Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess we would like to have all of our municipalities in that kind of a sound position, but I understand what the Minister is saying. I hope that Iqaluit can soon meet that test. In fact, I am confident that it will.

Mr. Chairman, I would just like to make one closing comment on this issue, which I think is appropriate for general comments. To me, the success of this department, in many ways, is measured by the success of the municipalities. Where they are doing well, it reflects well on the department. Where there are hiccoughs, then it suggests that work and support is required, although not all of these problems can be laid at the feet of the department, I know. I would just like to say since we're talking about the process of resurrecting a dissolved council that, to me, it's silly to say that an appointed committee and an appointed administrator should hire a senior administrative officer who then will have to get along with an elected council.

To me, that's a high risk situation. I know it's been discussed by the municipal advisory committee because there's been some talk on Mr. Beaumont's part, I understand, on starting the moves to recruit a senior administrative officer. I've got to say that I believe the chemistry has got to be right between the duly elected council and that senior administrative officer. What I would like to recommend is before an SAO is hired, hold an election so that senior administrative officer can be hired by the council that person is going to have to work with, not by an advisory committee or an appointed administrator who might well not be there for the long-term. That would be my advice to the department.

As far as the question about whether Mr. Beaumont would be willing to remain on, I understand that the Cabinet order originally contemplated a term for him to the end of the 1994 year and that term might now have been shortened on the expectation that an election might occur before the end of the calendar year. I would suggest that even though, obviously, the independent contractor's opinion is important, if he is instructed by the Minister that completing the work requires staying on through the election and assisting with the hiring of a new SAO before going back to retirement, or whatever else he would like to do, I'm sure the Minister's good offices could be used to encourage that transition to take place. I would like to suggest that, with the support of the department and the Minister, that scenario might well be worked out to everyone's satisfaction.

Those are just some comments, Mr. Chairman. I suspect that there will be other opportunities to pursue this matter in the Legislature once I get a formal resolution from the municipal advisory committee. But, I do appreciate the comments and the information I received today. Thank you.