Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is one situation that I don't like being placed in, but I am placed in it. The fact is, my name is mentioned in the committee report because I am an alternate Member of the Standing Committee on Legislation. As an alternate Member of this committee, I have been quite active in the committee and have participated in some of its deliberations.

In this case, I participated in some of the discussions and deliberations that led up to the review of the Arctic College Act. I find myself in a precarious position where I am opposed to the recommendations made by the Standing Committee on Legislation. The situation I find myself in is that a motion was passed by the committee not to support Bill 7 in its present form. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I wasn't at that meeting.

But I was present during some of the deliberations and I find myself in this position because, as an alternate Member, you are called when you are required, usually to make a quorum. The door is always open to participate and, at the time the motion was made, I wasn't present. But I did by letter and by personal presentation to the committee, express my concerns. I was hoping that the committee would, somewhere, give a qualification that the total committee was not in agreement with the position taken by the majority of Members who voted.

That didn't happen, so I find myself, today, having to state my case of my opposition to the committee on the matter of the bill repealing the Science Institute Act. I personally am in favour of the amalgamation of the Science Institute with Arctic College. I also supported the decisions made by Cabinet, I think it was a year and a half ago or longer, to move the Science Institute to the communities. One community that is impacted, obviously, is Inuvik where the western headquarters of the Science Institute would be located. That decision was made quite some time ago and we have been waiting, very patiently, for the repeal of the act and the approval of the new act so that the move can take place accordingly.

If the Members of this Legislative Assembly support the committee's motion not to present Bill 7 in its present form, then those types of activities wouldn't take place. That's why I'm raising these issues and concerns. It has bothered me greatly because of the position I have been placed in. I have no other recourse, other than to make this statement at this time. As I mentioned, I work with the committee. I told them I would be making this statement. They have it in writing that I don't support what they stated in the report, and I wanted to make my position very clear, for the record. Mahsi.