Qujannamiik. Legal aid, not previously authorized, $23,000.

Agreed.

---Agreed

Qujannamiik. Lawyer support services, special warrant, $400,000. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With regard to the lawyer support services activity, there was an item under special warrants for $200,000 that was approved on May 3rd to provide contract funding for the administration of the Fair Practices Act. I wrote a letter to the Minister of Finance, as chairman of the Standing Committee on Finance, on November 3, 1994, requesting as much detail as possible regarding the $200,000 special warrant that was approved to provide this funding for the Fair Practices Act. We would like to know what portion of these funds have been expended and for what purpose. To date, I haven't received a response yet, so I would like to ask the Minister what this funding is for and were any of these funds expended? Thank you.

Qujannamiik. Mr. Minister.

Mr. Chairman, it's anticipated that we will spend approximately $50,000 in this fiscal year. The appointment of the fair practices officer has been delayed. The remaining money of the $200,000 will be lapsed, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Qujannamiik. Thank you. Mr. Gargan.

Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee on Legislation has looked at the legislation and is not too sure which direction it will go, whether it will have the support or whether or not the public will have other concerns regarding the act. But it certainly hasn't gone ahead yet. There is nothing put into law with regard to this act, yet we're spending money as if the act is in place. I would like to know why.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Mr. Chairman, the act that we introduced this session -- and Mr. Gargan has asked that it be reintroduced at the next session -- is an amendment to the existing Fair Practices Act that we have at the present time. We have about 10 complaints under the existing act. So we do have a Fair Practices Act, and the legislation that Mr. Gargan is talking about is an amendment to that particular act, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Thank you. Lawyer support services. Mr. Antoine.

Mr. Chairman, the Minister responded to me that with the Fair Practices Act, $50,000 will be used this year and the rest will be lapsed. Based on that, I would like to make a motion that we delete the $150,000 of the special warrant for the Fair Practices Act. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. Do we have a copy of the motion? We need a copy of the motion. We'll take a recess for five minutes or until the motion is ready. Thank you.

---SHORT RECESS

Thank you. The committee will come back to order. There is a motion by Mr. Antoine. For the record, now we have the written copy, translated into the appropriate languages. Mr. Antoine, will you read the motion, please.

Thank you, honourable Member for Nahendeh. The motion is in order. To the motion. Mr. Pollard, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I don't have a problem with the reduction. I would merely point out to the House that, in the event that we do come to grips with the 10 complaints that are out there at the present time, it may be that we might need to spend more than this. If that's the case, Mr. Chairman, then we would bring back another supp to the House and explain to them why there is more money being spent under the Fair Practices Act.

The other issue is a sort of turf battle, Mr. Chairman, that I won't contest. But, for the record, it has been a subject of debate in this House before whether the House has the ability to reduce a special warrant. Our lawyers say no and I believe the Legislative Assembly's lawyers have said yes. It has been sort of a standoff. It is my understanding that when we change the bill, though, we will just be changing the bill. So, I wanted to draw that to the attention of Members. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you for your understanding view. To the motion. Mr. Ballantyne.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to make it very clear that the Minister has said he probably only needs the $50,000. I think this House understands that, in the future, there might be a demonstrable need for money in this area. I'm sure we'll be discussing this again during the budget session where we can have a full debate on it. The reason right now that the committee is voting to leave the $150,000 is not because of any philosophical problem with things that have to be done in this area. It just seems, by the Minister's own statement that this amount of money won't be needed at this time.

If the Minister in the future, or the government, needs money in this area, they will bring forward, I'm sure, the appropriate rationale in the budget session for increases in this area. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. Diplomatic points are always welcome. To the motion.

Question.

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion is carried.

---Carried

Lawyer support services, special warrant, $250,000. Agreed? The figure has dropped from a figure of $400,000 to $250,000.

Agreed.

---Agreed

Registries and court services, not previously authorized, $1.214 million.