I have a second return to oral question, Mr. Speaker, asked by Mr. Lewis on November 24, regarding options open to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, re the Iqaluit situation, which I was unable to answer yesterday.

The options available under the present legislation to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs to deal with the type of situation found in the town of Iqaluit are limited.

Sections 192 to 205 of the Cities, Towns and Villages Act make specific provision for the conditions under which a municipal administrator may be appointed by the Minister, the authority and responsibility of the municipal administrator and other matters. One feature of the Cities, Towns and Villages Act which restricts the legal options available to the Minister in extreme cases of breakdown of municipal incorporations is that the appointment of the municipal administrator, under section 193 of the Act, automatically means the retirement of the municipal council with full vacancies on the council until the ministerial order appointing the municipal administrator is revoked and new elections are held.

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is prepared to develop options for possible amendments of the Cities, Towns and Villages Act and other municipal legislation to allow for the provision of additional administrative and advisory support of municipal councils in extreme difficulty, without the need to go directly to the last resort of appointing a municipal administrator and retiring the council. Thank you.