Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased to hear that and my final question to the Minister then is, is he willing to put more money toward the marketing aspect of that resource development in support of the trappers? Once they're on the land they're self-sustaining, as we know as previous trappers, hunters and food gatherers. So I'm going to ask if he's prepared to put money into the marketing aspect of that sector of the economy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm very pleased to hear that the Minister is prepared to work with us in trying to address some of the key questions that are raised consistently by our constituents. Again, it goes back to my statement yesterday about how we want to put people back on the land to become resourceful again. So I'm going to ask the Minister if he's prepared to work with the Minister of ECE to develop an initiative that would influence people to move back on the land and not only develop land skills, but also to help in the recovery process of many of their social problems that are consistent with a number of the questions other Members have asked in the past. I would ask the Minister if he's prepared to work with the Minister of ECE to introduce some new initiatives that would support that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hope I find a Minister that doesn't take my question as notice. I certainly want to raise that point with the Speaker. Today, Mr. Speaker, in the context of my Member's statement and also the replies to the opening address, I want to ask the Minister of RWED if he's willing to work with his department to change the philosophy from one of enforcement to one that supports resource development in the smaller communities across the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. It is in regard to a proposal submitted last year in regard to flat rent scale rates for public housing tenants of the Northwest Territories. The intent of that proposal is to increase this from pro forma from $2.7 million rent recoveries to $5.4 million, which would be reinvested back into economic housing strategies. I will ask the Minister then, would he provide this housing update of that proposal? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 93(4) and have Committee Report 1-15(3) moved into Committee of the Whole for today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That concludes the introductory portion of the report of the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that Committee 1-15(3) be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The committee was made aware that the 2004-2005 draft main estimates reflect a government-wide 25 percent cut in travel budgets from 2002-2003 actual spending. The total travel expenditure reduction for all departments is $3.171 million.

While the committee applauds the government's efforts in this area, Members believe further savings are possible.

The Premier advised the committee that all international travel must be approved at the ministerial level. The committee would urge the Premier to ensure this requirement is followed strictly, and that no staff, including deputy ministers, are ever authorized to approve

international travel. The committee would also urge the Premier to ensure that the costs of any international travel are clearly justified by benefits to the Northwest Territories.

Attendance at federal/provincial/territorial Ministers meetings is another area where Members believe the government may be able to make reductions. Travel costs for these meetings include not only Ministers' travel costs, but also those of staff traveling with the Minister. While there is a clear need for the GNWT to have a strong presence at some FPT meetings such as those for Health and Finance Ministers, there are many FPT meetings that have little or no relevance to the Northwest Territories. The Premier advised committee that each FPT is assessed for its relevance. The committee urges the Premier and Ministers to ensure each FPT is warranted and has real benefit to the NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

With the signing of the Tlicho Final Agreement last year and significant progress at other negotiating tables, self-government will soon be a reality. No one can reasonably expect that the new governments will be able to operate without an increase in the total number of dollars available to northern governments to provide programs and services. Self-government will bring many benefits to northerners, but it will also result in a loss of economies of scale, which means that government will cost more. There has been considerable discussion with the federal government about responsibility for these incremental costs.

Members strongly agree with the government's position that incremental self-government costs are the responsibility of the federal government. The committee fully supports the Minister and government in holding firmly and consistently to this position. The committee also urges the government to maintain a strong position with respect to self-government implementation costs to ensure the GNWT does not pay costs that are the responsibility of the federal government.

The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight recommends the government continue to hold to its position that incremental self-government costs are the responsibility of the federal government;

And further, that the government maintains a strong position with respect to self-government implementation costs in order to ensure the GNWT does not pay costs that are the responsibility of the federal government.

In order to increase its revenues and reduce the deficit forecast for 2004-2005, the government proposed a number of changes to taxes. The Minister of Finance provided a full briefing to the committee on February 16, 2004.

Members were concerned about the impact of these tax changes on the already high cost of living and doing business in the Northwest Territories.

The committee advised the Minister it would support an increase to the corporate income tax rate. Members believe this increase is unavoidable. At the current rate of 12 percent, the GNWT is suffering a net revenue loss due to the formula Canada uses to calculate its grant.