Madam Speaker, we have not, as a health delivery system, really established planning for health centres. It was decided to try a pilot project and I believe it is going well. Like I indicated before, if a community is interested, I am certainly willing to sit down with the Baffin board to see how we can further establish that type of service in communities.

I believe in the long term, we should start planning to have that as part of the health delivery system at the community level. I would be pleased to deal with the Baffin Regional Health Board to see how we can proceed. I believe the Rankin Inlet final report will be available soon, although we do have an interim report on how it is going.

It looks as though birthing centres are very good for an individual community, but the people from outside of the community don't necessarily feel it is an advantage to go to that centre. So, I think we have to work this into the future. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Point of privilege.

Point of privilege, Mr. Pudluk.

Point Of Privilege

Madam Speaker, point of privilege. I would like to raise a point of privilege on events that occurred yesterday during returns to oral questions. Madam Speaker, the events are described on pages 1348 and 1349 of the unedited Hansard. As the House is aware, I raised a point of order on the events of yesterday. And you ruled, Madam Speaker, that indeed I did have a point of order.

I have had some time to consider this matter and I feel I would like to raise this matter as a point of privilege. Madam Speaker, as the House is aware, the confusion was created when the Premier indicated that her return to oral question 136-12(6) was in response to a question asked by myself, Mr. Ludy Pudluk. In fact, the question was asked by Mr. Kenoayoak Pudlat. My point of privilege, Madam Speaker, is that this type of mistake causes embarrassment to me, as Member for High Arctic, and I would suggest, to the Member for Baffin South, as we now televise our proceedings and parts of our proceedings are reported on the radio.

These types of mistakes cause unnecessary confusion to our constituents. I am one Member who normally will forgive many of the mistakes by government that occur in the House, but I feel personally slighted by this particular event; as I am my own person hopefully representing the constituency of High Arctic for the last 19 years. I would request an apology from the Premier. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I do apologize to the Member. I should have stood up immediately and apologized. Madam Speaker, we all know that the Member is one of the longest, outstanding Members represented in this Legislative Assembly and that the Member himself has demonstrated a long and distinguished career here. The least we can do is correctly refer to him in responding to questions he has asked. I sincerely do apologize to the Member.

---Applause

Thank you. Your point of privilege has been noted and with the Member apologizing, Mr. Pudluk, I am sure this clears up this matter. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Natilikmiot, Mr. Ningark.

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I believe the thrust of this government is to give as much flexibility and accountability to communities as possible. This is where people know best what is happening within the community. They know the type of decisions that are important to be made for their own people. Not every community is the same. Not only myself, but this government is dedicated to try to give decision-making opportunities to the communities. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The flexibility is not there in my community, in Taloyoak. Does the flexibility apply to all communities across the territories? Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I believe it should. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Would the Minister make sure it is across the territories? Thank you.

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, in these changing times and in the direction the Government of the Northwest Territories wants to go in giving those communities the decision-making powers, Madam Speaker, I will make every attempt to do so. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the northern rental program has been in existence from the 1950s in the east and the 1960s in the west. I can imagine there are probably still some tenants who have occupied these units

from the day they were built. The Minister of the Housing Corporation, in an earlier response to one of my questions, stated that clients who want to purchase a unit can walk down the street and apply through the Housing Corporation. That is fine if there are housing officers in the community. It is fine if the tenant knows what the options are and what their rights are. What assistance has been given to tenants to work towards the purchase of these units?

Thank you. Minister of Housing, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Whenever a tenant makes it known that he is interested in purchasing a northern rental unit from the Housing Corporation, then the same type of client counsel is given to that tenant as a potential home owner. The Housing Corporation will meet with that client. They will discuss with him the costs of operating and maintaining that unit. They will also help the client to obtain title or leasehold interest in the land the unit is on. They will tell the tenant about the amount of fuel, power, water and sewer the unit has used in previous years. They will also do a condition rating of the unit. Then they will go over the back rents with the tenant and I believe one-third of that rent would go towards the purchase of the unit. Also, if the unit had been renovated in previous years, they would consider that in the selling price. These are for the units that were built prior to 1975. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

That is fine and I appreciate the response. Again, my concern is that some tenants don't know that they have an option or are eligible to purchase. When you give them notice and go through the information, you forget to advise the tenant how much credit they have. In this day and age, when we are advocating home ownership, why isn't the Housing Corporation more proactive in looking at turning over some of these units to the tenants?