Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I apologize for not being able to sit through some of the discussions yesterday during the committee of the whole. I am one who has made a statement in the last sitting as to the housing needs, and the problems that we have with housing in my constituency. I am very concerned about the number of houses, or social houses, that are being reduced. I would like to ask the Minister if he could outline what the basis of our strategy has been to convince the federal government to reinstate our funding and to do everything possible to educate the federal government, as well as Ministers from provincial jurisdictions, of our uniqueness and our special needs in housing?
We have been quite successful in doing that. I myself, was able to obtain a meeting with the Honourable Elmer MacKay in Ottawa, and no other jurisdiction was able to do that. We were also able to get the provincial Minister's to support, giving the Northwest Territories, and the Yukon, special consideration because of our uniqueness on our housing problems.
We were also able to have the Minister of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation take to the Treasury Board, a submission to reinstate our housing. We will continue to use that same strategy, as well as add to it.