Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I devoted an extraordinary amount of air time during the budget session to the loss of Justice jobs, programs and services in Hay River. It potentially directly impacted a total of 40 jobs. It impacted the open custody young offenders' facility, our court registry and the closure of our remand unit at the South Mackenzie Correctional Centre.

I am pleased to recognize that the planned closure of the court registry was reversed. The closure of the remand centre proceeded on April 15th, in spite of a unanimous motion of the Regular Members to reinstate the funding for this service. I will be speaking to the fallout from that decision during this session.

Mr. Speaker, the closure of the young offenders' facility also took effect on April 1st. This caused considerable hardship for many of the workers and their families, as transfers to other communities and other jobs, in some cases, have split families up for the foreseeable future.

On a much happier note, Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that the Minister of Health and Social Services has identified a service which suits the valuable infrastructure of the Dene K'onia Young Offender Facility as a territorial treatment centre for youth. This will go some ways towards mitigating the impact of the losses in Hay River.

In the days ahead, I will be speaking to the issue of the remand closure and the need for our government to examine all and every practical and prudent decentralization initiative. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 4, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I begin my statement, I wish to make a special announcement. My second son was born just over a month ago, on NWT Day. His name is Hudson; and if pooping and crying is healthy, he certainly is very healthy. Everyone is fine and I wanted to take this first opportunity to announce that.

---Applause

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, earlier this month I was invited by a Yellowknife Centre business to go to Japan and attend some aurora meetings. It was at their suggestion that someone with a political point of view come to see how important the aurora is to the Japanese people.

Mr. Speaker, I have come to realize that we have totally misunderstood the profound effect the aurora has on the Japanese people, not unlike the Muslim trek to Mecca or the spiritual walk down the Via Dela Rosa for the Christians.

Mr. Speaker, the Japanese Shinto population, which is all of Japan, loves nature, and to them there is a calling of three important tasks in their lifetime for every Japanese person. Mr. Speaker, I will tell you those three tasks of a lifetime as it was told to me. They were taught in every school, to every Japanese student in that country. Those three tasks are: first, you must visit your ancestral village; second, you must visit Mount Fuji; and the third one sent a true chill down my spine, which is you must see the aurora in your lifetime.

Mr. Speaker, that is beyond profound. That is simply amazing. We have the aurora here and to every Japanese person that is a goal in life, to come see the aurora once. It is no secret that the Japanese people love nature. The Shinto culture loves everything in the world, the importance of every single creature, and believes that it all has its own special spirit. If this sort of sounds familiar, well, it should. It is not that much different from the aboriginal people of the NWT, where they feel strong ties to the land and the creatures around.

Every natural thing is a gift from God, they believe; especially the aurora. It is a true spiritual trek for them in a lifetime, and coming to Canada is truly one of the biggest opportunities they believe they need to take. There is a spiritual draw to the beauty of the aurora that cannot be put into words. Today I am trying to do it justice, but you have to be Japanese to truly understand the full personal fulfillment.

Mr. Speaker, it is time we realize this and embrace this opportunity. Mr. Speaker, at this time I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, colleagues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. While in Japan I took a couple of minutes of spare time to go and see the Canadian pavilion. Mr. Speaker, its main theme was aurora. Everything had the aurora logo on it, from its posters to its little hologram cards that say Experience Canada. Incidentally, the only card they couldn't keep in stock was the one with the aboriginal picture on it. They just flew out the door.

Watching Japanese people captivated by the light show with their personal enthusiasm was amazing. You would watch them filter out of the pavilion saying how can I go to Canada? Where do I go? Where do I sign up? No one was there to help them. I think we can do something about that. I watched that enthusiasm. I think this government can do something to captivate that enthusiasm.

It is time for bold moves, Mr. Speaker. It is time to create a solid presence in Japan. What I am suggesting is that this government takes a strong hold by opening an office in Tokyo, so the Japanese people can truly get over here to Canada, to the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, Ontario, B.C. and Alberta have offices in Japan and it is time we do, as well. We can only hold onto our reputation in Japan, that is that the Northwest Territories truly has the best aurora. We cannot hold onto that forever without demonstrating our respect for the Japanese people by going to their front door and showing them how important it is that they are a good customer to us.

In closing, when I was in Japan and I told people that I was from Canada, people said, I love Canada. When I told them that I am from Yellowknife, they all said, aurora. Mr. Speaker, let us capture that brand name and bring it straight here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Item 4, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not sure if I can top that. Mr. Speaker, I would speak also on behalf of the employees of the Territorial Treatment Centre who recently found out from the newspaper that they will be losing their jobs.

