Mr. Speaker, it gives me pleasure to recognize somebody who’s travelled down from Inuvik, Mr. Norm Snowshoe, as well as my executive assistant, Bobby-Jo Greenland.

I, too, would like to recognize Mr. Norm Snowshoe and Bobby-Jo Greenland, formerly from Aklavik and Fort McPherson, who are now living in Inuvik.

I as well have the honour to be able to recognize two constituents from Fort Smith, members of the Seniors’ Society, Mrs. Bea Campbell and Mr. Leon Peterson. Welcome.

I’d like to recognize Blake Lyons, the president of the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society, an ex-city councillor and a constituent.

I want to recognize a couple of people. First of all, Blake Lyons, former president of the NWT Association of Communities, and also a guy I went to college with: Norman Snowshoe, with whom I spent many long nights… studying.

Laughter.

He has now decided to enter the political arena and is running for the presidency of the Gwich’in Tribal Council. I’d like to welcome him here and also wish him the best of luck.

I’d like to recognize, down from Inuvik, Lillian Elias.

I’d also like to recognize my

sister-in-law, Bobby-Jo Greenland.

I’d like to recognize Joseph Lanzon. I believe he used to work here in the Legislative Assembly in a previous life and now lives in Ottawa.

Mr. Speaker, it’s my honour and privilege to recognize Ms. Jean Gruben, one of my constituents from Tuktoyaktuk, in the House.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great honour to recognize from the NWT Seniors’ Society board of directors Leon Peterson from Fort Smith, Bea Campbell from Fort Smith, Eileen Collins from Hay River, Terry

Villeneuve from Fort

Resolution-Deninu Ku’e, Florence Barnaby from Radilih Koe’-Fort Good Hope, Lillian Elias from Inuvik, Jean Gruben from Tuktoyaktuk, Blake Lyons from Yellowknife, and Barb Hood, of course, the executive director.

I’d also like to recognize Norm Snowshoe. When we were going to school, we really did study hard.

I also wanted to recognize Barb Hood, the executive director of the NWT Seniors’ Society.

I’d like to recognize Mr. Jim White. He’s the executive director of the Yellowknife Housing Authority here in Yellowknife and has come to a number of sessions. He does a good job down there.

Sorry to disappoint Mr. Abernethy, but I’d also like to recognize Mr. Blake Lyons as my constituent.

If we’ve missed anyone in the gallery today, thanks for being here. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings. It’s always nice to have an audience in here.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The Hon. Premier, Mr. Roland.

We’ve had a number of discussions, both with the federal government as well as with the regional aboriginal leadership, around the issue of devolution and resource revenue sharing. I’ve had an opportunity to speak with the Prime Minister on this issue, as well as with Minister Strahl, regarding devolution and resource revenue sharing. We continue to have some discussions and try to see where we may be able to move this file.

Can the Premier tell us: what is the position of this current government with respect to resource revenue sharing?

The first position we came forward with was one to see where we were as the Government of the Northwest Territories, have an initial meeting with the regional aboriginal leadership and see if there was continued support from the groups on moving forward with this file. In the last government there was a proposal sent forward to the government. We had that discussion. We know the same groups continue to be on side. Others say they’ve got other initiatives to proceed with before they want to see this file moved along. So we’ve had that discussion.

From our perspective, as Members know, we’re looking to improve programs and services across the North. We know we need a new revenue source. We continue to work along the lines of wanting to move this file forward and, hopefully, bringing it to a conclusion so all Northerners can benefit from the development that happens here in the Northwest Territories.

Can the Premier tell us what impacts resource revenue sharing could have on our budget and our current transfer payment system?

Past numbers have been put out there; for example, dollar figures in the area of $224 million a year that flow to Ottawa in the form of royalties. Now the federal government says the

Norman Wells situation has to be excluded from that. We look at the last public accounts that were filed with the federal government, and the most recent figure that we’ve seen from the other mining industries has shown that it’s been in the neighbourhood of $34 million. You take a look at the equalization program that has formulated along with the territorial formula financing, and the inclusion and exclusion — 50 per cent included and 50 per cent excluded. That means, for example, the last public account number of $34 million: if you split that in half, that’s how we would benefit in the North.

Just a question for the Premier on whether or not the $17 million benefit as a result of resource revenue sharing is a full increase of what we get now or if that’s what we’re going to get — period.

Under the existing scenario it would fluctuate year to year, depending on what the industry in the North pays to the federal government. It did at one point — I believe it was 2003–2004 numbers — and then we combined it with the mining, oil and gas development in the North, along with Norman Wells, and we came up with a figure of approximately $224 million.

Estimates have been made. For example, if the Mackenzie gas pipeline falls in place, that could almost double or even go larger, depending on the royalty rate that’s put in place. But we know, for example, that royalties aren’t paid until some of the corporate costs are paid off. That’s what happened, for example, with our mining industry. So if they reinvest again, as the mines have done in the North, we’ve also seen the reason for the drop in the royalty payments.

The Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

My questions today are to the Minister Responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation and relate specifically to the houses that were constructed in Fort Res that now sit vacant. It’s my understanding that at least three of these homes were built by the Housing Corp. through the home ownership program and that, once constructed, there were no eligible candidates to actually take over those houses. So they’ve been sitting vacant for two years.

My question to the Minister is: what criteria are used in determining which community these homes are built in, in anticipation that they will be purchased through the home ownership program?