Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's a pleasure to recognize in the gallery the Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew and thank her for all of the support that she's providing us in Ottawa.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize Mrs. Laureen Donaldson, a resident of Wrigley, NT. It's nice to see her here today. Thank you very much.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize of Member of Parliament for the Western Arctic, the Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Minister of State for Northern Development; and her spouse, Mr. Leon Andrew. Also I'd like to recognize His Worship Mayor Gordon Van Tighem, the mayor of Yellowknife.

---Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize also some of the distinguished members from the Northwest Territories who are here from outside of the capital. I'd also like to recognize constituent Ethel Blondin-Andrew and her husband Leon Andrew and the staff member Sarah Cleary to the House. Also, I would like to recognize Antoine Mountain from Fort Good Hope, a painter here in Yellowknife; and John B. Zoe from the Tlicho territory. Mahsi and welcome. Spring is out so it is hard to sit in here.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Being one of the last to recognize visitors in the gallery, I think everyone I had on my list has been recognized, so I will just go through quickly. I have a special recognition to Right Reverend Bishop Sperry, Karen Wright-Fraser, Katherine Youngblut, Ed Jeske, His Worship Gordon Van Tighem, Chief Supreme Court Justice Ted Richard, MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew, chief negotiator John B. Zoe and, of course, to everyone else who didn't get recognized, and Sandy's mom. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In this Year of the Veteran, it is a great honour to recognize two constituents who are veterans: Tom Eagle and Jan Stirling. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Zoe.

Thank you, Mr. Zoe. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Well, with all that, if anybody in the gallery has been missed today, I want to welcome you here. It is definitely a pleasure to have the gallery full of audience to take part, especially today in the opening of a new session in the Legislative Assembly. Welcome and I

hope you enjoy your stay. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Normally, I would follow up my stunning Member's statement with a grilling and analytical question to the appropriate Minister. However, I have constituents and indeed a whole community, the community of Nahanni Butte, who are waiting on the Minister of MACA and this government's decision on the creation of a gymnasium in Nahanni Butte.

---Applause

At what stage, Mr. Speaker, is the planning and the class D estimate for the gymnasium project in Nahanni Butte?

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not surprised that this question has come forward. Mr. Speaker, the capital planning dollars that were allocated this year for the planning, and for the next coming years, are something that we want to discuss with the appropriate committee. Also, the dollars allocated for the municipal and rural infrastructure funding is also part of that discussion we would like to have. We have drafted letters requesting some time with the committee to make that presentation. I would like to be able to do that before I announce to this House where we are at with the actual projects. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would this discussion with the committees include any plan about how this government plans to have adequate recreational facilities in our communities and their long-term plans for that, Mr. Speaker?