Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I agree; we have to listen to the front-line workers. We have to listen to, whether it is on the health side, social services side, the teachers' side, people that deliver the programs that we discuss in this Assembly, those people that are on the front lines delivering that to meet the needs of our residents. We have to pay attention to what is being said out there. But at the same time, we have a responsibility to ensure that we are doing it at a level that is acceptable throughout the territory. That brings its own challenges. We also have to deal with boards out there that have impact on the delivery of those programs. We have to work with them. Ultimately, it all comes down to the dollars we have available to deliver the program in the Northwest Territories. That is always a challenge that we try to deal with as an Assembly. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister why he is so quick to say a group of Regular Members couldn't work in conjunction with the ministry of Health and Social Services to go out to

Inuvik, Fort Smith, Hay River and Yellowknife here at Stanton and actually talk to the front-line workers and come up with a game plan how to address the issues that are there and are real. I would like to ask him that question. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have been a Member for a number of assemblies now. I have seen the committees put together. I have seen the results of them. We have come up with some positive changes in a number of areas. Ultimately, if it does become my full-time responsibility in this field, I want to make myself comfortable with the file as to what work has been done. For example, I know, under the previous Minister, that a Joint Leadership Committee between all health boards and the department has been formed. They have put together a strategic plan. That would be, I think, some of the things we need to ensure we get on with and ensure that we bring to completion, because I have also been part of governments where a lot of work has been done and shelved. Really, we don't change anything. That is not what we want to be about. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for the Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not sure all of the reasons for the delay. I want to first congratulate Lutselk'e on the protected area and the MOU that was recently signed. In terms of delay, I am not sure of all of the reasons for it, Mr. Speaker. I can tell you, though, that there is a workshop being held in November of this year to work on some of the issues, to look at survey results and also to work with the people involved on a management plan for that caribou herd. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I realize that the workshop is coming up, but since this management plan has the approval of the Government of Nunavut, the Government of Canada, the Lutselk'e First Nations and the Akaitcho Territory Government, but not the approval of this government to move this plan forward, and with the declining numbers of caribou that we are addressing here today, why do we need another workshop for this government just to basically rubber stamp the plan and move it forward so the WWF in conjunction with the Lutselk'e First Nations and the Beverly Caribou Management Board can start moving on sort of working to develop and implement the protection of this critical caribou calving ground? Can the Minister commit to me, after this workshop, I think it is November 12th, that the government will give us a response, hopefully a positive response, as to when they plan on approving this management plan? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will give the Member my commitment that we will be there. We will participate in the workshop. We will share our latest survey results and we will work with the other partners on a management plan with the objective of having an agreed to management plan by all of the partners. Mr. Speaker, we don't have any particular reason to delay this. We have a lot of concern about the health of that herd and do want to make sure that the management plan we and all the partners come up with is one that takes advantage of the most recent survey information we have. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Short supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, the plan has been approved by everybody but this government. I don't know what the hold-up is. Basically what the people are worried about, Mr. Speaker, is that the claims that have been staked in that area are uranium exploration claims. The amount of activity is dramatically increased because the price of uranium has obviously gone up, so everybody is going in there and investing in their exploration towards mine development in this area. The people want to get some protection against the mines to ensure that the calving grounds of this Beverly herd are not damaged or developed. Can the Minister provide a commitment to the Lutselk'e and Nunavut residents who rely heavily on this herd as their main meat source, that this government will approve the management plan shortly

after the workshop, within the next month or so? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I will give that assurance but, at the same time, I want to discuss this further with the officials in ENR. But I don't know of any reason why we would not be able to achieve what the Member is requesting. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Time for question period is expired. However, I will... Thank you, Members. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to return to Item 6 on the Order Paper, oral questions.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to return to item 6, oral questions. Are there any nays? There are no nays. We will return to Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on the first day of session, which was October 17th, I was asking the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment questions about the literacy cuts and what he was doing about it. Mr. Speaker, if I may roughly quote from page 627 of our unedited Hansard, the Minister said he would be hopefully attending this meeting next Tuesday, which would have been yesterday, on the 24th of this month. His meeting was supposed to be with the Council of Ministers of Education. Mr. Speaker, did anyone go on the Minister's behalf? If they did, what did they say and what are they promoting? Can the Minister give us those details? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In fact, the Honourable Diane Finley notified the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada that she was unwilling to meet with a group of Ministers and asked if one Minister would be delegated to speak on all of our behalves. I transmitted my approval for that position to the chair of the CMEC. However, the majority of Ministers from across Canada did not support that; therefore, the meeting did not take place.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.