Thank you. What did he do, Mr. Speaker? It seems that he delegated and then he forgot about it. He delegated the matter to one of his senior officials in the Housing Corporation. That person delegated it to the district manager. The district manager delegated it to the staff person who had caused the problem in the first place. That person took the matter to his lawyer. Instead of getting help from the Minister and resolving an attitude problem within the corporation, I ended up with a cease and desist letter from an employee's lawyer. Who knows what they might have in store for the constituent who brought the original concerns to me in the first place. What was the Minister thinking about when he responded in this way? I wondered where his management skills were. Where was his commitment to working together, and his concern for constituents, that he told us about on November 13? Perhaps, Mr. Speaker, the teflon is starting to rub off.

---Laughter

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I recognize the Minister wrote and apologized, Mr. Speaker. However, I want the Minister and the people who he is allowing to do his job for him to know that I will not cease and desist from continuing to express my concerns on behalf of my constituents. The fact that one of his employees tried to hire a local lawyer to intimidate me makes no difference. Should another constituent come to me and raise their honest concerns with respect to the behaviour of a civil servant, I will not hesitate to communicate those concerns to the appropriate people. My privilege to do so, as a Member of this House, is clearly defined and has been protected by court decisions in countries served by parliaments all over the world.

In confirming what type of privilege I have, through legal counsel, I was advised it was called qualified privilege, when it is outside of the House. However, in researching cases in 1972, judgement of a case in England, the court found, and I quote, "It will be a sad day when a Member of Parliament has to look over his shoulder before ventilating to the proper authorities criticisms about the work of a public servant, which he honestly believes to merit investigation." I strongly believe that all Members of this House would do no less in bringing the concerns of their constituents to the appropriate Minister. I trust that their issues will receive a more conscientious treatment than what was displayed toward me by the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. Thank you.

---Applause