Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's very costly for translation to all languages and we do not have the money within our budget for translation. If the Member is aware of some other group amongst the western Arctic aboriginal people that request or need it translated into their language, or any other documents this government produces -- for example, the budget, anything, these are all important documents -- if she's aware of that, then please let me know and I could try to fix that, especially when it comes to the rent scale. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the government with regard to a decision to downgrade GLO positions in my constituency from full-time to half-time. Earlier this session, the Premier announced that she would work with the other departments to see whether ways could be found to continue to support these valuable Inuit employees in the isolated communities by getting other departments who are using the GLO services to help pay for their wages. I wonder, Mr. Speaker, if the government could tell me what the status is of the government's efforts to get other departments to assist with GLO wages. Thank you.

Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, I know the Premier has been working on this particular issue, and I believe that she's going to report to the House on the issue when her budget comes before committee of the whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Allooloo.

Thank you. I know the information came to us that the GLOs were given an alternative, either to take half-time pay or resign from the government if they do not sign the government offer. Is it also true that the GLOs in the Baffin, none of them have accepted a half-time position? Thank you.

Mr. Pollard.

I'm not aware of the answer to that question, Mr. Speaker, so I'll take it as notice. Thank you.

The question is taken as notice. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Whitford.

The Minister of Housing, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. All tenants and all people in the Northwest Territories can sit down at any time and make appointments with project officers to discuss the home ownership program that we have available for all people in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Finance. On page 14 of the recent Budget Address delivered by the Minister, he stated, and I quote, "I am pleased to report that progress has been made on a number of outstanding problems, including the health billings dispute, official languages program cutbacks and responsibility for police service." My question to the Minister is what is the status of the health billings dispute?

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that last Friday afternoon, Mr. George Braden, the principal secretary to the Premier, signed -- or did not sign, but initialled -- an agreement with DIAND in Ottawa. The initialling was to say that both parties had taken it as far as they could and agreed on this particular document. That document will be presented tomorrow to the Standing Committee on Finance, and to Cabinet the following day. As far as I'm concerned, at the present time we have initialled an arrangement with Ottawa, subject to the Standing Committee on Finance, obviously this House, and Cabinet approval, and the notification of the aboriginal organizations that we started to work with when we began this case. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Can the Minister indicate at this time what progress, in terms of positive dollars to this government, has been made in the initialling of this agreement?

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, I can advise the House that the offer made to us by the federal government through their Department of Indian and Northern Affairs was better than the previous offer that they had made and that was what started us on the road to negotiating again. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This has been a long-outstanding issue and every year a bill goes to the feds for health services and they pay some of it. How many years, in this current agreement that the Minister mentioned was initialled, does this cover? Does it bring us right up to date?

Mr. Pollard.