mr. Speaker, I am also concerned that, to my knowledge, it is not included in the Corridors for Canada II proposal. Why is this road not in there? Why are we not making every effort and exploring every possible funding source to make sure that this road gets built? Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Transportation at the appropriate time. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am the MLA for Thebacha. I have been now for nine or 10 years. In those 10 years, I have been involved with the day cares. I have been involved with closures, relocations, getting furnishings for day care, helping day cares reopen, and I am currently working with the Salt River First Nation as they put some of their own land claim money toward building a new child centre that will, hopefully, have a day care attached to it. So I am intimately involved, probably more intimately involved than any other MLA in this House on what is going on in my community.

The Member for Range Lake made reference to an e-mail that I sent to the executive director of the day care that is currently experiencing some trouble. It wasn't addressed to her. She imputed some interpretation to that e-mail that is grossly incorrect. I just want to make the point that I

appreciate Members raising issues in my constituency, but I don't particularly...The reason I stand up for the Member's statement, I want to make the case. I am the MLA. I know what is happening in my community. We have been working with day cares for 10 years. Referencing e-mails that weren't sent to the individual, and misinterpreting them, is not appropriate. I think it creates a false impression that is far from the truth. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, oral questions. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Mr. Speaker, I have a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to take this opportunity to respond to the statement that the Member for Thebacha just raised. I do believe it calls for clarification. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The Member is rising on a point of order. What is your point of order, Ms. Lee?

Point Of Order

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I realize that the statement made by the Member for Thebacha was a Member's statement, so I am not responding to his statement as a point of order. I am raising my own point of order because I believe the Member is suggesting that I am somehow suggesting things and colouring them in a bad light.

I just want to say that my point of order, Mr. Speaker...He is suggesting, somehow, that I am not being true and following the rules of the House, and that, somehow, I am colouring his personality or characteristics, Mr. Speaker. My point is that I did receive that e-mail. The point I was making...

Thank you, Ms. Lee.

Mr. Speaker, may I have an opportunity to explain my position? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. I would just like to remind Members that the Member is raising a point of order. I would like the Member to state her point of order, and then there will be a chance to debate the point of order. Ms. Lee, what is your point of order?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to explain what my point of order is. I don't have the Member's rulebook handy, but if I remember the number, I believe it's under Rule 26(c), and probably at the end of that section, subsection (h), which speaks to Members raising issues that question the integrity of a Member.

The Member for Thebacha is suggesting, somehow, that I am speaking falsehood, or that I am, somehow, suggesting that he is not being a good Member, or that I am saying things that are not true. All I was simply suggesting in my statement, which he is responding to, is that I got an e-mail. It was sent to me. I did not steal it. I didn't grab it out of his office. It was sent to me. The Member suggests that this is a done deal and there is no point in addressing this issue, because Cabinet has decided that they are not going to do anything for this day care. I suggest to you that I have a privilege, as a Member of this House, to raise issues that are of concern to all of the Territories. I have tried to not focus it as a Fort Smith issue, but have tried to raise it as a day care issue.

I would like to suggest that if there is any suggestion made by the Member for Thebacha that I am somehow using this forum to suggest that he is not being a good Member, or that he is not telling the truth, or imputing any kind of motive, I believe that's not correct. I believe I have the right to raise issues that are brought to me that have territorial importance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lee. The Chair will allow debate on the point of order. To the point of order. Thank you. The Chair will review Hansard and come back with a ruling on the point of order.

Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.