Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We keep hearing about a shortage of funding. I am not on the Social Programs committee, but one thing I have not heard adequately addressed yet is how much of the funding that we could be spending on facilities in the North are we spending on facilities in the South. We talk about repatriation, but I don't see much of it happening. In my opinion -and I could be wrong on this -- at this point in

time, he is paying lip service to repatriation and we are spending millions of dollars in southern institutions. So when you ask where the money is going to come from, I would suggest the money is going to come from not paying to send people out to really expensive facilities in southern Canada. I support, as I think this government does, people receiving treatment in their own regions and communities.

We talk about community empowerment and we talk about people dealing with their own problems in their own ways. I would say that providing funding to such a facility has got to be in keeping with what this government is saying at this time. Until we know exactly what we are spending in southern institutions, I don't know how anybody could answer the question of where the money is going to come from, but I would suggest that would be a good place to start. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS section 32.1 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act provides for an automatic annual increase to indemnities, allowances and expenses based on the consumer price index for Canada;

AND WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly enacted Bill 9 to reduce all indemnities payable to Members by seven per cent;

AND WHEREAS Bill 9 also repealed the provision that automatically provided an annual increase to indemnities;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act be amended to eliminate all those provisions that permit an annual increase to allowances and expenses;

AND FURTHER, that the increase of 2.1 per cent to allowances and expenses that was effected April 1, 1996, be recovered from Members of the Legislative Assembly for all expenses and allowance payments made since that date.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it was my pleasure to attend the graduation exercises in my constituency on Friday. Sometimes, the statistics that we receive on education are discouraging; however, I am Pleased to report some good news from Hay River.

This year, 1996, was the largest graduation class ever from Diamond Jenness Secondary School; 34 graduates in total. These 34 students included two students from Fort Resolution attending high school in Hay River, two students from the Hay River Dene Band, students from Hay River and, for the first time, to my knowledge, interestingly a student who was attending school but also a resident in the Hay River Young Offenders' Facility.

Another fact which is frequently raised when considering the number of students graduating in the North is the disparity between aboriginal and non-aboriginal students. I am pleased to report that at least one-third of the students graduating in Hay River on Friday were Dene and Metis. The demographics of Hay River indicate that approximately one-third of Hay River is of aboriginal ancestry, so the fact that one-third of the grads were also aboriginal is a fact we should be very proud of.

The keynote speaker for the graduation was Captain Terry Camsell, manager of marine carrier operation of Northern Transportation Company and president of the Hay River Metis Local. Terry Camsell was interestingly a graduate of Diamond Jenness Secondary School 23 years prior, and he has had a very successful career and serves as an excellent role model to the young people of Hay River. Hay River is very proud of our graduates. Thank you.

--- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to seek unanimous consent to proceed with Motion 9-13(3) today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS an independent commission was appointed by the Legislative Assembly to review the compensation provided to Members of the Legislative Assembly;

AND WHEREAS the Report of the Commission on MLA Compensation was tabled by the Speaker as Tabled Document 1-13(3) on March 20, 1996; AND WHEREAS the Report of the Commission on MLA Compensation was only discussed in Committee of the Whole on March 21, 1996, and March 28, 1996;

AND WHEREAS the Report of the Commission on MLA Compensation did not receive detailed consideration in Committee of the Whole before it was reported as being concluded;

AND WHEREAS there is a need to give due consideration to the Report of the Commission on MLA Compensation;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that the motion adopting the report by the chairman of Committee of the Whole on Thursday, March 28, 1996, in respect to the position taken by this House, that the discussion on the Report of the Commission on MLA Compensation had been concluded, be rescinded;

AND FURTHER that Tabled Document 1-13(3) be referred back to Committee of the Whole for further consideration.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to advise the other Members of the Assembly that I won't be in the Assembly tomorrow. I am returning to Hay River to attend the graduation at the Diamond Jenness Secondary School. I feel it is very important to honour grade 12 graduates and I regret to miss the House, but that is the reason for my absence tomorrow. Thank you.

I definitely cannot support this motion. One of the priorities stated by this government is to promote economic growth in the Northwest Territories, and I do not see how sending our money to southern companies and southern contractors is going to do that in any way. There are businesses that will shut down and there will be jobs lost. We already have social programs consuming a huge portion of our budget, and that is ever-expanding. If we were to do something like get rid of the BIP, I think it would be highly regressive and we would be shooting ourselves in the foot.

The intent of the BIP is to provide insurance so that northern contractors can, on an equal footing, bid against southern contractors and southern suppliers. That is a good initiative, it has worked well, it has helped to develop our northern economy, to the point now where there is competition amongst northern companies and I think the government is getting good value for their money.

Other provinces and jurisdictions also have business incentive initiatives. Particularly in my riding, a lot of people have gotten into the area of manufacturing, and they are competing with provinces like Quebec where the Quebec government will subsidize employees in the manufacturing sector to the amount of 50 per cent. I think it would be absolutely ludicrous to have this government remove that assurance that we are interested in promoting and supporting northern businesses. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to seek unanimous consent to deal with Motion 9-13(3) on the removal and recovery of consumer price index increases to all Members' allowances and expenses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Friday, May 17, 1996, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that the Legislative Assembly and the Executive Council Act be amended to eliminate all those provisions that permit an annual increase to allowances and expenses; and further, that the increase of 2.1 per cent to allowances and expenses that was effected April 1. 1996. be recovered from Members of the Legislative Assembly for all expenses and allowance payments made since that date.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time today, I will be seeking unanimous consent to move this motion today. Thank you.

--- Applause