Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I would be glad to provide the Member with more details. I'll simply go back to the provider, the people doing the testing, and get a firm date for the Member to answer her request. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Oral questions. The honourable Member from Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Minister of Health and Social Services in follow up to the Members' statements by myself and the Member from Range Lake and it's to do with the current labour dispute at Trailcross. I'd first like to acknowledge the efforts of the Minister to try to resolve this, but I'd like to ask the Minister if he could update this House to the most current circumstance in terms of what is happening with the strike? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'll have to be very careful in responding to this issue. As the Member is aware, there is still a process in place and all those negotiations have halted. There are some discussions still going back and forth. Our first priority, as a Department of Health and Social Services, was to ensure that the youth in that facility were taken care of in other facilities and we've done so and we'll continue to monitor that. On the other side of the equation, we've done our part through the Fort Smith Health and Social Services Authority in contacting the contractor to see how things are going and to encourage a settlement in this area. I, as well, have spoken to union officials and encouraged that we would come up with a successful conclusion and I believe we're, in fact, quite close to a conclusion, hopefully, that they can reach soon. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the Minister for the update. I as well understand that they are very close to a settlement. I'd just like to ask the Minister if he would commit to continue to use the powers of his good office to try to encourage the parties to come to some resolution so that everybody can get back to work and the children can get the care they need? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, to the extent we're able to. We have to recognize the fact that this contract and the union negotiations are going outside our processes. So I'll have to be careful that we're not deemed to be influencing process on either side, but we've been monitoring it on a regular basis and we've had our contact to see what was happening in the current settlement. We will continue to do what we can within our realm of authority to try and ensure that this comes out to a successful conclusion; the sooner, the better. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Oral questions. The honourable Member from the Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier, I spoke about the motion that this government looked at, instructing the Government of the Northwest Territories to work with the counterparts of the jurisdictions to increase the index of northern residents reduction. I would like to find out from the Minister of Finance what progress he has made to date to have the federal government increase the northern residents deduction. In January, the Finance Minister started discussions with his territorial and provincial counterparts and they wrote letters to the Finance Minister. Will the Minister tell this House if he heard back from his colleagues and if he's able to secure their support? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the area of the northern residents tax deduction, I have contacted my fellow colleagues across the country, in the territories and provinces. We are beginning to get their responses back and many of them are favourable. We have another opportunity, in fact. Coming up in September, as the House finance committee launches their pre-budget consultation, we're working with the three territorial Finance departments on a joint presentation and this will be one of the items that we're hoping to include in that consultation process.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Finance Minister give some strong indications to the people in the Northwest Territories in terms of an outline of somewhat of a time frame to see that they will hopefully receive this type of benefit from the federal government in terms of securing support from the other jurisdictions in increasing the northern residents deduction?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it would be difficult to give an absolute timeline as, number one, to try and get a schedule together of all Finance Ministers where we have our joint meetings and, secondly, to get the agreement that we will put that on the agenda that would also include the federal government. On a provincial and territorial side, as I stated, we're starting to get responses back that are favourable and can see that we can put that on a provincial and territorial agenda, but the meeting dates have not been finalized or discussed at this point. Secondly, from that table, to bring it up to the federal/provincial/territorial Ministers table is another initiative that we'd have to go forward on. Again, that's an area of trying to get dates established. Sometimes it is short notice, but we will continue to work on that. The first things are to ensure we've got support with other jurisdictions and that is coming in now. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we know from previous discussions on devolution and resource revenue sharing, this issue here is very important to the people in the North in terms of getting it on the federal government's agenda and having some results. Given that the Public Service Alliance and the Western Arctic MP started a lobbying campaign for a substantial increase of the northern residents deduction, what else does this Minister suggest the GNWT can do to finally get results providing this incentive to its citizens in the North?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have started the process that I think would be the appropriate one. Ultimately, we need the federal government to make that decision. As I stated, we're working with our colleagues across the territories and provinces and we will be addressing the federal committee of finance or the committee that's reviewing pre-budget consultation on the federal budget and will be making a presentation there as well. So we've got a number of processes in place and we'll continue to proceed and push those forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was hoping that the Finance Minister would give some good news to the people in the Northwest Territories prior to us leaving this Assembly in terms of this issue here. I hope that we see a little more progressive steps taken, not like the devolution and resource revenue sharing. So, again, what type of a letter of comfort maybe to the people of the North in terms of this issue as being taken seriously by Canada and the other counterparts so we can see that this issue be front and foremost in terms of this issue being dealt with in the near future?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Roland.