Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will continue from yesterday.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, the honourable Members will know that for a long time I have been an advocate of changing the benefits we provide to the government employees to better reflect the economic times and the devolution of territorial public services.

I have also been a strong proponent of eliminating the waste of time and dollars which has been associated with staff housing programs. When I learned that the government was about to bring in some new policies in this area, I was glad. However, I have become increasingly concerned with the type of policies that have been brought in.

Mr. Speaker, right from the start this whole issue has been surrounded by confusion. Many workers simply do not understand the policy. It seems as though every public meeting, press release or Ministerial statement that has been made, has only seemed to add to the confusion. From watching the department's actions, it seems as though some of its own regional management, and even some headquarters personnel, do not understand the policy either. I believe that some of the Minister's own comments have served to make the situation worse.

No matter how much we want the government to stop being a landlord, it is not right to leave employees feeling devalued, abused and uncertain about their future. This government's decision has received national publicity. I wonder whether the hard line position taken by the Minister and his department may have caused to create a situation where it will be more difficult to recruit professionals who are unavailable within our northern work-force.

I would say to the Minister that I fully support the basic principles behind this initiative, but I simply cannot support the wording of the current policy or the unreasonable way it is being presented to the public service in the Northwest Territories. I encourage him not to slow down the process and involve all parties in meaningful communication. That way we will be able to eventually come up with a position that everyone, employees and management alike, can live with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.