Thank you, Madam Speaker. Will he be tabling the hard material or anything like that, so that all Members can have information about this deal?

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs or perhaps Renewable Resources, they are responsible for environmental matters. I guess it is very handy it is the same Minister. Madam Speaker, I want to know if the Minister has heard about this deal between the Makivik Corporation and Hydro Quebec?

Thank you, Madam Speaker and colleagues. (Translation) I would like to remind the participants of the Keewatin inaugural youth conference not to be overwhelmed by all the issues that they face. Although the issues before them are serious and may seem daunting, remember to enjoy yourselves. Madam Speaker, I would ask Members of this House to join me in congratulating and wishing the youth conference participants best wishes in the Keewatin region. Thank you.

---Applause

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to inform the House of a meeting that will be held in Rankin Inlet from March 22 to March 24 this week. Starting tomorrow, the youth of the Keewatin region will assemble at the Nanuq Inn in Rankin in the first-ever youth conference of its kind to be held in the Keewatin region. For the information of Members and the public in the Northwest Territories, I will list out some of the topics to be discussed from the agenda: youth coordinator support; Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated code of conduct; youth, the forgotten beneficiaries; finding solutions for our future; elders' traditions; social issues such as peer pressure and self-esteem; suicide; drugs and alcohol; and, there are many other issues to be dealt with which I did not mention. Madam Speaker, the youth of today face great challenges and we, the adults of today, must remind ourselves constantly that whatever we do becomes our legacy and falls into the lap of the youth when they become adults, good or bad. (End of translation)

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

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don't have many questions, but I have a comment I would like to make to the Minister. On page 07-9, under law enforcement, I recognize that the Minister is doing some work on this in the communities. There are police being trained from my community here in Yellowknife under this, and we are involved in community justice and corrections too. I would like to thank the Minister for being able to work with him with regard to these areas. I would like the work to continue in my community.

When the Special Committee on Health and Social Services was in the eastern Arctic, in the Keewatin region, during a public hearing in Repulse Bay they heard that when young people have to wait a long time to be heard in court, they end up committing suicide because they get tired of waiting and are under a lot of stress. I would like the definitive objectives under law enforcement and community justice to continue in my community so that the people who are waiting to be tried and who are under a lot of stress will not commit suicide in the future. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Safety and Public Services. Given that there are some instances of price gouging going on in the small communities, especially in those communities where there is no competition, people in the communities have no real idea what Consumer Affairs does. Can the Minister tell me what kind of advertising the department does to make sure people, particularly in the small communities, know what Consumer Affairs can do for them?

Thank you, Madam Speaker. (Translation) Today, I would like to talk about the concern I have and the concerns that have been expressed by my constituents, with regard to the high cost of living and high cost of products that people buy from the stores. It is not just about my constituency, it concerns all the communities that have no road access.

I know, Madam Speaker, that in the north the cost of products is higher and they have a limited amount of stores in the communities. If there is only one store, and the co-op is not as strong as it should be in the communities, the prices are very high for groceries and other products. Madam Speaker, I would like to also say that Consumer Affairs should be protecting the consumers in the north. In the bigger communities the prices are not as high as in the smaller communities. I would like the government to look into the high costs of products in small communities. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am very much concerned about this because deregulation and abiding by this trade market system that the federal government has introduced for the competitive airlines in southern Canada does not work in the monopolized airlines, especially in the Keewatin. I'm just making comment now, Mr. Chairman. The same goes for the Northern Stores which operate in the small communities, that when they have a monopoly or the co-op is

not doing very well, they have cornered the market and price the goods anyway they choose.

I really feel that because I represent the majority of the consumers from my constituency, I find it a lot more important than the Insurance Act and Medical Professions Act regulating the insurance industry and Business Licensing Act. These are the things that are important to the operation of good practices for the individual, but for a small minority. For the majority, the concern should be that the consumers have been getting gypped or whatever. They are not being given a fair shake in living conditions, especially in the eastern Arctic where there are no highways. Qujannamiik.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am going to talk about other companies besides Northern Stores. We have an airline in the Keewatin called Calm Air. It was Nunasi that started an air service. They started out cheap but within two weeks they raised their prices. Would Consumer and Corporate Affairs be able to control the airfares also? For instance, if you buy something and you send it out by freight from Yellowknife to Rankin Inlet, we know the distance from Rankin Inlet to Yellowknife and we know the distance from Rankin Inlet to Coral Harbour, but the prices are the same, even though Coral Harbour and Rankin Inlet are closer than Yellowknife and Rankin Inlet. I wonder if Consumer and Corporate Affairs would be able to control the freight rates that airlines charge? Whenever there is an airline monopoly running, they seem to up their prices whenever they want. Would Consumer and Corporate Affairs be able to control the freight rates?