Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Ng.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We dealt with Mr. Ng's request as soon as possible. I agreed with Mr. Ng, as did FMB and Cabinet, that Cambridge Bay and the other two communities were not treated equally in the region. So, effective today, there is an 11 cent per litre reduction in retail prices for heating fuel and gasoline. By the end of the year, we will have a review of the whole Northwest Territories POL pricing done. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Ng.

My question is what does the Minister consider a fair method to compensate the consumers in my constituency who have been unfairly carrying the costs of fuel tank storage charges of the government, through the purchases of POL products, over the past several years?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The fair method of dealing with this is to deal with it as soon as possible. That

is what I have done. It has been put into effect today. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Ng.

My question is about retroactive compensation for consumers who have carried the costs of tank storage charges. I recognize that your initiative will look after the future, but what about the past?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I didn't look at the past. There will be nothing retroactive. It is effective today and I thank the Member for thanking us for doing it so quickly.

---Laughter

Item 5, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Ng.

Why won't the Minister consider compensating the consumers who have paid the carrying costs of the government tank farms over the past several years?

---Applause

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I never even considered looking at retroactive compensation. There is no reason to do so. We recognized the problem, we moved on it as fast as possible, and put it in place as fast as possible. I think it was a fair way to handle this situation. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Arvaluk.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of the Housing Corporation. Why hasn't the Minister invited the advisory committee to meet with him on strategic planning and other processes, before the important meeting takes place in Ottawa, for which he will be leaving today?

Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I've kept the Advisory Committee on Social Housing informed on all new initiatives and all actions I've taken to date. I've had the help of the advisory committee this past summer on some of the things we took part in to try and get funding reinstated for housing. I've had the honourable Member from Thebacha go to Ottawa with myself to attend a gathering of aboriginal people in Ottawa.

I've had Silas and James both attend the ITC General Assembly on behalf of the advisory committee. On October 18, I wrote a letter to the advisory committee requesting a meeting while the finance committee was in Yellowknife. I did not get a response. On November 16, I wrote a letter to all the Members of the advisory committee, laying out the plan we had to deal with the federal government. If they had any questions or any advice, I asked them to please inform me. I didn't get a response.

I'm leaving for Ottawa tonight to meet with the Minister responsible for housing. I think it is important that Members understand that in order to develop the strategy further on how to deal with the federal government, we have to know where they are coming from. Hopefully, when I come back from the meeting on Wednesday night,-- in the first available time slot to have a meeting-- I will meet with the advisory committee. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Arvaluk.

Mr. Speaker, I have one supplementary. If that is the case, then why hasn't the Minister invited a Member of the advisory committee on this very important trip where he will be meeting with the Minister responsible for CMHC?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I did invite the advisory committee co-chairman, Mr. Sam Gargan. I explained the reason why I was going to Ottawa and what I thought I could get out of the meeting. Sam, in his own wisdom, thought there was no need for anyone, other than myself, to travel. Basically, we are going to have a meeting in Ottawa with the Minister responsible for CMHC to find out if the new government has any intention at all of reinstating CMHC funding, to find out where they are coming from and also to educate them on the special housing needs of territorial residents. Thank you.