Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today, I just want to say thank you to all the sponsors, participants and organizers, especially all of the community members of Deninu Kue who put together a successful old-timers tournament over the past weekend. It was nice to see many friends from the surrounding communities of Fort Smith, Hay River, Kakisa and Fort Providence come to Deninu Kue to take part in this first annual old-timers hockey tournament.

Mr. Speaker, these types of events bring a community together not just to ensure that the tournament can be successful, but, more importantly, to build pride amongst the general population in themselves so people can proudly pat each other on the back and say that they did it together.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that this is only the beginning of something that will be ongoing for our community, getting organized on an idea, inviting friends to participate, having fun, making new friends and celebrating the successes. This was accomplished last weekend, Mr. Speaker. I say to my constituents, congratulations. Keep up the good work toward community cooperation and camaraderie. I look forward to participating in similar upcoming community events. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement today is about putting the human in human resources. Staff costs for many employers comprise up to 50 percent of the total office expense. This fact alone should prove the importance of hiring excellent people and having excellent processes to hire them.

The GNWT has difficulty attracting qualified people. The application process needs to be a little more humane. Perhaps there is something inherent in our hiring practice that shuts certain people out. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business indicates that labour market statistics show that pockets of the labour force are being underemployed in underutilized areas that are relevant to their training and experience. Statistical studies show that main groups in areas of women, visible minorities, people with disabilities and aboriginals are being targeted. The last two groups are categories of particular concern. Less than half of those people with disabilities who are willing and able to be employed are for aboriginal people. Unemployment is over 33 percent across this country. We need to alter negative trends. That requires educational opportunities and various other strategies from different departments. This includes Human Resources. Maybe the GNWT Human Resources needs to consider some fresh new ideas. Let's be innovative. Let's go back to the days when we acknowledged a receipt of someone's resume. Let's send them a letter to say, hey, we got it. It is in the mix. Mr. Speaker, by putting little steps in the vat, people feel like they are not sending their resume into the abyss hoping for luck that week. What about posting some sample resumes on our web site to let people know what we are looking for and demonstrate this in writing? It is difficult to write a resume to an application when you are a little nervous doing this. Mr. Speaker, we can expand the interview process by giving some details. It is very daunting when you walk into a room and you are sat down in front of three people

you may have never met and then all of a sudden forced to answer questions. It is a bit of a scary process.

Mr. Speaker, equivalencies are often a complaint we hear in the MLA's office where there is sometimes confusion on how they are truly demonstrated. Mr. Speaker, I explained all of this about trying to take away our conveyer belt method of hiring people. It is just about, again, putting the human side to the human resources again. As we all know, the GNWT is no longer the employer of choice. So let's start moving in the 21st century to show that we are progressive and professional. Let's start trying to attract those people.

Mr. Speaker, all of these suggestions are just ideas. I am hoping to get some good responses from the Minister later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thoroughly enjoyed yelling at the Housing Minister.

---Laughter

I am sure he is used to it.

Mr. Speaker, the more I understand and read on the amount of money that is going out of the NWT in royalties, the more upset I am starting to become and I think the more upset the people of the NWT are starting to become.

A recent article in the Edmonton Journal makes a good point. Some of the money that is leaving the Territories, and Ottawa's so-called justification for this money leaving the Territories saying that they pay us more in transfer payments than we get in royalties, that is pretty lame, as far as I'm concerned. We are part of Canada. It is their obligation to look after us like they look after the rest of Canada. Saying that they are giving us more in transfer payments, I think, Mr. Speaker, is a pretty poor excuse. Saying that they don't want another Alberta with their big heritage fund and them keeping a part of their royalties also stinks. It is a pretty lame excuse, Mr. Speaker. We don't want to be another Alberta. We want to be the Northwest Territories. We want to be able to keep what is rightfully ours.

Mr. Speaker, this is a subject that I am going to be pushing a lot more because a lot of people in the Territories live in poverty, even though they are working, because of the high cost of living. You can make $50,000 a year and you are considered living in poverty with the high cost of living. That is something that we have to be concerned with, Mr. Speaker. We can't allow this. We don't have a heritage fund. We should have a trust fund. All this money in royalties leaving the Northwest Territories. How much do we have in our trust fund? I bet it is a big fat zero.

Mr. Speaker, I am going to have some questions for Mr. Handley on his meeting with the Prime Minister. Hopefully, we can start doing something to get our royalties because, Mr. Speaker, it is really starting to upset me that we are losing so much bloody money and we have nothing to show for it. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize today both the chair of NWT Tourism, Robin Witherspoon, and the executive director, David Grindlay, who are here today for the kick-off of

Tourism 2010 - A Tourism Plan for the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Oral questions. The honourable Member for the Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of ITI in regards to the Canol Heritage Trail. Would he give me, in the House, an update as to the progression of promoting the Canol Heritage Trail and the wonderful opportunities that exist there? Could the Minister do that for me? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The development of the Canol Trail Park is one that is very important to our government, I think very important to the people of the Sahtu, and has great potential as a tourism lure going forward. For a number of years now, we have identified funds in the budget. We have been trying to put together a working group to advance the project. I have to acknowledge that we haven't made a lot of headway. The difficult part, of course, is finding the money and we've done that. There is quite a bit of money identified in this year's budget, if Members will know, from our discussion the other day in Committee of the Whole. We have kicked off discussions again. We are bringing the parties together. It is going to be very important for us and something that we prepare now in the coming months to deliver on. It is very important for us to get out there and spend this money effectively and, in fact, develop this wonderful tourism attraction. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in terms of bringing these people together to form this committee, can the Minister inform me in terms of the involvement from our community members in the Sahtu, like Norman Wells and Tulita, in terms of having the committee come together, because I believe the Canol Heritage Trail has some impact on the Sahtu Dene/Metis land claim? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a commitment arising from the land claim and, of course, the federal government and our government take it very seriously. As I've said, there has been money identified in recognition of the priority that it is. Operationally, we've had difficulty in moving forward, in having the committee generate the work we need it to do. But I think we're on the right foot now. I just saw an e-mail the other day with the superintendent requesting that the parties get back together and kick this off. In the next year we'd like to be able to have done our work and work with the committee so that we can take the formal steps that we need to take to establish the park in our Territorial Parks Act regulations. But we think that will probably take up to a year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister in terms of the Canol Heritage Trail proposal in terms of his department's support. I appreciate the Minister indicating the e-mail from the superintendent to get things moving now with the Canol Heritage Trail. Would the Minister in terms of having ongoing programs or services to the Canol Heritage Trail in terms of establishing it similar to, a park similar to approximately a band or something in that area in terms of having this park re-establish the Northwest Territories as a major focal point for tourism in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.