Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Item 8, returns to written questions. Item 13, tabling of documents. The honourable Minister of FMBS, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 32(1) of the Financial Administration Act, I wish to table the following document entitled List of Inter-Activity Transfers Exceeding $250,000 for the Period April 1, 2005, to October 7, 2005. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. My apologies, Members. I skipped some items on the orders of the day. I will continue with tabling of documents. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Status Report - Human Resources in the Corrections Service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Item 13, tabling of documents. The honourable Minister for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

---Applause

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a report Provincehood for the Northwest Territories, Volume One, 2005. This report was prepared for me by Mr. Garth Wallbridge, of Wallbridge and Associates, Barristers and Solicitors. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 13, tabling of documents. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Item 13, tabling of documents. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table two letters today. The first one is a letter from Energy Wall and Building Products Ltd., a constituent of mine, to the Honourable Joe Handley, regarding housing initiative here in the Northwest Territories, dated January 5, 2005. The second one is also a letter, dated November 22, 2004, also to the Premier, Mr. Joseph Handley, from Energy Wall and Building Products Ltd. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 13, tabling of documents. Thank you, Members. With your indulgence, I will return to item 9, replies to opening address. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Ms. Lee's Reply

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity on the Order Paper to make my reply to the opening address. I want to express some

of my observations on some of the important things that we are discussing in this House, Mr. Speaker.

I had a chance to look at the Premier's sessional statement dated October 12th. There are a few important things there, but I did not see what I wanted to talk about today, which has to do with government accountability. I guess the fact that the Minister and the Premier never really mentioned it in that statement, speaks to the lack of government accountability that, I feel, is happening in terms of how the Cabinet is addressing some of the issues that are being brought up in this House, Mr. Speaker.

The sessional statement speaks to the strategic goals of the government which were tabled on October 25th. I read, with interest, the phrase that we speak often about in this House. It says that this government's desire is to achieve the vision of self-reliant individuals and families, sharing the rewards and responsibilities of healthy communities and a prosperous and unified Northwest Territories. This government often speaks about the fact that we need to work with all of the non-profit groups, NGOs, volunteers. We go on and on about how we care about all these people out there who are working so hard to deliver programs to add to our communities. Mr. Speaker, if they are sitting out there and listening to what is going on in this House -- and I know they do because Members are getting lots of responses -- I am sure some of them are wondering, what do we really mean when we say we care about these NGOs and non-profit groups like day cares or even centres like TTC? The public is very puzzled about why Members bring issues forward that the Cabinet doesn't seem to be really listening to.

I am not interested in revisiting issues that have already been decided. I am prepared to accept that the transfer of TTC to Hay River is an issue that has been determined, and I am going to work with the Minister of Health and Social Services, and the TTC contractor, to make sure that the needs of children are addressed. However, that does not address the fact that there are people who went out to sign the petitions, and the 770 names and the workers who were being laid off who spent weekends in various places in Yellowknife, to tell the government that there are things that they have neglected to look at. They should be listening to those professionals who have given care to the children, who give care to the students, or the pediatricians, or any of the professional people who are giving advice to them. When they hear the answer in this House from the Premier that says everything we do in this House is political, so, therefore, anything political is correct, what are the people in Yellowknife and out there supposed to think?

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Premier has a very good reputation of listening to the Members and addressing the needs of Members. He's at his best when you go see him in private. You go see him in his office, and you bring an issue forward, and he will look after them, but something really funny happens when he walks into this Chamber. Once the government has announced...

Thank you. Mr. Handley.

Point Of Order

I rise on a point of order. The Member is imputing some false or hidden motives on my part when I walk into this House. Mr. Speaker, I take great pride in being open and cooperative with Members all the time, whether it's in this House or anywhere else. So, Mr. Speaker, under article 23, imputes false or hidden motives to another Member, I have a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Handley has risen on a point of order. I will allow debate on the point of order. Mr. Handley, do you want to speak to your point of order?

Mr. Speaker, I can't quote the Member, but she has said in private, I am honest, I am straight up, and I follow up, but when I come into this House, then I am a changed person somehow. She's implying that I don't follow up on things, that I am not honest and straightforward. Mr. Speaker, I resent being accused of having false motives as soon as I walk into this House. Mr. Speaker, I am very honest all the time. When I come into this House, I come in honest, straightforward, and I work with the Members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Handley. To the point of order. The Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on the point of order, I don't believe I even finished the sentence that I was saying, and I thought I was complimenting the Premier on his accessibility. So I would be really interested in hearing the Speaker's ruling on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Any further discussion on the point of order? Thank you, Members. It is my ruling that the Member, the Honourable Joe Handley, with respect to the remarks made by Ms. Lee, does have a point of order. The Member was referring to the Minister's conduct in the House. I would ask that the Member please remove her remarks and apologize to the House for the remarks made. Thank you. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not sure what words I said that I am supposed to retract and apologize for. Could you repeat that, please?

Ms. Lee, I can't repeat your words, word for word; I don't have Hansard in front of me. However, the Chair did detect that the Member was referring to conduct in the House of the Member. I will ask you to repeat the previous statement that was made before the Member rose on a point of order.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the best of my knowledge, when the Member for Weledeh got up...

Ms. Lee, I am not prepared to enter into a debate as to why it was made. I would ask, again, that the Member retract the statement made before the point of order.