Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Dent had some questions about the Working Together program, and as he got a little further into it, I started to have some real concerns. I have a few questions for the Minister.

I am wondering if the Minister can tell me how many jobs the Working Together program provided last year? How many jobs is he proposing this $150,000 will provide for this year? Thank you.

That is great and I am glad to hear that. However, I would suggest that if I am 30 or 40 or 50 years old, I do not really want to be in high school during the day with 15 and 16-year old kids. I guess it would be necessary if you want to access a physics lab or a chemistry lab, then I guess that you have to suck it up and head back to school in order to get these kinds of courses. We know they are not available in the evenings.

I do not think that this makes sense. I think we have to make a real effort to focus some of our money on ABE, specifically getting adults up to that basic high school diploma level before we start worrying about these other things that may just be icing on the cake.

I am not at all knocking the programs the college has. The nursing program and the business program are all very valuable. However, there are people who just want to get a basic high school diploma. I think it is important that we focus some more money in this area specifically for night programs. My understanding is that, in the past, when these things have been offered, they had to turn students away because there has been such a high demand. I would like us to take a closer look at that.

I would also like to ask the Minister, on March 31, 2000, when the funding for community skills and for this ABE sunsets, can the Minister tell us exactly which programs and which communities this funding sunsetting will affect?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would just suggest that income support certainly does not provide sufficient money for someone to go to school and quit their job. I think that we find, typically, people on income support rely on it to top up the amount of money that they receive from working in order to make ends meet. That may be little comfort, but I think we should certainly look at extending student financial assistance to people who are taking ABE. I think it only makes sense.

I do not know why we would start to talk semesters for student financial assistance and talk about how many semesters of university you are eligible for under the student financial assistance program when we will not allow it to extend to the simple, basic need for a high school diploma. The Minister mentioned that we have 250 adults in the ABE program. I would just like him to clarify, is this 250 adults who are currently going to get a high school diploma? If so, I assume they would be trying to get their high school diploma during the day, because there are no evening courses offered. If the Minister could just confirm, are 250 adults going for their high school diplomas during the day? Or is he referring to adults who are getting into nursing, getting into business, getting into other specific things where they will not necessarily receive a high school diploma? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to pick up on something that Mr. Miltenberger left on. I am very concerned about the sunsetting of the Community Skills for Work program. I guess to a larger degree the whole monies available for adult basic education. I think in committee, we heard either the Minister or the deputy tell us that it is possible, if you live in a small community, to wait two to three years for adult basic education.

We have heard the problem in Yellowknife, as I believe the deputy told us, is not so much a problem of waiting lists, but whether or not the course is offered at a given time. I would argue that this is essentially the same problem for students who are looking to upgrade their education and get their high school diplomas.

Now, if I am 24 or 25 years old and I have left school without graduating and now I want to go back to get my high school diploma, I would like to ask the Minister what options are available for me? As I understand it, there is nothing available in the evening for me to get my high school diploma if I choose to go that route.

So, what I am saying is, if I would like to stay employed during the day so I can pay the bills, and go to school in the evenings, this is not available. Essentially, what I have to do is quit my job, go on income support and attend the college. The Minister has told us, even though the community skills for work program has sunsetted or will sunset, they are going to look at possibly reinstating it. That is great. He reassures us that there is $2.5 million a year for ABE available through the college, but as Mr. Miltenberger mentioned, this typically addresses programs like nursing or business, or specifically programs like this that allow you to do some upgrading to get into college, but does not provide the necessary course to get a high school diploma.

If I am interested in just getting the basics, just getting a high school diploma but I missed the boat, quit school for whatever reasons when I was younger, I am now really stuck if I am in my 20's or 30's. I can go back to high school, but how many 30 year olds really feel comfortable going back to high school during the day? I do not think this is realistic.

I think we can see that we need some evening programs available for people who would like to get their high school, and I would like to have the Minister address this concern and tell us what he plans to do about ABE, especially to allow students to get a high school diploma. The very basic, simplest thing here, nothing fancy.

I would also like to discuss student financial assistance. In this regard, I understand we are looking at various semesters that we might allow students to access funding for. We do not provide any student financial assistance for those who might be middle aged, have to leave work to go back to get an education to get a high school diploma. That is my understanding. If the Minister could address a couple of those questions. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Premier for his response. But I am aware that seven other provinces in the country have made the type of exemptions we are talking about here today for DND and RCMP officials. To date, there has not been a single challenge to the Charter of Rights on this issue. I am wondering if the Premier feels this would be a different story here in the North than it has been across Canada. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister referred to concerns regarding a possible challenge to the Charter of Rights that such an exemption would cause. Could the Minister provide me with some clarification on what grounds the challenge to the Charter of Rights would be made? I was not clear.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up with the Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development regarding my Member's statement today.

Could the Minister advise this House whether he supports the numerous requests of RCMP and DND officials to have the residency requirement of two years waived or possibly adjusted for these two groups? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For years now, this government has been deferring a response to concerns regarding the current residency requirements to obtain a hunting licence in the North. I am aware this has been an ongoing issue for many, many years and there have been repeated requests by Members of this Assembly to have the regulations changed in the Wildlife Act. These changes are being requested to allow members of the Military and RCMP the privilege of hunting without having to wait the current two-year period.

Last Friday, Mr. Speaker, my colleague, Mr. Dent, asked questions relating to our current legislation, which does not recognize the limitations and restrictions of DND and RCMP staff. My colleague also questioned the Minister responsible for the Wildlife Act on whether or not new amendments will recognize the employment restrictions these two groups of federal employees have.

I am very concerned, Mr. Speaker, that this government will fail to recognize the calls for legislative revisions to allow members of these two groups to ever hunt in the North. I have reviewed Hansards of the previous Assembly and a great deal of previous correspondence relating to repeated requests to add provisions to address the residence requirement of RCMP and DND officials.

I was disappointed when I read the response of the Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development in the unedited Hansard from Friday's question period. He had suggested, and I quote, "it would probably be a lot faster if they just extended their stay, so they would not have to leave the Northwest Territories before enjoying the hunting privileges everyone else enjoys through their extended stays."

Mr. Speaker, we all know RCMP and DND staff often do not have any say as to where the federal government stations them. Many are posted for only two-year placements. This time limit is out of their hands. Mr. Speaker, we should take this request seriously and change our hunting regulations to accommodate these individuals in public service. This should be changed out of respect and appreciation for these federal servants and to bring legislation in line with many other jurisdictions In Canada. We need to make these changes, Mr. Speaker.

On Friday, the Minister stated such an exemption could violate the provisions of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Again, Mr. Speaker, I have to seriously question what would make our hunting regulations so unique. There has not been a challenge to the Charter of Rights in any other jurisdiction in Canada on this matter. Later today, I will be directing my questions to Premier Kakfwi, the Minister responsible for this legislation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think I can speak for most of the Members of this House when I say that the amount of money that was presented in the new federal budget for infrastructure was disappointing.

I think we realize that by the time that $150 million filters down to this level, no matter what statistics we use for dividing this up, it is not going to be enough money to go around and develop infrastructure the way we need to see it develop in the North.

I am suggesting that we make a plea to the federal government and let them know that highways, roads and infrastructure are going to be critical for economic development.

If there is economic development money available to us on a project specific basis, maybe we can appeal to them on this basis. Just a comment. Thank you.