Mr. Speaker, as you can appreciate, jobs are about the most important thing for all of us, and it is never a good thing to find out that you will be losing your job down the road. To hear it from the newspaper is quite another story.

Mr. Speaker, I am aware that the department and the contractor who runs this centre are under negotiations and discussions to plan this. Having this sort of insensitive way in which this issue is being dealt with, I don't think is helping with the situation.

Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that in my time as an MLA I have had the opportunity to spend a good part of the day at this facility meeting with the staff, the administrator and the children who are housed in this centre.

Mr. Speaker, these young people come from all over the NWT. This is not a centre that treats mild to moderate behavioural problem children. This centre is a residential treatment program that looks after very difficult youth, Mr. Speaker. A lot of them are rooted in the community, they are housed in our schools, and they get very specialized services from our communities. Now with a stroke of decision of this government, they will be routed into another community as if they have no say, as if they are a completely transferable, non-feeling kind of people.

Mr. Speaker, we should be aware that 21 people, 15 of them full-time and six casual jobs will be lost as a result of this transfer. Mr. Speaker, the employees are asking why is it that the government decides to close a centre in another community, and just by a willy-nilly decision and as a balancing act or whatever it is, can just arbitrarily take 21 jobs and say we're just going to move them as if there are no families and real people involved behind these jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I understand we as a Legislature have to make tough decisions, but I don't think we should ever lose sight of the fact that we are talking about real people with real jobs, and we should really give consideration to what is involved. Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that I am going to be...

Ms. Lee, your time for your Member's statement is up.

Mr. Speaker, may I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement? Thank you.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. May I simply conclude by saying, Mr. Speaker, I think this might be a

really classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul, and in the end really it is not very beneficial. Mr. Speaker, I think one of the critical questions we have to ask is for the people who have lost jobs in Hay River, we are sympathetic to that and we have dealt with that issue a lot in this House, but in the end or even two years down the road will they be able to benefit from these jobs? I will be asking those questions. Does it make sense for the government to transfer 21 jobs that might not end up being held by those who lost their jobs? So those are the crucial issues that I think we have to address and I will be continuing that further in this House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 4, Members' statements. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to take this opportunity on this Year of the Veteran to recognize the veterans who are here with us today. Mr. Speaker, with us are Ruth Ann MacEachern-Spence, a World War II veteran;

---Applause

Mr. Dusty Miller, World War II veteran;

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Mrs. Ethel Wilson, World War II veteran;

---Applause

Mr. Gordon Carter, World War II veteran;

---Applause

Mrs. Jan Stirling, a veteran of Korea;

---Applause

Bishop John Sperry, World War II veteran;

---Applause

and Tom Eagle, peacemaker.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, if there are other veterans that I can't see but are here, I recognize them and apologize if I missed their names. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize an individual who has demonstrated tremendous patience and endurance these last 29 years and nine months, my wife, Jeri Miltenberger.

---Laughter

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd also like to take this opportunity to welcome all the distinguished guests in the gallery. I don't think I'd be allowed to repeat all the names, but if I may just mention a couple of names; Mr. Ed Jeske, a distinguished elder in our community...

---Applause

...and Katherine Youngblut who is sitting next to Mr. Jeske. Also I'd like to recognize two people who work a lot to make my job easier everyday; Cathy Olson, my constituency assistant, and my mother, Taejeong Lee. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize the Aklavik drummers who were here for us today: Mr. Andrew and Eva Gordon; Phillip and Laurie Elanik; Dean (Manny) Arey; Barbara Archie; Colin Gordon; and also Cecil Greenland. I'd like to welcome you all, and along with them I'd like to recognize my delegation from the Mackenzie Delta who are sitting behind me. My constituency assistant, Ms. Liz Wright; her sister, Alice Charlie; her sister, June Tetlichi, along with her son, Trevor Tetlichi; Karen Wright-Fraser; and also Cathy Moore from the Mackenzie Delta.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize the president of the Royal Canadian Legion here in Yellowknife, Mr. Lloyd Lush. With Lloyd is Mr. Lorne Power, general manager of the Royal Canadian Legion. Welcome gentlemen.

---Applause

I'd also like to recognize a constituent of mine, Abel Kogiak, who has recently returned from the Voyageur Rendezvous in Rocky Mountain House. He was one of the original voyageur canoeists in 1970. Welcome, Abel.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize two out-of-town guests today sitting with Steve Meister and the mayor of Yellowknife, who were recognized earlier, the president of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, Ruth Kelly, and also director Guy Anderson who are here today for a number of meetings with the Yellowknife chamber. I believe Ms. Kelly also

delivered today's business club luncheon address. I'd like to welcome them to the Assembly. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.