Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Premier tell us what he sees as being the next step in these discussions? I think I heard him say that they are going to try to have another future meeting. When is he anticipating that this meeting is going to take place? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in reference to my Member's statement today, I'd like to direct my question to the Premier in terms of what I said earlier on today. Can the Premier tell us when was the last time he was able to have a discussion with our northern leaders on resource revenue sharing and where do things stand today? Thank you.

Mahsi, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, the Aboriginal Pipeline Group has made substantial gains in terms of ensuring aboriginal people of Northwest Territories will benefit from the proposed pipeline. It is a great example of how cooperation can be successful. As leaders of the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Premier has the crucial leadership role in helping the Northwest Territories work together for the benefit of our territory. Time is of essence, Mr. Speaker. If leaders across the Northwest Territories do not rise to the opportunity and come together to ensure NWT residents receive the benefits of our northern resources, we risk losing out on this historic opportunity.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the Premier to be a leader among leaders. Now is the time to join forces. It is the Premier's role to rally the troops. We must all work even more diligently to ensure resource development is to the benefit of the Northwest Territories' residents. Mahsi.

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Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to speak about the need for strong leadership at this crucial time in the Northwest Territories' history.

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Land claims up and down the valley are either completed or under negotiations. Self-government will soon be a reality in many regions, changing the political landscape of the Northwest Territories. Leaders of First Nations groups across the Northwest Territories are in a strong position to negotiate the terms and conditions of future resource development in the best interests of their people.

Mr. Speaker, the potential benefits of the pipeline are significant. The Mackenzie Valley gas pipeline is expected to bring about the largest economic boom in the history of the Northwest Territories. The economic benefits for the Northwest Territories, if this opportunity is managed correctly, are enormous. Exploration of diamonds and other minerals continues. No doubt, there are more large-scale mining projects in the future.

Mr. Speaker, we are a territory that is rich in resources, and yet many of our people are still struggling to make ends meet. This won't change unless we can work together to negotiate the very best possible deals with resource companies and with the Government of Canada. I read the following quote about leadership not too long ago, and it struck me as how fitting for this time in the history of the Northwest Territories. I quote, "I started with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers." According to the premise of this quote, leadership in the Northwest Territories has done well over the last decade. There are now more leaders working in the best interest of the people of Northwest Territories than ever before. However, as we all move our agendas forward, it is crucial that we not allow ourselves to fall prey to divide-and-conquer tactics by outsiders. We might agree to disagree on some things, but we all have a common interest in making sure we, as northerners, are the primary beneficiaries of resource development.

Mr. Chairman, I understand how the process works, but as my other colleagues have indicated, it's the Department of Health that deals with the formula funding for the hospital for Inuvik.

Now, surely your department must have got advice from whoever is building that new section, what the costs are going to be for O and M for a year. I'm not so sure how the formula funding pertaining to power and to heating is calculated. I don't know if it's square footage times so much fuel per square foot equals a figure and this is what you get for a year, or...I know normally what they do is they take the square footage and they multiply and they get a number. Obviously, the department has miscalculated and I'm surprised the board itself has not picked up the shortfall that has been calculated for them, saying this is your budget for this year and now after a full year of operation, they have to come back to you because the department, with their calculation and their formula financing, wasn't up to par.

Now you have to come back to us, you went back to FMBS and asked for that $1.4 million, or now you're coming here to ask us to approve $1.8 million. There is something wrong. As my colleagues have said, the people that are involved in doing these calculations...I mean, something has to happen. Something went wrong in the system where a figure of this magnitude should not have occurred. The advice that architects or whoever designed this building, in calculating O and M for a full year should have been provided to your department more accurately. It seems to me that this scenario didn't happen. That's why we are in this predicament right now.

Right now we have no choice but to approve it, because it's based on actuals from last year and I'm going to support it. But the point I'm trying to make is that the officials at your department, not your department, Mr. Minister of Finance, but the Department of Health and Social Services that does all the calculation and stuff have to be made aware and put on notice that we are not going to stand for this type of miscalculation in an amount of this magnitude again. Thank you.

Now with a brand-new addition or a brand-new facility, we're giving them extraordinary funding for heating and fuel costs for the Inuvik Hospital. I don't think it's fair. It doesn't seem to appear that it's fair. There is no fairness there because a few years ago this is exactly what happened here in Yellowknife. Thank you.

It will be interesting to see, because if it was, for instance, the Stanton Territorial Hospital getting into a deficit and their formula financing, even though they go to the department they would have a hard time to get extraordinary funding. A few years ago they had to shut down a whole wing just because they didn't have the money in their budget.

Mr. Chairman, I guess I have to jump in here now. It is my understanding, Mr. Chairman, I guess the only way the Inuvik authority, in order for them to get extraordinary funding, is to put it under this category as forced growth. If I understand correctly, all these hospital authorities that we have like Stanton, Inuvik, Fort Smith and Hay River I guess aren't they all block funded, and if they run into a deficit then they have to eat their own deficit. It appears to me that in order for Inuvik to get extraordinary funding and the government put it under this category as forced growth so that they can assist them in their heating and power consumption, am I not correct? Thank you.