Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We made the offer because there are individual cases which have come to our attention and legitimate concerns which are anomalies that we need to deal with. There are cases where, for instance, power bills are unusually high and tenants have brought those to our attention. We have other cases where commitments were understood to have been made to certain tenants only to be changed, such as the case as the Member for Iqaluit brought forward last week. The reason for making the offer, as well, is to bring to the attention of MLAs and to the tenants that they have written letters in which they make certain assertions. For instance, in my review of letters there are two which I remember of government employees who say they live in staff housing and, in fact, they do not. There are cases where very minimal rent is being paid by people who are paid very good salaries. In the course of the outcry we think there are extreme cases which the government should property deal with. Also, there are extreme cases of people overstating the case and not presenting the full facts which should be brought to the attention of MLAs. We think this is the proper way to do it. This is the reason the suggestion was made. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, yes. We are offering to do it at this level with the MLAs so that the MLAs who have specific cases, which they have questions or concerns about, can be dealt with on a case by case individual basis. The tenants who have raised the concerns will also be dealt with by the appropriate staff in the communities and regions. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, with the exception of a few letters, such as the one the Member is referring to, the overwhelming majority of letters and statements which have been made suggest that employees and the public accept that the government has for some years now begun to move out of staff housing and move toward creating market rents which are equitable and fair across the territories. We are in the middle of finalizing this initiative which was started some 12 years ago. The general sentiment we get from the majority of employees, again through letters and other forms of communication, is that the public and the employees in particular are not debating the intent of the strategy, which is for government to get out of staff housing and for the government to implement equitable market

rents. The focus of the controversy and the criticism is that as a government we are perceived as moving too last. People are asking for more time. This was the intent behind the comments I made at that time. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, it is our view, based on the statistics of the past couple of years, that the percentage of turnovers which this government enjoys or suffers every year is already at about the 20 per cent range. It would almost have to come close to doubling that figure for us to question the financial value of this strategy. It is my view that the removal tariff rules and guidelines set in place a month or two ago, are going to reduce the cost of removals this year. It is going to help substantially. We are also of the view that the majority of government employees are going to begrudgingly accept the strategy we have set out, and that it will be seen, in the course of the next few months, that the job prospects in southern Canada are dismal, to say the least.

I have asked for an informal check of the situation in other provinces. It is dismal. There are other governments which are in financially difficult times. The fact is, we are a country suffering financially. We are in a recession even though it is recorded as being over. In the end, employees will see that strategy as a fair and equitable move to put them on par with their other neighbours and friends in the communities they live in. Everyone has to pay a fair, equitable market rent and they have to accept that. It may have been better received it we had given them more time, but it will be done in any case. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the majority of employees who are being affected by this, find it as an acceptable initiative. However, there are hardship cases that have to be dealt with. For those people who feel like they are hard done by because we are asking them to pay a fair rent, they have options to move to greener pastures. I believe they will do that. I do not begrudge it. I believe that, in the end, people who want to stay in the north, who love the north and have a commitment to the north, will stick with that commitment. I believe that the number of people who resign may publicly be perceived as leaving as a result of this strategy. In fact, there has been a high unacceptable level of turnovers for years. My view is, in the long-term this housing initiative will help stabilize the employees of the Northwest Territories. When people start to see they can make long-term commitments, they can receive an opportunity to buy the houses that they are assigned, they will have assurance that the government will buy back their units, people will, in the and, start to see it as a real benefit to make long-term commitments to the north and not just come here for two or three years. Our own home-grown northern and aboriginal employees will also start to stabilize as they see the benefits of this initiative and reap the benefits through the home ownership programs and the sale of staff houses. Thank you.