Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my concern over recent comments made by the Minister of Personnel regarding recommendations of this Assembly on the home owners' property tax rebate. Mr. Speaker, I was very disturbed to hear the Minister's comments of March 23, 1993, in response to questions from my honourable colleague from Inuvik. Mr. Koe was questioning the Minister as to Cabinet's response to the motion of the Assembly that the home owners' property tax rebate be reinstated at $400 per year. This motion was carried in the House on March 11, 1993. Yet, on March 23, 1993, 12 days later, the Minister replied and I quote from unedited Hansard, "Mr. Speaker, the particular issue of the tax rebate was one that arose in the course of discussions by MLAs in the latter part of the debate in the back room. As the Minister of Personnel, I could not find a way in the few days I had, to rationalize how it tied in to the staff housing strategy."

Mr. Speaker, I am somewhat confused as to how a motion passed in this Assembly can be characterized as an issue that does not deserve a response because it arose at the end of a debate in the back room, that is unless the Minister believes that this Assembly chamber has now become a back room. Mr. Speaker, I am also at a loss to understand why the Minister had such difficulty relating the tax rebate to the housing strategy. Although the Minister indicated on March 23 that the issue had come up only a few days before debate on the motion, ordinary MLAs had explained the relationship previously in the House. He did not have to work it out for himself at all. For example, on February 26, 1993, the issue was raised in the House by my honourable colleagues for Inuvik and Thebacha and also by myself. It was pointed out that the reduction of the property tax rebate was inconsistent with the goal of the Minister of Personnel to encourage home ownership and to develop a private housing market through the staff housing strategy.

The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs agreed that the program might be considered part of the housing strategy and agreed to re-examine the rebate.

I agreed then with my colleague for Thebacha that this is another example of how the housing strategy is not part of a cohesive government plan, and I still have the opinion today.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.