Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, going back five years, and I've been a Member of the House for four years and I've asked questions in the past about the Deh Cho Bridge project, the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation, how it was being funded by the government. You know, we stand here today and the project is over $150 million. Sure, they had to go through an environmental review of that project. That took a year. It has been almost five years since the inception of that Deh Cho Bridge Corporation that we're here today trying to make a decision on a bridge. So somebody has got to bear the responsibility for taking so long to get this project where it is, Mr. Speaker.

I want to switch gears here a little bit and talk about liability of the Deh Cho Bridge project. I'm to understand that there's a statement of claim, which was filed in the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories against the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation, and I'd like to ask the Premier if that is a liability, an ongoing liability for the

Government of the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

The question is leaning a bit toward asking the Premier's opinion on something, but I'm going to allow the question if the Premier is willing to answer it. I'll put the question to the Premier. The honourable Premier.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess just a follow-up question to that. Who is currently paying the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation's legal fees, Mr. Speaker? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think I already answered that one, but the GNWT has loaned the Bridge Corporation money to pay all of their costs up to now and will continue to do that to the point that the financing is in place for the bridge. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Oral questions. The honourable Member from Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today, well they're regarding money and funding so I'll direct them to the Minister of Finance. It's regarding the NGO funding. I'd like to ask the Minister if all requests for NGO funding have to go through regional offices? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first and foremost it would depend on the relationship between the NGO. If they're in our regions, they would go through the appropriate department, the regional staff there. For example, if it's an NGO working with the Department of Health and Social Services or a regional health and social services authority, they would go through that initiative. If it's Education, they would go through the DEC process and then up to the departments on that basis. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to ask the Minister if it would be an option to have all NGOs apply directly to the Finance Minister's office and have it show up as a line item in the budget? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that would be difficult as right now we review on a department basis the requests for budget. For example, during budget planning processes we work with the departments, departments bring their forced growth initiatives up through those avenues. For example, the Department of Health and Social Services would work with every authority on some of the forced growth requests and there would be some back and forth on that side before it comes as a departmental plan. It would be difficult to break out each NGO organization, their involvement, and separate them and then come directly to the Finance Minister. We look at department initiatives through that process. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When the departments bring their requests for funding forward, is there a particular line item in there for all the NGO funding that they propose to give out during the year? Thank you

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, they would fall into a number of different categories specific to what area of the programming the funding was provided under. If it was provided under strictly contribution agreements to groups and regions or if it was a contract basis, delivering part of a service on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories. So it falls into a number of areas. So there isn't a clear line item that would just say NGO contribution agreement. What we would do, for example, if it was a new initiative or highlighting, departments would highlight when they presented to committees the amount that was presented or being requested for authority to committee and then to the House. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the people that work for the NGOs are a resilient bunch, but you can only bend something so far and eventually it is going to break. We are just fortunate that we have these people in the front line. I would like to ask the Minister if there are any steps that we can take to ensure that these folks get their funding in a timely manner so all they have to do is concentrate on working with the clients that they serve? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are a number of initiatives that we have undertaken, as the Government of the Northwest Territories, to improve our working relationship with NGOs. As we realize, they are an integral part of the delivery in a number of areas. So we have looked at a number of factors of working with them. There have been requests made for multi-year funding. We have started to look at that in areas. As well, the government has looked at the overall NGO area where there are requests being included into forced growth. We have done some work in that area and have allowed, starting with this year's budget in 2007-08, items for forced growth to NGOs; in particular, the ones that fall into category A of our relationship. Thank you.