Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask my questions to the Minister of Housing Corporation regarding training opportunities for Novel housing. Mr. Speaker, my understanding of this product is that it's very unique, it's being trademarked and that's what it means, it's a unique product and that's the reason why this government has to go with this at the exclusion of all others. But in terms of a training program, Mr. Speaker, I think that's precisely the kind of thing that we want to talk about for industrial development project like this. We'd like to see training opportunities and the information that I got from the Minister in answer to my written question that was tabled on February 1st indicates that there really is no training program. There's no indication that the Minister has asked Novel, if we go with this project, to provide the training. The Minister just indicated that the Housing Corporation is going to do this and I don't think that's the job of Housing Corporation to do this. If somebody stands to get a $300 million project, the least they can do is set up a training program. So I'd like to ask the Minister if he's ever asked in these negotiations and dealings and many visits to ATCO, did he ever ask them what kind of a training program and how and in what way would they provide that for the North? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister of the Housing Corporation, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is a very unique component of the proposal that we're putting for Novel because there is a major investment we're going to make in the Northwest Territories. We don't want these conversions to be done in Calgary or the South. We want these conversions to be done in our communities by a community resident and the money and the dollars stay in our communities. The training that these people take to do the conversions will be able to be used in other initiatives going forward in the future. So we are looking at almost $86 million going back into our economy to pay for the wages of these individuals to do the conversions in our communities. That is a very important component. But on behalf, as part of our working with CMHC and in regards to the Novel project, a very important component of any deal is there has to be a human resource strategy or report attached to it so we can see exactly how this conversion is going to take place, how many, what type of training do you need, and also what tools do we need to do it in our communities. So the idea is to do it in the North, in our communities, and have a component which will include a human resource component, too. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ideas are good, but I'm not hearing any concrete information there. I don't want him to get confused and I don't want him to confuse me. Mr. Speaker, I want to know, it's a pretty clear question, what can he provide in this House in terms of what he has gotten from Novel about what they're going to do about training? Because this is a very unique product. They get trained to work on the Novel project and what are they going to do after? Where are they going to be trained? If they're going to be trained in the North, the wage is different than being trained. Where are they going to be trained? Is there going to be a training centre? Is there going to be a training centre in Inuvik, Norman Wells? What precise information does he have, seeing as he's been negotiating for months? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Speaker, we have been working with the parties on developing a human resources strategy to go along with the arrangement for Novel. As part of the strategy will include the number of hours it's going to take to convert a unit and what it's going to take to convert it. You're going to have to put cupboards in. You're going to have put washroom facilities in. You're going to have to move a few walls around. So the idea that we're already doing is that we're looking at doing, using the Deh Cho Bridge as the basis to doing it in the Northwest Territories so we can physically see what the costs are of converting a unit in the Northwest Territories, learn from that experience, and go forward so that we can do it in the Northwest Territories and take it out of the southern environment. So we are already looking at doing that in the Northwest Territories by using our own

workforce to do it. So we're already looking at those numbers. They've already done it in the South, they have a good idea what the costs are, what it took to convert it, so we're working with them to basically do that in the Northwest Territories and use the residents of the Northwest Territories to do it.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Final supplementary, Ms. Lee.

With all due respect, Mr. Speaker, he's missing my point again, and it really demonstrates how he and this Minister and this government does not get what benefit work to get out of a project of this magnitude. Mr. Speaker, I hope he's not saying that we're going to be training hundreds of people to be a conversion specialist of one product because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. That means they're not going to be good for anything else after that. The Member from Inuvik Twin Lakes is talking about a training program that would train tradespeople, not somebody who knows how to convert one product for one time only.

When would the Minister ask Novel and present to us exactly what he's demanding from ATCO about training plans? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Speaker, in the Northwest Territories we are in need of tradespeople; we are in need of jobs in a lot of our smaller communities. The idea behind investing the $200 million in the Northwest Territories is to have that $200 remain in the Northwest Territories. We have programs already through our college programs in regards to apprenticeship programs where we're already looking at putting 500 houses on the ground over the next three years. We're going to need people to do it. The majority of those houses are going to go into communities over the next three years. The same people that are going to be working on these houses in the next three years are going to have the training to be able to become apprenticeships, carpenters, plumbers, electricians. We want those people to build in the Northwest Territories and our communities. So they remain in the Northwest Territories, they're able to take advantage of the economic opportunities, but the money stays in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, I don't know what's wrong with that.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated in my Member's statement, I clarified that Sachs Harbour has the necessary infrastructure to accommodate a full-time RCMP, maybe two of them. The Minister of Justice on occasion has indicated that a committee was formed to address the RCMP presence on patrols in communities. Mr. Speaker, presently there is no renewable resource officer in Sachs, however, there is a Parks Canada warden in Sachs Harbour on a full-time basis. My question is for the Minister of Justice. Will the Minister sit down with Parks Canada, the RCMP, and his department to arrange a plan for the full-time RCMP presence in Sachs? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Bell.

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. As the Member knows, it is a priority of mine to see if we can't address the situation in Sachs Harbour. We do want to see a detachment in the community. We are going to look at a number of options and initiatives, but it is more difficult, as Members will know, to find the resources for two officers in a small community. If there is a way, if there are alternative ways for us to partner a police officer with another peace officer in the community, maybe a parks warden, then that's something that we'll certainly pursue and those are discussions we will have with Parks Canada. I would also like to sit down and have discussions with our own government about possible options. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just in that regard, I'm just wondering if he could actually sit down immediately with Parks Canada already. They do have a personnel. Can he do that? The Minister indicated earlier that there were six RCMP members coming up on this budget, so where will those guys go? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course we'll be discussing those details shortly in Committee of the Whole and we can get into that. My understanding of where the RCMP will be putting those officers -- and we can have that discussion -- operationally, of course, they make the decisions based on their needs. It is possible that they will define a resource or an RCMP officer for one community and move it in six months, depending on workload. So I'll give the Member that detail today in Committee of the Whole. We can have that discussion. We will engage Parks Canada. I think it's important to recognize and remember that Public Works Canada will make decisions about actual infrastructure in the communities. The Member knows we are doing an assessment of those assets on the ground, both the residence and the detachment. I look forward to having some information soon and I have committed to the Member that, at my earliest opportunity to meet with the new Minister Day, I will be raising this issue specific to policing in smaller communities and the need for a detachment in Sachs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.