Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question today is for the Premier. I would like to ask him a question about the concern many of the civil servants have all over the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that the previous government, after they engaged in major job cuts, introduced what is known as a no lay-off policy within the civil service. My question today to the Premier is whether or not he plans to introduce a new policy, or will the no lay-off policy remain in effect? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to recognize Ms. Thomas, president of the NWTTA. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on this last day of this Session, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight something very positive that is being done by the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, under the able direction of its president, Ms. Tracy St. Denis and her hardworking board members.

On Thursday, March 2, 2000, dozens of the chamber members will be travelling to Rae-Edzo on a customer appreciation trip. A bus has been arranged to transfer the members on the infamous Highway No. 3 to Rae-Edzo. There will be a reception hosted by the chamber and a presentation to the residents of Rae-Edzo.

The main objective of the trip, Mr. Speaker, is for the chamber members to go to the community and show firsthand how much they appreciate the business our friends in the surrounding communities bring to our city. It may be the chamber members will get an earful as to what we can do better. In the end, I am sure this will be a good thing for everyone involved.

I know the business community in our city is very aware that our friends across the North spend money on a wide array of goods and services in Yellowknife. The residents of Rae-Edzo are some of our best customers. Mr. Speaker, the goods and services include professional services such as hiring a lawyer, accountant, or an architect, or more simple things like eating in our many restaurants, taking in a movie, or buying many different things in our stores, both small and big, including, as Mr. Lafferty informed me, fuel for residential homes.

I can also advise you, Mr. Speaker, that the chamber will be making four trips this year to the communities surrounding the city of Yellowknife. I would like to commend the Chamber of Commerce for taking an active role in this way. I am not able to make this trip, as I will be tied up in committee meetings for the next two days. If I may, Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of all Members representing Yellowknife, including yourself, to say thank you to our friends in Rae-Edzo and all other surrounding communities near and far for buying our goods and services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a few comments to make. I plan on writing to the Minister more in depth on my opinion about this report. I would just like to comment first on the issue of governance. This issue has already been touched on by many other Members. There is a balancing act between giving the control over management of health and social issues versus giving control over education. It is a balancing act between giving the control over to the communities versus the economies of scale.

For example, in Maritime and Atlantic provinces, where the scale of population is much larger, the provinces of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick found it was too expensive to purchase hospital supplies separately. They thought it was more economical to combine together, even though they are about 10 times larger than us.

I think the challenge for the Minister is great. Giving enough control to the communities so they feel they have a say in what is going on in Health and Social Services, as well other community issues.

The recommendations in this report are conflicting. They talk of governance, and then they talk about the need to train the people on the board. That is recommendation two. Then there are the recommendations for talks about more integration of NGOs. Right there, you are looking at very conflicting recommendations and more need for resources. I understand the Minister is a little bit adverse to any more studies or reviews.

In listening to what she has to say about this report, especially with respect to governance, it is clear to me she has given some direction to her department already. I would like for her to summarize, for my benefit, what she has done so far in terms of what her vision is for the governance and the structure of the health care. I am very interested in hearing what she has to say about that.

The second issue I wish to address is more specific than the previous point. It has to do with telehealth. I recently had the occasion of being briefed on telehealth by the person who is in charge of delivering that program. It sounded like a very attractive idea, in terms of allowing medical care to be provided to remote areas. I think we have to understand that in order for the program to be successful, there has to be technological infrastructure in place in these communities.

As far as I am aware, most communities do not even have access to the internet. I think it is really crucial that if we are going to introduce that sort of program, which I do not oppose on principle, I think we have to make sure enough resources are provided to make sure the people who are in charge of delivering that service can do it to the full extent possible.

Another point I wanted to address with the Minister is with respect to dental care. I think it is an issue in the Minister's riding, as well as a concern for everyone in the Northwest Territories in general. I would like to have the Minister's update on what she is doing about the licensing of foreign dentists. That may pose a problem with respect to the supply of dentists in the Northwest Territories.

I think the most important issue here is my fourth point, which is substance abuse and alcohol and drugs. I do not want to go into that, not because I do not think it is an important issue, but it is such a big area. I am sure this Assembly will have many other occasions to deal with this issue, and I intend to do so.

With that, I intend on giving the Minister my reply in writing, but those were my comments. If the Minister could please respond to them for me. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that the Minister cannot give us any kind of clinical, forensic or scientific evidence as to the exact cause of the accident. I do not believe that is what I was asking, Mr. Speaker. I do believe that the Minister, as the Minister responsible for Transportation, has the duty to know what is happening on that road and circumstances surrounding an accident that resulted in a person being transported to the hospital for injuries.

Mr. Speaker if I could just reiterate my question, I would just like to know, as soon as possible, hopefully before the end of tomorrow, the last day of Session, if he could report to this House as much as he knows about the circumstances surrounding this accident. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just have a follow up question to the Minister responsible for Transportation with respect to the accident on Highway No. 3. I asked a question last week about the accident and I have not heard from the Minister.

We do not have too many days left in this Session, and I wonder if the Minister could advise us as to the status of the cause of that accident. If he does not know that, if he could indicate to the House as to when we could expect to hear from him on that, hopefully before tomorrow.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I really appreciate that the Minister was well prepared to answer this question. You would have thought that I advised him in the first place, but I did not. I wonder, Mr. Speaker, if the Minister could tell me anything he knows about the other accident that I have not yet heard anything about, which happened on Highway No. 3?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister responsible for Transportation. I do not know if he is aware, but there has been another accident on the roads surrounding the City of Yellowknife. This time it was on the Ingraham Trail involving another tractor trailer.

I wonder, Mr. Speaker, if the Minister could inform the House about what he knows about the accident and confirm whether or not dangerous road conditions had anything to do with it? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In honour of the young people that have joined us in the gallery, and in honour of the pages we have here, I would like to recognize the pages that are working in this gallery right now. They are from Range Lake North School, and I understand it is their last day. I know from my conversations with them that they have enjoyed their time here. They love seeing what we do. If I may, I would like to list the names of pages we have from Range Lake North School: Derrick Cleaver; Josh Swan; Keith Dargo; Maigan Lefrancois; Ryan Chenkie; Steven Klakowich; Tanya Lemieux; and Andrew Wittlinger. If I may, Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize Chris and Heather Chenkie, who are prominent business people in the city of Yellowknife, and my constituents in the Range Lake riding. I would also like to note that Heather Chenkie is a fellow graduate of mine from the Sir John Franklin class of 1982. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause