Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to say congratulations to the Tlicho people. As a former negotiator of the Sahtu land claims, I understand the hard work that goes into putting together an historical agreement such as the Tlicho deal and the aspirations of the people. I was thinking about it this morning, Mr. Speaker, in terms of the people who passed away during the negotiations, and the hard work they put into helping their people. Some of them have given their life to this deal here. I heard it this morning, I heard about the tea dancing and I felt something inside me that made me feel proud that people have really moved a long way since the '60s and the '70s, and the Dogrib, the Tlicho, are showing us and other groups in the Northwest Territories.

I'm really pleased to hear Mr. Handley congratulate them and I join Mr. Handley in his congratulations, and the work that the MP is doing in Ottawa and also our Senators and also to Grand Chief Rabesca for holding the vision together along with the other leaders in the Tlicho communities and the elders who are our guiding force in putting this deal together. We go back to our elders time after time to ask what kind of direction are we doing this, is this okay, and they always reassure us that it's going to be okay. So I wanted to say a heartfelt congratulations to all the Tlicho people and I think they are also the Sahtu's best friends, along with the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll rise today to do a small, simple statement, which will send my congratulations to the Tlicho people on their act being passed by the Senate. Yesterday I received a phone call just minutes after the Opposition Party, the Conservatives, had put forward a strong motion and an unusual motion by saying well, the people are here, they've made such a long trek down to Ottawa and this is the peoples' bill, so let's do it today. I got this phone call from Ottawa and you could hear the cheering and the tea dancing in the Parliament Building. It was a fantastic opportunity to hear good government at work. So I went to Mr. Zoe right away to make sure he knew, and the first thing Mr. Zoe said to me is am I pulling his leg. I told him that I heard it was going to be signed in a couple of minutes by the Governor General, and Mr. Zoe again looked at me and said you're just joking. So it was a fantastic moment to hear people on my cell phone. I showed Mr. Zoe my cell phone and you could hear how exciting it was that the people down there were dancing.

So I just want to say this is a good day for the Northwest Territories. It was certainly a good day for the Government of Canada to work for the people of Canada. I want to just extend my congratulations to all the people of the North in seeing the good work that's being done. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Zoe.

Thank you, Mr. Zoe. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Zoe.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement I spoke about the fact that the NWT Housing Corporation has not yet dealt with the land acquisition for the six housing units that are going into Rae-Edzo for the second year of the market housing initiative. Community leaders are concerned, Mr. Speaker, and rightly so, that if last year's performance is any indication, it may be early winter by the time the Housing Corporation manages to get those units ready for occupancy. Can the Minister tell me when the corporation will acquire the necessary land for these units? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Zoe. The Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, the Honourable Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With regard to the approval of land in Rae-Edzo, we are presently in the process with MACA to develop and forward an application, but we are also in discussions with a private businessperson to see if there's a possibility of expanding this to just, say, 12 units. So we are in discussions with a private entrepreneur to look at the possibility of getting the private sector involved in this project so we can try to get more units into Rae-Edzo. Like you've mentioned, there is definitely going to be a demand for more units and it's good to hear that the Tlicho agreement has passed because you are definitely going to need a major role building capacity to deliver your claim and also to deliver programs and services. So, again, we are in the process of working with MACA, but we are also in discussion with someone in the private sector to joint venture on the possibility of expanding this program from six units to, say, 12 or even 20. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Supplementary, Mr. Zoe.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me his timeline for those discussions that he just mentioned? How soon would they be concluded? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Zoe. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, probably one of the most crucial timelines we have to pass is get this budget through the House because the money is in the budget. So we have to get that approval in order to make that expenditure, but also we are in the process of talking to MACA and also talking to the private sector to develop this program. So once I get some timelines I will be sharing that with yourself, as a Member, to keep you involved in where we're going. But, as it sits right now, it's all based on the approval of the budget.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Premier today and it's in follow-up to my Member's statement with respect to the Mackenzie Valley pipeline. Mr. Speaker, numerous people commented this morning. I was one of the ones who commented. I understand the Premier heard my comments on there. I have concerns; I think I've raised those concerns fairly consistently. I hope they are not interpreted to mean to anyone that I don't support the Mackenzie Valley pipeline and I hope that in my constituency no ill will would be felt towards my constituency for that, because I believe that they are legitimate questions that need to be answered. So I'm going to pose the question to the Premier this morning. Is the Northwest Territories ready for a Mackenzie Valley pipeline? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, no, we are not ready today for the pipeline. We've got a lot of work to do over the next 18 months/two years, however long. We've got a lot to do. I think it's incumbent on all of us here and leaders outside of this Chamber, municipal leaders, aboriginal leaders, federal government, for all of us to work together to get ready. We have a short time frame. We need to get ready but, to answer the question, I would agree we are not ready today. At the same time, if someone had asked the Tlicho if they were ready to sign their agreement six months ago, they would have said no, we are not ready, but they were ready yesterday. They got there and we will get there with the pipeline. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A fairly direct question then to the Premier with respect to one of the things on one front for sure we are not ready for, and that is on this government and the northern governments being in a position to share in the immense royalty revenues that will be generated for the federal government. We are not in a position to share in those. If, when it comes time to start constructing a Mackenzie Valley pipeline and there is still no royalty sharing agreement in place, should the pipeline proceed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Premier.

Mr. Speaker, our government has always been clear with the federal government that we must have a resource revenue sharing agreement in place before the pipeline is completed. Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister, on December 14th when we signed the framework for the Northern Strategy, committed publicly to make substantial progress in the near future on resource revenue sharing and devolution. He committed to having an agreement-in-principle done and signed this spring and I want to hold him to that. He committed to finishing off the negotiations on devolution and resource revenue sharing by 2006. I am going to hold him to that. He did say to me -- and this is fair -- that he's just one party. The federal government is one party, we are one party, the aboriginal leaders are one party, so it's not all in his hands. Mr.

Speaker, we all have to work together here if we are going to benefit from this opportunity that is in front of us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am glad to hear the Premier is on exactly the same page as I am and I think many northerners are. No long-term sustainable benefits, no revenue sharing, no pipeline. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

I would like to ask the Premier if he concurs that that is what he is saying clearly and succinctly and we are committed to work very hard between now and when it comes into place because we do support it, so let there be no misunderstanding about that. Thank you.