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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First, let me wish fathers across the Northwest Territories and in this House Happy Father's Day. I appreciate a couple of very heart-warming statements from Members today on that. That was very nice.

Mr. Speaker, yes, obviously last resort in these very difficult situations deciding on a parenting arrangement after a marriage has broken up, the last resort should be the court system. We are very concerned about it. As the Member pointed out in his statement, when these dealings end up being overly litigious and very confrontational and long and drawn out, it is certainly in nobody's best interest, least of all, obviously, the children involved, Mr. Speaker. So we are concerned with that.

We are doing a number of things in our programming and we get a contribution agreement from the federal government to assist and help us with some family law initiatives, but there are a number of programs we have underway. One of the interesting ones is a pilot project with a local lawyer who's been working out of Hay River and Yellowknife, and also done a number of these by conference call and video conference, but around mediation and helping people avoid the court system in these situations. I think that is the goal and we need to do more of that. So yes, we are very much aware, Mr. Speaker, that the court system is not the best answer and the best result for dealing with these very difficult situations. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for his response. Perhaps if the Minister, and he probably may have already had a look at the report entitled For the Sake of the Children, which was commissioned by the federal government a number of years ago, that looked into this very issue and for whatever reason this type of legislation that defaults to equal shared parenting hasn't proceeded in Canada. I'm wondering if the Minister hasn't discussed this issue of equal shared parenting with the new Justice Minister Vic Toews, I'm wondering if and when he may be able to have that type of discussion with the Justice Minister. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I haven't discussed this specific issue with the Minister. I have met with him the one time in Ottawa to talk about a couple of issues and to agree that we needed to sit down and talk about a number of different things and a number of different files more comprehensively. But my officials at a senior official level are involved across the provinces and territories at a working group level. We have something called a coordinating committee of senior officials on family law, which meets frequently to discuss issues, projects, legislative changes. So I know that this is one of the issues that they have been discussing, and legislative change, legislative evolution I know happens very slowly and oftentimes much too slowly for those who are dealing with these very painful issues. I will tell the Member that it's certainly on the national radar and continues to be discussed at a number of forums. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think the Justice Minister of the Northwest Territories has a perfect opportunity to become a champion and a voice for equal shared parenting. I know there's legislation that's in the work in countries like I mentioned, Italy, Belgium, Australia and the United Kingdom. I'd like the Justice Minister today, if he could, to make a commitment to bring the issue back to the table when he gets together with his counterparts, the other Justice Ministers from around this country, to make sure that equal shared parenting is on the agenda, front and centre, so that fathers aren't left not being able to see their kids and spend time with their kids. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Bell.

Mr. Speaker, I will certainly acknowledge that children are best served by having both parents in the home, having access and contact with both parents. Ideally that's what we strive for and our legislation should allow for that, Mr. Speaker. Certainly at my earliest opportunity, when I sit down with my colleagues from across the country, I will talk about the need for our legislation to uphold those principles. Obviously we all believe that the best needs of...the best interests of the children have to come first and children should, obviously, have as much contact with both parents as long as this is in the children's best interest, Mr. Speaker. So those are principles that need to be upheld, first and foremost, and I will certainly raise that issue with my colleagues across the country. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions will be directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services and I'll be asking him questions regarding the spirit and intent of the act that empowers this Minister. So, Mr. Speaker, knowing, as I said, the spirit and intent of

the act recognizes health authorities, maybe we could trouble the Minister today to explain to us where in this act it shows that he should be the chair of Stanton Territorial Hospital when it talks about appointments of board members to hospital boards. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the current legislation there is provision in legislation for boards, for authorities, including Stanton. There is also provision for what happens when there is no board, as there is in this case. What happens then is there's a public trustee to be appointed, which there has been, and that has been the deputy minister. The CEO then reports to the deputy minister. That's the legal arrangement that currently exists with Stanton within the framework parameters of the current legislation. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, the Minister is correct, because it uses the word "may." You know, the Minister may establish a board. But we're talking about the spirit and the intent of the act. Because what's evolved out of this process of once the board has dissolved, he's right; the trustee has been made trustee for life. It's time that we get on and appoint a public board. The spirit and the intent of the act does not describe sort of a relationship where the Minister should sit as the board chair. So, Mr. Speaker, maybe the Minister could then refer to me where this is not considered a conflict, whereas he's the Minister, the overall seer of the board through the act, and so sitting as a chairperson how could we not see this through the act that he is in conflict? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The questions are starting to lead towards the Minister giving his opinion and I don't know if that's a proper question to be asking a Minister of his own opinion and things. I don't know if the Minister wants to answer that question. Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, I just reiterate my previous information, which is the current legislation allows for when there's no board that the public administrator be appointed, which there has been, and that is the deputy minister. That is the legal arrangement that currently exists. Outside of that legislation we have the creation of the Joint Leadership Council, which I sit on with all the board chairs as does the deputy minister. But the legal arrangement is the CEO reports to the public trustee, which is in place and has been done by the current legislation. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, it's in my view that there seems to be some difficulty. I see this as a conflict, in my humble opinion. Although I'm not a lawyer, and I just, you know, I don't have those skills to define that, but I see it as a perceived concern where the Minister sits there. I'd like to see where the Minister shows me in the act of a timely way and mechanism for the reappointment of a board that's an independent public board. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. The Chair is going to caution the Member that in referring to conflicts of interest there is a process in place for dealing with conflict, whether perceived or not. I think again, asking the Member for his opinion on how it fits into the act is...I'm going to ask the Member if he wants to rephrase a supplementary question. I'm not going to go to the Minister with that one. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll pay specific note to that. My apologies in that regard. Mr. Speaker, if I rephrase my question it is, how does the Minister show the true independence of a health board by him not sitting on the board as chairperson and still being a sitting Minister? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Again, asking the Minister for his opinion. We'll allow the Minister, if he wants to answer or doesn't have to answer that question. Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, what my intention is, as Minister is, to maintain the current arrangement where there's a public trustee that's going to oversee, that the CEO's going to report to. The JLC's going to continue and on our legislative agenda is a review and updating and revising of the legislation that governs all the authorities and boards because it is out of date and needs work. But for the foreseeable future I intend to carry on with the arrangement we do have. I believe Stanton is functioning very effectively and the board chairs that I deal with on a regular basis seem quite pleased with the arrangement, as are most people that I've talked to. Thank you.