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

Just one last question related to the marketing dollars that the department has made available to the outfitters. What specifically is that money to be used for? Is it to be used to market their businesses to new audiences, non-hunting related, or is it intended to be used to continue to promote hunting of the Bathurst caribou?

As I understand it, the outfitters are still entitled to commercial tags for sports hunting, so we’re working on that basis. Certainly we’re working with the Barren Ground Outfitters Association and we’ll work with whatever consensus decision they come up with.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement earlier today. First of all on the contracting of previous Ministers. The justifications for sole sourcing that were supplied to me all use the exact same phrase, that the contractors are “uniquely able to deliver the services.” Can the Premier tell me how it is possible for two people to be employed to do the same thing at the same time with each being described as the only person able to do the work? And if, in fact, the work was different, what does this say about the need for greater transparency in contract descriptions and, indeed, in the brief justification for sole sourcing?

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member’s statement as well as his first question seemed to line up quite interestingly with an interview I just did last week with Mr. Selleck from the CBC. As I stated then, the contracts we have in place, what we’ve put in and followed as the Government of the Northwest Territories is one we’ve followed consistently with other governments. When it comes to uniquely qualified, it’s all in context with the different contracts. Sometimes it is the approach that we would have with the

establishing of a relationship with the federal government, sometimes it’s industry and sometimes it’s northern governments. Thank you.

I guess, in summary, that means the Premier is comfortable with this process, which makes me, and I’m sure the public, very uncomfortable. But we’ll leave it at that, then.

May I ask: the contract wording describes the services to be provided under these two contracts and they’re identical, again, word for word. Each lucrative contract, up to $1,500 per day plus expenses, uses 58 words to describe the services to be provided under a quarter million dollars, almost, worth of contracts. Will the Premier tell us if these in fact were lobbying contracts, as the wording seems to suggest, who was lobbied, when were they lobbied, on what subjects and what were the results of this investment of public dollars? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Possibly a lot of questions there. Mr. Roland, I’ll allow you to answer.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is adding his language to contracts that were established through the executive office. The simple fact is, as the Government of the Northwest Territories we find need to hire those who have experience and expertise in dealing with northern issues either in Ottawa, in provinces or in the North. These circumstances, as with previous governments and probably other governments in the future, will from time to time find need to hire those with experience and expertise that can bring a dimension to dealing with other decision-makers across the country. Thank you.

Again, I asked for what’s the product and I heard no product for almost a quarter million dollars worth of public dollars.

My next question, Mr. Speaker: other jurisdictions -- Canada, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. -- prohibit former Members from accepting any government contracts for periods of from six months to five years after leaving office. Another huge hole is that there is no prohibition on former Ministers taking jobs during their cooling off period with companies that get government contracts in the former Minister’s area of responsibility. Does the Premier agree that the current contracting restriction applying only to the prior Minister’s department is inadequate and needs a rigorous revision? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we operate with the tools that we have as the Government of the Northwest Territories. If the Assembly feels we need to tighten up and change that policy, let’s have that debate and let’s see where we go with it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Finally an answer that I think the public and this House will respond to. Finally, Mr. Speaker, what is the Premier’s view on hiring former Ministers to continue influencing the political agenda they are no longer elected to shape? Mahsi.

I have all kinds of opinions on how to do the job we have before us as Members of the Legislative Assembly, but clearly the direction, the strategic direction, the goals of the Legislative Assembly are those of ours around these tables here, this Legislative Assembly. How we implement the business case of approach to the different organizations and governments is something else that, at times, we need to draw in the other expertise and, again, because we’re a small territory, we find need to draw on the experience of previous leaders of government, leaders, whether they’re aboriginal leaders or business leaders. We find, from time to time, there’s a need to draw on their expertise to help us deliver our message. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services. It’s in regard to my Member’s statement in regard to the H1N1 crisis that we find ourselves in. More importantly, what is this government doing to ensure the well-being of communities that don’t have health professionals in their communities -- communities such as Tsiigehtchic -- and ensuring that we are doing everything that we can to ensure the well-being of the communities is taken care of and we do have the professions on the ground to assist these communities through these critical times. More importantly, that these communities are totally isolated because of the freeze-up at this time of the year, especially the community of Tsiigehtchic that does not have an airport and the only means in and out is with helicopter.

I’d like to ask the Minister: what is your department doing to ensure the community is being served during this critical time in regard to the H1N1? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Member for the question because,

as the Member has stated, it has been a preoccupation of myself as the Minister of Health and Social Services, the department and the government, to make sure that our communities are prepared, especially in light of the fact that many of our communities are remote and isolated, many of them we have are majority aboriginal people who, especially in small communities, are more prone to perhaps not contact the flu but once contacted, complications can develop.

So one of the first things I did was to make sure that this gets on the national agenda, and I was glad to see that Minister Aglukkaq and all of the provincial and territorial Ministers accepted that the vaccines, when they came, that they had to go to remote and isolated communities, and it’s nationwide and the NWT is considered on the priority list so that everybody in the NWT will be vaccinated first.

With respect to Tsiigehtchic, Mr. Speaker, all of our communities are covered with health care services, especially right now in preparation for the influenza activity. Even though Tsiigehtchic right now doesn’t have a permanent nurse sitting there, Beaufort-Delta is ready to send extra resources to Tsiigehtchic on a moment’s notice, if the need arises. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The time for question period is expired; however, I will allow the Member a supplementary question. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every other Health Minister in the past going backwards has made sure that there’s a health provider in the community during break-up and freeze-up. This is the first time that this government has not had a full-time nursing position in Tsiigehtchic during freeze-up. In light of the crisis of H1N1, you’d think that this government or the Minister and her department will realize the emergency that’s at hand here today. So I’d like to ask the Minister: why is it that this year this department has not put a nurse in Tsiigehtchic during freeze-up?

Mr. Speaker, the policy is to have a nurse in Tsiigehtchic during the freeze-up. I was not aware that they did not have a nurse there right away. I will look into that. I was not aware of that. I was under the understanding that Tsiigehtchic will have a nurse stationed there. I want to let the Member know that I will follow up and get back to the Member by the end of the day. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, in my statement I made reference to the urgency of having these professions in the communities that don’t have nursing today. I’m not only talking about Tsiigehtchic, I’m talking about Sachs Harbour, Wrigley and Colville Lake, communities that are seeing the effects of this epidemic. I think we have to be proactive and not have to wait until we have a

situation where we’re going to send people in. If anything, those people should be on the ground today ensuring that the community is protected and, more importantly, that those people that do come down with this virus are being served in their home communities, and not wait for something to happen. So when will these people be in those communities to provide this vital service? Thank you.

Sachs Harbour has a nurse-in-charge there. Even though Sachs Harbour is small, because it’s so remote they have a permanent nursing staff there. With respect to Wrigley, a nurse has been visiting that community and during the freeze-up and break-up there will be a nurse there. Tsiigehtchic, that is the same situation. I have to advise the House that all of the authorities, all of the communities are under a very close surveillance of what is going on in communities and every authority has a plan in place to have human resources backup and staff into communities where needed. I understand, and I think the Member knows, that this government is working to enhance nursing service in both Wrigley and Tsiigehtchic and the plans are underway and it will be made more concrete and public at the will of the House. Thank you.