Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I wanted to go back to an area which I was asking about in the House yesterday. It dealt with the services which the RCMP provide when it comes to administering the firearm acquisition certificate program. There seems to be an unwritten policy which the RCMP dictate to our government, or to the population, that we must not pay for these firearm acquisition certificates with cash, they must pay with cheque or money order. Although I asked the question yesterday, when I reflect back on it, I still have not received an answer which would stop me from wondering why they are doing this in this one program. As I said yesterday, is this the thin tip of the wedge which escalates into only having cash in the banks. You will not be able to carry it around and use it to buy products or services. Some of us do not like to use cheques or money orders. Some of us still want to pay in cash. If I wanted to go and get my firearms acquisition certificate and I have a nice crisp $50 bill, I want to use that. However, I would be told that I could not do it and that I would have to get a certified cheque, which would cost me $2.50, or as high as $7 in some cases, or a money order. I have to trudge down and get the bank draft. Who are we serving here? Is this a policy which was established in the north only because, as the Minister had pointed out yesterday, the RCMP do not like to have cash in the detachment? Is this practised in other provinces and territory, or is this something which was established here for some reasons other than the fact that they do not like have cash in the detachment?

Mr. Chairman, the policy which we have initiated has been adopted nationally by governments with regard to this particular program we are accepting responsibility for. We accept a fee for the service we are providing in the Northwest Territories for the federal government, carrying out the program of the firearms acquisition certificates. I understand what the Member is saying. Relatively speaking, you apply once and it is good for five years. It is not like having to run around after registration and insurance, which you have to do every year. It is not like many of the other inconveniences. This is once every five years. The RCMP has said across the country that they are not interested in handling cash or in doing the leg work for people who submit cash with their applications. The RCMP has to handle this money. No one likes to send cash through the mail. The RCMP has to run around and convert these cash payments into more acceptable forms such as bank drafts or money orders. It is down right inconvenient. We have supported them and said our policy will be the same as everywhere else in the country. We will take payments only in the form of certified cheques, postal money orders, or Northern store money drafts.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is just this particular program for the time being. Let us say I have to pay a small fine for something minor and I go up to the counter and haul out my wallet and I want to pay for this small fine, plus the victims' assistance tax. Can I still use cash, or next week can I expect to have someone look at me and say, "Sorry, we do not accept cash, it is only cheque or money order." Are there other programs you would be introducing to this system to only accept cheques and/or money orders? There is no other program in your department which only accepts cheques and/or money orders.

Mr. Chairman, there is no intention to extend this to other areas. There is no problem in accepting cash for fines and other transactions which are carried on at this time. It is limited to the applications for firearms certificates.

Mr. Chairman, the proposed budget we have here also has an allocation to address the base deficiency which has been plaguing the RCMP in the past few years. By addressing that and filling in the deficiency they have suffered, it gives them much more flexibility in not only meeting the needs of the communities which have been denied police services, but also the possible flexibility to respond to situations such as Fort Providence. I cannot say for certain it will be done, but I know this budget will give the RCMP that necessary flexibility to respond, if that is the direction we give them.

Mr. Chairman, what we have done with the legal aid is put a cap on the total amount of hours which lawyers can spend on each individual case. To make sure it is a workable arrangement, there are negotiations currently going on with the law society to figure out what is an acceptable arrangement in regard to fee schedules, the payments which are made for the type of services and capping would be acceptable in different areas.

Mr. Chairman, the Legislature is interested in how we spend and budget money. It is my understanding that it was widely supported for this government to look at the area of legal aid and try to establish some limitations on how we would negotiate a reasonable budget which we would give to the legal aid services board for them to provide the services. That is what we have done. The legal aid services board itself develops its own criteria on how it will provide and extend its services to provide legal aid to people in the public. The government has never been in a position to deny support to people who want to take legal action, even against the government. We have never been a position to do this.