Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are 199 elders in the Sahtu region. Of these elders, 87 are living in private homes. The roads are a vital link to the Sahtu region. Mr. Speaker, two litres of milk in Tulita costs $4.99, a dozen eggs costs $3.09. Mr. Speaker, to have scrambled eggs for breakfast costs about $7.78.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, I'm asking the Premier whether his government is looking at all these programs to help us with the high cost of living. Again, I know there are programs that we have, but would he consider looking at programs that would increase the subsidies in the small communities for the high cost of living? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, we have a lot of programs that are aimed at managing or keeping down the cost of living: the fuel subsidy, the power subsidy, income support, tax relief for seniors, rent subsidies. So we have a whole range of them, Mr. Speaker. We are continually looking at the cost of living and I'm sure as we begin our plans for the next business plans, we'll continue to see whether or not there are ways of doing this. Any recommendations suggested by Members are certainly taken seriously. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the government's initiatives and all the programs they have in place to keep the costs down in these small communities. Again, I'm asking the Premier if he would look in his departments with this government and look at starting an initiative that would bring these costs down more than what they are in light of all the development that's happening in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, the answer to that is yes. In addition to the measures we currently have, what's in our current budget that's before this House, we will continue to look at it as we prepare the next business plans. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister's comments. The people in the small communities should be happy. I would ask the Minister, would he consider looking at starting with the food costs as, again, two litres of milk in Tulita costs about $3.99. A gallon of ice cream in Norman Wells costs $10.15. Would he look at these costs of food, starting with a food subsidy in our small communities? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, certainly we are concerned about the cost of living in the small communities, particularly the fly-in communities, and if there's a way for us to be able to help to keep the costs down, we'll do it. If it comes to a direct subsidy of food prices, that's a very difficult one because it's very complex and there are a lot of factors in it, from transportation to wholesale prices to what the retail stores are charging and so on. But that will not stop us from looking at how we can help to keep the cost of living down for our citizens. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With your indulgence, just like Mr. Menicoche, I wish to also thank Minister McLeod for taking me to the dreams conference and I do, as well, have dreams like Mr. Menicoche; that someday question period will be known as answer period.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, on that note, my question is for the Minister responsible for the Power Corp. Has this government opened up discussions with the federal government to seek principal support in the context of who has authority over the waterways to divert them from mega projects such as the Bear River dam? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, we've had very general discussions with the federal government on our aspirations on hydro development. I'm sure that this will be one piece of our Northern Strategy, as well as a way of keeping the cost of energy down and, therefore, the cost of living down in the North. We've had discussions with aboriginal governments as well, whose traditional land this is on, but there is no final decision or request about who actually has the final authority on this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recognizing the emphasis on being quick, I will not read the Hansard from October, but I will say that the Minister responsible in this House during the October session did say that we would have essentially a go/no-go on these types of projects by the end of the fiscal year. March 31st is coming up very quickly. Who has authority over this project so we can clarify a go or no-go on this project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, whether we put an application forward through the Mackenzie Valley environmental review process is one that will be determined by the partners in the project. In the case of the Bear River, that is the land corporation, Tulita, Deline and the Power Corporation. In the case of Taltson, it is the Power Corporation and the partners there which are made up of the Akaitcho communities and the NWT Metis. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister advise us in this House who has the absolute authority? Does the GNWT have the authority, or does the Government of Canada have the authority at the end of the day with regard to the Bear River project of diverting the water? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, as I have said, this will have to be through an application through the Mackenzie Valley environmental review process. That means it will go to the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board, the Environmental Impact Review Board. There is an opportunity for interveners to state any concerns they may have. Those boards will make a recommendation to the Minister of DIAND. The Minister of DIAND will have to make a decision. So who has the authority on the recommendations from the Mackenzie Valley process will be the Minister of DIAND. He will do that in consultation with federal Ministers who also have jurisdiction in this area, including Fisheries and Oceans and Environment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.