Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of the Ordinary Members' Caucus I wish to make a statement concerning the long-term staff housing strategy announced by the Minister of Personnel on December 3, 1992. Mr. Speaker, Members are generally agreed that the government is heading in the right direction with its initiative on rent increases. We support the intent of the strategy which encourages home ownership among government employees in our constituencies, moves rents toward real costs and has the GNWT eventually withdrawing from the provision of staff housing.

However, Mr. Speaker, we take issue with the manner of implementation of this new strategy. Government has taken an insensitive approach and given employees no proper advance warning. It appears that changes to the strategy are now coming weekly. Not only are employees confused, but there appears to be mass confusion among those directing the implementation of the strategy. Mr. Speaker, the whole program has been poorly thought out and applied inconsistently: the lack of notice; the lack of consultation with employees, the utility suppliers and the private sector; the poor communication; the failure of the government to take into account unique circumstances in communities and regions; the failure to provide timely information to answer employees' many questions and concerns; and, the lack of coordination among departments has caused alarm, anxiety and poor morale among employees.

Coupled with this is the government's callous and detached attitude. Mr. Speaker, the Ordinary Members' Caucus agrees that there are many important issues which require clarification and modification. In particular, Members are determined to demand clarification from the government on the following issues:

-the relevance and currency of using Yellowknife market rents as a basis for calculating new rents;

-how to achieve the government's stated goal of rent equity between communities when the only criteria for rent calculation is square footage without regard to age, condition or varying costs of living;

-the charge of different rents for identical units;

-the fairness of the formula for calculating the hardship allowance;

-the definition of "income" and whether the definition of...