Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly had discussions with the Prime Minister about resource revenue sharing. I did outline to him the concerns that we have with the amount of revenues that are flowing out of the Northwest Territories from non-renewable resource development. I thanked him for his comments that he had provided to me on paper during the election and he reaffirmed that those were certainly as solid today as they were the day that he wrote them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Premier for that. You know, we have a lot of money leaving the Northwest Territories and if the pipeline goes ahead, there's going to be potentially $750 million a day leaving the Territories. They think by giving us $500 million for a social impact fund over 10 years, it's going to keep us happy. That's one day flow plus some change. So the question I would like to ask the Premier is, do we have a timeline as to when we can expect these negotiations to start? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We don't have a specific timeline, Mr. Speaker. While I was in Ottawa, I met with both with the Minister for the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, the Honourable Jim Prentice, and also with the Prime Minister. Both of them expressed support for our position on resource revenue sharing and reaffirmed that we should be the primary beneficiaries of the revenues, but these were introductory meetings, initial meetings. It was too early to begin talking about specific timelines. Mr. Speaker, I can say that Minister Prentice, at the meeting with him on Friday, committed to coming to the Northwest Territories before the end of March to further discussions on this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I think of all the money that's leaving the Northwest Territories...We want a highway for the NWT, $750 million. There's so much that we can help to fund if we get part of our resource revenue sharing. I would like to ask the Minister, with the minority government in Ottawa, how confident is this government that we may have some sort of agreement-in-principle in place if we have another election soon? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I think I can safely say that right now, we have agreement-in-principle verbally on resource revenue sharing. The federal Minister and the Prime Minister both hold the same position that I do: the North should be the primary beneficiary of resource revenues. Mr. Speaker, as a minority government, there is always a question mark on the life of the government, whether it will last a full term or not. There is that kind of uncertainty. Mr. Speaker, I think the federal Prime Minister and Minister are aware of it and are willing to work with us on it. As I said earlier, Mr. Speaker, the Minister of DIAND has committed to coming to the Northwest Territories in March to have further discussions on this and other matters. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a written question to the WCB Minister, Honourable Charles Dent.

1. The WCB has been increasing the rate of subcategory 76 to the maximum or near maximum for four years straight. WCB claims this is due to high claim costs in the subcategory. What steps has the WCB taken in the past four years to correct the high claim costs offenders in this subcategory?
2. What specific reasons does the WCB have for not creating a merit-based assessment program for all participants in subcategory 76?
3. How are subcategory placements decided? What are the specific criteria methodology for placing one type of business into any specific subcategory?
4. What appeal process is in place if a particular business feels it is not correctly placed into the right subcategory?
5. Can the WCB please outline the appeal process that participants have for their specific annual assessment?
6. What process is there to review the subcategories where the assessment rate in certain subcategories hit maximum increase or near maximum increase for three to four years?
7. What mechanisms are in place to share the cost of increasing claims across the subcategories? How does this process get triggered?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lee. Written questions. Returns to written questions. Mr. Clerk.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Returns to written questions. Petitions. Reports of committees on the review of bills. Tabling of documents. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Tabling of documents. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the interest of public education, I am tabling a document, actually a note sent to me last week by the Premier, the Honourable Joe Handley, during my questioning during caribou harvesting regulations. The issue at the time, Mr. Speaker, was how to tell the difference between a bull and a cow caribou. I find that Mr. Handley's drawing based on his extensive experience is very instructive for people like me and, yet, Mr. Speaker, I believe the document is still suitable for legislative and family viewing. Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Tabling of documents. Notices of motion. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, March 2nd, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Sahtu, that the government establish standards for paying elders for their traditional knowledge comparable to fees paid to other expert consultants; and further, that the government implement measures to ensure that payments to elders are not clawed back from their pensions. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Notices of motion. Notices of motion for the first reading of bills. First reading of bills. Second reading of bills. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Bill 18, Committee Reports 5, 6 and 7. By the authority given the Speaker by Motion 9-15(4), Committee of the Whole may sit beyond the hour of adjournment until it is prepared to report, with Mrs. Groenewegen in the chair.

I call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Madam Chairman. The committee wishes to review the Department of Executive and the Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations.

Very good. Is committee agreed?