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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In that regard, is it possible for DPW to look into providing maintenance service for this van? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we'll ensure the Member that we'll do whatever we have to, to ensure the vehicle is in good standing and is safe to drive and also meets the road conditions that it has to operate under. With that again, that's something we can work on with the organization to ensure that it is usable for their requirements. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions this morning are for the Minister responsible for spare vehicles.

--- Laughter

Otherwise for the Workers' Compensation Board of the NWT and Nunavut. Mr. Speaker, I'm very happy to see that the longstanding case of one injured worker has been resolved based on what I perceive to be changes in the WCB's approach to claims for chronic pain. Mr. Speaker, my question: Will the settlement of the Valic case have implications for other workers with longstanding claims for chronic pain before the Workers' Compensation Board? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this issue is not unique only to the Northwest Territories. Chronic pain is an issue right across the country. I think all workers' compensation agencies across Canada realize that we have to come up with a change to our policies to ensure we have a way to deal with the issue of chronic pain, but also deal with it in our existing policies that I mentioned in the House. The Workers' Compensation Board, at their last meeting in Iqaluit, did move on this matter where they're now directing it to legal counsel to do a revised policy, come back to the board possibly in April, and then at that point they will make a decision to either accept the policy change and then implement that change at that time. So with that change, I think it's in the context of the court case and because of not only this court case, but the court cases across Canada has forced the Workers' Compensation Board to deal with chronic pain. I think with this policy change we are doing that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, I'm going to pursue the question perhaps on a different line and see if I can get an answer to my question. It's about whether or not other workers, and I know there are several, who have longstanding claims before our WCB for chronic pain, are they going to now get an opportunity to have that claim addressed? Will the WCB be opening its files and allowing those people to have their day and their appeals to get compensation, Mr. Chairman?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe with the changes that are coming forward, I mentioned the change to the policy in regards to chronic pain policy that's being drafted and also looking forward to bringing forward the legislation next week to the House in regards to changes to the Workers' Compensation Act itself. I think through those changes, we'll clarify exactly what the roles and responsibilities are of people but, more importantly, to ensure that there is conclusion to these processes through additional medical evidence being able to come forward, also getting the third and final opinion from another medical advisor. So again, through the legislative change, through the policy changes we are dealing with, we see a major change which will improve the services that the Workers' Compensation provide to chronic pain victims. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Final supplementary, Mr. Braden.

(Microphone turned off)...understood very much of that. Mr. Speaker, for, in the case of Mr. Valic, there's some 19 years of considerable cost and effort that went into the WCB's avoidance and resistance of his claim. It is now resolved. Mr. Speaker, just what changed at the WCB that allowed this settlement to happen without the benefit of the Appeals Tribunal hearing that was so ordered by the Supreme Court, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd just like to clarify, for the record, that this case has been concluded. As far as we're concerned, it's been addressed and I will not comment on that case. But more importantly, it's not unique in the context of cases going to the Supreme Court. I think because of the issue, like I say, it is a national issue which is not unique to ourselves. There are other cases in Canada that have dealt with this issue and now we are trying to find clarity to change the policies that we have so that people that do fall in the category of chronic pain, we'll be able to diagnose those individuals using a method that hopefully will bring conclusion to these cases so we don't have long, drawn-out cases that go on for 10 or 15 years. So again, by making these changes, we are addressing the need for these long outstanding cases. But again, we may not be able to conclude all of these cases because of the status of those cases in context of the evidence that is presented. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned in my Member's statement, I have almost come to the point where I am ready to throw in the towel on something like the resource revenue sharing deal, but we can't do that. We have to just keep plugging along. But we have talked long enough, Mr. Speaker. I think now is the time for action. I would like to ask the Premier if the Government of the Northwest Territories would be able to take Ottawa to court for some of our resources without affecting our transfer payments. Thanks a lot.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad to hear the Member say that he is not going to throw in the towel because I am not going to throw in the towel on this one either. This has been 20 some years that we have been working at this. It is getting to be a critical issue for us, especially when I look at the growth in non-renewable resource revenues that come to the federal government from $12 million just 10 years ago to $200 and some million now.

Mr. Speaker, we have to keep working. Given the collegial nature of our consensus government, we all have to work together on it. Mr. Speaker, I don't think we can take the federal government to court on it because, legally, the resources still belong to the federal government because the land is still a federal Crown land legally. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, do we have the support of the provinces in our request to get a devolution resource deal? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The provinces and the other two territories tell me that they support us 100 percent. They also have their own interests to look after. So, of course, they look after that first, given their constituencies each of them have. But, Mr. Speaker, they all tell me they support us and are behind us. Everything that they have said would indicate that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Final supplementary, Mr. McLeod.