Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to Madam Premier. The government has an office in the Executive with seven staff, including a financial coordinator who is responsible for official languages. The report from the Languages Commissioner suggests that another financial advisor is, or has been, hired to deal with the Secretary of State agreements to make sure there aren't any funding lapses. My question is, has that individual been hired? And, if he or she has, will that individual be located in the Executive official languages group or in a different department?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This past May, a private scientific team, lead by Dr. Joe MacInnis discovered and videotaped at least two dozen unknown rectangular objects in the waters off the shores of Cambridge Bay while they were on an expedition looking for Sir John Franklin's ship. Their underwater exploration also confirmed the existence of two large cargo aircraft, numerous vehicles and assorted building materials which are believed to have been left or dumped into the ocean by operators of the Distant Early Warning sites in the late 1950s and early 1960s. I, personally, as a recreational diver, have viewed one of the planes, parts of vehicles, empty oil drums and other debris in the waters around Cambridge Bay.

Mr. Speaker, the discovery of these boxes lead to an intensive exploration and recovery program undertaken by the Canadian military this past August and September. The military operation involved six military divers and at least one herc load of equipment. These divers, over the course of approximately five weeks, recovered a majority of the rectangular boxes. However, the military team did not attempt to recover any of the other debris. There was national coverage of the issue as there was a concern that these boxes may have been parts of electrical equipment containing possible PCBs. There was no immediate concern of potential toxic chemical leakage, as sediment samples taken from the area of the boxes, after their initial discovery, found no sign of PCB contamination. It was later confirmed that there were minimal traces of PCBs in the recovered boxes.

I have raised this issue, as we can all recognize the tons of equipment and debris littering our land around our communities, particularly where there have been a lot of resource or military related activity.

Mr. Speaker, what we don't recognize, and what we have not even begun to address, is the amount and type of contaminants in our waters. Thank you.

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If I recall correctly, there was an elders' residence in Fort Resolution that was not deferred. What would be the reasoning of deferring a residence in one community versus another?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I brought this up during the SCOF review. I questioned the deferral in the Kitikmeot region specifically regarding the elders' residence having been deferred, when it was in the capital plan in prior years for construction for this year. I still don't have a reasonable answer as to why the deferral took place. It was a point that my colleague from Natilikmiot had brought up during the session, as well, I believe.

How does the Department of Social Services carry out their assessments for capital?

Mr. Chairman, the Minister indicated there was a needs assessment being undertaken in the Keewatin. I understand there is also one being done in the Kitikmeot. How do you determine what the capital priorities are without these needs assessments being completed?

In a situation like this, where there may be direct financial repercussions to the community and the government as a result of this, would the Minister be making a priority to address this issue?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Transportation. It is with regard to Coppermine's marine problems, as they relate to the sand and silt in the Coppermine River being deposited from the mouth of the river along the shore of the community. It has caused over the years, a shallow water situation, anywhere from a quarter to half a mile away from the shore. This year, the sea lift had to operate half-loads on their barges into Coppermine, as they have been grounded in shallow water for the past few years. NTCL has indicated to the community that they may have to adjust their rates to take into account these circumstances. My question to the Minister is, is he aware of this problem and if so, what are his plans to address it?

I move that the committee recommends that the Department of Social Services develop a comprehensive capital planning strategy to guide the development of capital forecasts for the fiscal year 1994-95 and beyond.