Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'd just like to assure the Member that the consultation process will continue. It will be kicked up and running by March of this year. By the end of March, the process should start to kick in, the consultation process.
Restructuring of the corporation to help out the housing authorities; you're 100 per cent right that it is 1994. The way the corporation has done business in the past has to change, especially in light of the $47 million cut we had from CMHC, and the needs of the people we serve have changed. Home ownership is what we really have to impress upon people. We have to work with our community organizations to strengthen them so they can deliver the programs. Things that were delivered from headquarters where everything was centralized in the past have to be decentralized and I'll let the president expand on that later on today if a question arises.
The new down payment assistance program is being taken up in many communities. It is a good program. So far, it looks very promising and is a way we can get approximately three or four units built for the price of one. It seems to be working out quite well. The Member for Iqaluit also raised the issue of single people being ineligible. Single people are now eligible but their priority is lower than married people or people with children. Families come first, single people will be at the bottom of the list but they will be eligible.
---Applause
There will be 30 per cent deductions on the rent scale. That is the maximum and will kick in only for the higher-income people. The majority of the people are between six and 20 per cent, I believe. You must remember we put in place the sliding scale this year where you start off at six per cent and go up to the maximum. A lot of people are in the scale and it encourages them to work. If it does present a problem, we will look at it, I guarantee, because we aren't in this business to starve or throw people out into the street. We're here to assist people and if there is undue hardship for them, we will make every effort to change that.
There is no way possible that it will penalize elders. If a person doesn't pay rent in a unit, an elder will not be evicted. Counselling will be in place for the person who doesn't pay the rent and if that doesn't help, then that person would be evicted. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.