Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To continue once again on the caribou outfitter issue, I now have questions for the Minister of ITI, who is also responsible for the business development. Mr. Speaker, has the Minister or the department taken a look at the fact that if all these outfitter businesses go the path of the buffalo, does he have any assessment as to how much money in public money is outstanding by these businesses that we may potentially lose? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I pointed out in the House prior, we're working with the outfitters. We know that Wekeezhii board is having some public hearings on the caribou tag numbers and the caribou plan going forward. We expect them to come back and provide some input to the Minister of ENR. But as I told the House, we're working with the outfitters to build their presentation to the Wekeezhii board and, at the same time, we're also sitting down to talk through some scenarios with them, because there are a number of scenarios that need to be considered. When these numbers come back, we're not sure if they'll be lower or if they'll be non-existent, or if they'll be higher. But we're considering all scenarios. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister talks about scenarios. If the Wekeezhii board comes back and says no caribou, he's talked about working on scenarios, what would the scenario be if there were no tags allowed to be issued? Thank you.

That's a hypothetical question in the future, so I'm going to disallow that question. Do you have a following supplementary, Mr. Hawkins?

Mr. Speaker, what scenario is being drawn up if no caribou are allowed to be hunted next year? Thank you.

Again, I'm going to rule that question hypothetical.

---Ruled Out of Order

Oral questions. Written questions. Returns to written questions. Petitions. Reports of committees on the review of bills. Tabling of documents. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled Northwest Territories Graduates: 1976 to 2006. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Tabling of documents. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to table a document entitled Mackenzie Gas Project Socio-Economic Agreement. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to table a magazine article entitled The Resource Curse and the Mackenzie Gas Project. The author is Russell Banta, an independent consultant in Ottawa, and it was published in the magazine Policy Options, December 2006 to January 2007. Mr. Speaker, thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Tabling of documents. Notices of motion. Notices of motion for first reading of bills. First reading of bills. Second reading of bills. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Bills 18, 19, 21, Committee Reports 7, 8, 9 and 10, with Mrs. Groenewegen in the chair.

I'll call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of the committee today? Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Madam Chair. The committee wishes to consider Bill 21, Appropriation Act 2007-2008, specifically dealing with the Department of Education and Transportation. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Does the committee agree?

Agreed. We'll do that right after a break. Thank you.

---SHORT RECESS

We are on the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. I'd like to ask the Minister responsible, Mr. Dent, if he'd like to bring in his witnesses.

Yes, please, Mr. Chairman.

Does the committee agree?

Thank you. Please, Sergeant-at-Arms, escort the witnesses in.

Thank you. Committee, before we get started, I'd like to recognize Mr. Roger Simpson who's with us in the Gallery today from the Auditor General of Canada office.

---Applause

Welcome to our proceedings, Mr. Simpson. Thank you. I would now like to ask Minister Dent to please introduce your witnesses.