Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to say that I am pleased with the good working relationship which I have been able to develop with the district office and the relatively new district manager in Baffin, Mr. Peter Scott. All the reports I am receiving is that he is responsive and, certainly, that has been my experience in dealing with constituency issues with him. I would also like to note that I have found the Minister and his staff responsive when I have brought issues forward to them regarding housing issues in my constituency. This is the way I like to deal with issues, so I will not be vocal in committee of the whole or in the House because matters are being dealt with as they are being brought up and to my satisfaction.

I would like to note that we are developing a process in my constituency to get the elected representatives of the citizens of Iqaluit more involved in housing through active involvement of the town council, including the mayor, on the Iqaluit housing authority. I think this is a good direction and in keeping with the community transfer initiative. I hope that it will eventually lead to the town perhaps taking over responsibility for housing in the community, but we will take it one step at a time. In the meantime, I think the Iqaluit housing authority was more representative and more accountable to the people, until these changes were approved by the present Minister.

I also want to note that I believe a good job was done by the corporation informing the public on the new access and home ownership programs in light of the short time frame which was allowed them. I think they made a massive effort to reach out to communities in the Baffin region and Iqaluit to explain this program in the short time available.

That leads me to a problem which probably is a massive problem, and probably originates with the federal government. However, it has to do with the availability of home ownership units. The Minister of Personnel's staff housing initiative is designed to encourage both the government to get out of staff housing and government employees to purchase or build their own units. In a place like Iqaluit where the new rent increases are putting a great deal of financial pressure on employees who would like to build or buy, there is now therefore a staggering demand for home ownership units. As of this year we have four units available and a handful of developed lots. The strategy of the Minister of Personnel is working, employees want to build or buy units, but there is no allocation to my riding, which has a very high proportion of eligible and interested employees, to meet this demand.

I suspect that the housing needs survey, which was done, did not take into account potential home owners from government employees. I suspect that it looked at existing public housing tenants. That is why there have been three or four units allocated in Iqaluit, whereas, in fact, because of the high proportion of civil servants there is a very high demand from that new category of people. Not only were they happy under the old rents and were not seriously considering buying or building their own units, but now there is a new demand. I wanted to raise that here and note that I do not think the Minister is going to be able to fix it quickly or easily. I do want it noted that if, as a total government, the desire is to encourage government employees to build their own units, the home ownership program has to be expanded and it has to accommodate, at least, some of these needs which are emerging. I will note, again, as I have done also in this House, that employees in Iqaluit do not have the option of buying detached units because there are only a few, it is mostly row housing rental multiple units. It is the home ownership program that is made to fit most employees' requirements. We do not have anywhere near the numbers available.

That leads me to make some comments on the much larger issue which faces us all, and that is the potential further cuts in our allocation to the Northwest Territories by the Government of Canada. The worst case scenario, which we do not like to think about, would have staggering implications throughout the Northwest Territories. I want to say here and now, Mr. Chairman, because Mr. Koe has referred to the possibility of decisions coming down while the House is not in session, that if these staggering cuts materialize, and I sincerely hope that the Minister's good offices with the Honourable Elmer MacKay will not result in that disastrous scenario, however, if it happens I will be working with the Speaker, my colleagues and the chairman of the OMC to urge that an emergency session of the Legislature be immediately held, which is allowed under our rules, and to urge that we then meet to consider drastic action. This will be a crisis like none other we have ever faced before. On the heels of the health funding crisis it will be a very serious blow.

I think it will require drastic action of the kind that we took in the fall of 1981 when the constitution was threatening to be amended to the prejudice of aboriginal rights. I think we will have to consider that kind of drastic action if this worse case scenario merges. I want to note that the Minister I am sure will have, not just my support, but the support of all Members of this House in some kind of united and strong action if it is required to protest some of these disastrous scenarios that are being contemplated in Ottawa. Those are my general comments, Mr. Chairman, thank you.