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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to suggest to the Minister that I think he needs to do more than highlight risks in this regard. He is negotiating. He is about to commit a whole lot of public funds on one of the most important projects of this Assembly. I think that the Minister should start playing hardball on this project and not just softball around.

Mr. Speaker, I don't understand why, when this company has the most to gain, $235 million from the oil company, $200 million from government and private sector, I mean lots of money going in there. We are buying products from this company. Why are we assuming all of the risks? Why can't you tell them I want you to produce this and assume the risks that go with that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the simple fact is, if it was purely on the business-to-business scale and looked at workforce housing, any company would just supply your traditional workforce housing, which is of little or no value to us here in the Northwest Territories when we look at the concept of the program we are trying to work with. To have some commitment to be able to take this concept and have it done so that, at the tail end, a conversion is as affordable as possible and we put affordable housing on the ground, we have to step in and see the opportunity that is available there. Yes, there are risks. We are going to have to do our homework. The fact is, this housing will not become available until at least 2010 or 2011 when the pipeline construction is completed. Then we would be able to start moving these things off. We have to come up with a solid concept and begin identifying these areas. As a government, to have companies put some money down of their own to look at this program isn't...wouldn't it be something else to be able to commit to it in a sense of just not going to them and say, look, this is the concept we want, the housing afterwards. Invest in it and come up with a model and we will take it off your hands if you feel it is appropriate. There has to be some buy-in from the GNWT. There has been no cash laid out to this date. At some point, though, in the near future, as discussions are going on around the pipeline, we are going to have to make a commitment. Are we in or are we out? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Minister really should do better on this project. I think there is time and resource to do that, Mr. Speaker. We are talking about helping a very well-established ABCD Company to get a $235 million contract. We are proposing to put more money into it to make it possible. The Minister is saying that, in order to sell this, we have to give them a break. Where is the break for the government? If I was to buy a trailer from anybody, they have to build it and set it up on my lot and guarantee that it is going to work. Why are we assuming all the risks for what could possibly go wrong with all sorts of stuff? Could the Minister commit to look at better about what kind of risks we are taking and if we could transfer any of those risks to the company? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the fact is, as a government, we want to see affordable housing in the Northwest Territories. Taking this concept forward means that we have to make a commitment on our part. If we wanted to stay out of this and just do our traditional work the way we have done in the past, we wouldn't have to assume any risks. But for companies to put this on the ground and come up with a model that is a concept that is workable here in the Northwest Territories, there has to be some buy-in from our portion. Yes, we are looking at the risks to make sure we mitigate them because, for sure, I wouldn't want to be attached to a boondoggle if everything doesn't work out. So we have to make sure we have the money in place, work with Municipal and Community Affairs, with communities to have the land set up and with the companies to make sure this concept is a workable deal. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Education. Some of the discussions throughout this week with regard to ABC Company and the training programs, establishing trades and creating trades for our residents, youth and adult learners, I am sure we have some type of trades program already in existence. Already I am getting feedback; hey, that is a good idea. I would like to get my people out to those training opportunities. I was thinking, Mr. Speaker, our existing programs, what are they and do we have an active recruitment program for them that we bring to the communities? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The sort of programs that we have now going to smaller communities that will be impacted by the pipeline are typically funded through ASEP. This is a joint venture between private companies, aboriginal governments, this government and the federal government. I am sure we would be able to find methods that we could tie into training through that vehicle. My department would also be looking to work with the Housing Corporation, if this project goes ahead, to look at other opportunities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. ASEP is typically oil and gas training. As well, we have money for the mining sector, Mr. Speaker. That is what is driving our hottest economy here in the NWT, is that one sector, but I don't think it is getting out to the communities. I don't think we are recruiting in the communities, at least not in my riding there, Mr. Speaker. I don't see it. In terms of trades, is it the responsibility of our government to get out there, and train our people, and make them aware of the opportunities, and creating the path for them to get out for the training that they want and need? Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, it is the responsibility of this government to make sure that training opportunities are available for our citizens. It is something we try to do. We have already, in the Northwest Territories, the highest per capita participation rates in trades training. That doesn't mean we wouldn't like to see it improved. We certainly would. We need to continue to work with programs like ASEP both in the mining and in the oil and gas side in order to make sure that we can maximize opportunities. If the Member is saying that there aren't enough people hearing about opportunities in oil and gas in his communities for training, I will certainly ask our representative on the ASEP board for that region to bring that to the table, because that group should be promoting access to programs within those communities, as well, as the department does. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Your final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just with respect to that, there is a gap. It has been identified and people are bringing it to me so I am bringing it to the Minister's attention. As well, the planned pipeline project is still not a certainty. However, if and when it becomes a certainty, we have a very short window, Mr. Speaker, like two years or even three years is stretching it, but we don't have a massive campaign to look for our tradespeople or non-traditional trades to get them employed and have the best opportunity for this mega project that is coming. What kind of campaign or recruitment drive do we have for the communities and regions? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As part of our regular program through the schools and through our regional offices, we are trying to make sure that people are aware that there are a lot of economic opportunities in the North. We are not just tied to the pipeline. It would be impossible for us to train the sorts of pressure welders and the other technical skills that are needed to build a pipeline in the period of time that we have between now and when the pipeline is likely to start construction. What we are doing is concentrating, or trying to concentrate, on those areas that will be around after the pipeline is built. We know that this pipeline will stimulate the opening of the whole oil and gas field in the Northwest Territories, so there are going to be lots of jobs available in exploration, production and drilling. So we know those are the sorts of jobs we want people to be ready to get into, as well as the service area. There are going to be a lot of opportunities. We are trying to make sure that kids in school know about them, as well as using our regional offices to get adults interested in going back to school or taking trades training. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is our priority to ensure that jobs provided by our own forces or by our contract crews are filled by people from the North and, if possible, by local communities. Yes, I would agree that we should be providing employment, as the Member has indicated, by our own people from the Northwest Territories.