Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, what I'm about to raise I understand is an operations and maintenance issue and I know we're in capital, but just as the Standing Committee on Finance in its report acknowledged that these things are interrelated and should be raised now, I do want to raise this issue in committee of the whole.

The issue I'm concerned about, Mr. Chairman, has to do with the allocation of base funding in the Arctic College when the new colleges are established in the new year. I'd like to be specific and give some examples. I'm concerned that there's no nursing program in Nunavut. I'm concerned that there's no native studies program in Nunavut. And I'm very concerned about trades training. I understand that there is now only one location designated for trades training of apprentices in the Northwest Territories and that's at Thebacha Campus. There is a base, I understand, of some $1.1 million and eight permanent person years. It seems to me, Mr. Chairman, that some of those person years and some of that base funding have been dedicated to students from Nunavut. There is obviously going to be a desire, as we move towards Nunavut and as we establish a Nunavut Arctic College, to have trades training take place closer to home in the three Nunavut regions.

I'll give one other example, Mr. Chairman. There are two environmental technology and renewable resource programs now in place in the college, one is located at Thebacha Campus and one at Nunatta Campus. It seems, however, on the face of it, that there are disparities and inequities in the funding. The RRTP program at Thebacha has a budget, I understand, of some $400,000 and five person years, yet a comparable program at Nunatta Campus has a budget of only $300,000 and three person years.

I guess I'd like to ask the Minister, Mr. Chairman, how the department is going to handle the allocation of the existing base funding when the new colleges are established. I would like to make it clear that I'm just concerned about equity and fairness, nothing more. I think there should be some way of making a fair division of the existing O and M resources. Thank you.