Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would also like to congratulate you, Sam, for being our Speaker again. I would just like to say that I'm not going for the ninth seat unless the ninth seat is going for Nunavut. With our consensus style of government, we're talking about a balance. I would find it very hard to see the Cabinet five for the West and four for the East. I don't think that we need to add more numbers to the Cabinet to be an efficient government if everybody is committed to their jobs. I realize there is going to be a lot of stress and that there is a lot of stress being a Minister if you have a lot of responsibilities, I realize that. But at this time, I cannot support it with too many people who are on social welfare, with too many people out there who don't have jobs. We have to be efficient with the numbers that we've had in the past.

I don't think it's going to work out unless there is a better argument. I think we should have time to debate this and decide for the ninth seat, but at this time I'm not agreeing with a ninth seat with a consensus style of government. We see the Cabinet as four in the East and four in the West. By adding one more seat, the ninth seat would have to come from either the West or from the East. For myself, with division coming and with Nunavut coming for us, I would have to be guaranteed that the ninth seat is going to Nunavut for me to support this. It boils down to that.

I realize that as consensus government, everybody has to work together as a team, but at this time I can't support an extra seat. Also with the deficit, I cannot see myself at this level adding another position when we are in the situation we are in as a government.

The issue was raised that this Minister could probably have the responsibility of the division situation. I believe that each Cabinet Minister has the full responsibility in their portfolios to deal with division. I don't think it should be separated. Each Minister will have to be committed fully to the agenda of dividing the Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.