Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. After a job is done and final inspections have been made -- and before the Minister mentioned the final holdbacks are paid -- I understand there is a requirement for a general contractor to sign an affidavit or statutory declaration which states that all subcontracts, all employees and all debts have been paid off. I would like confirmation from the Minister whether or not this is true.

Mr. Pollard.

That is correct, Mr. Speaker. The statutory declaration indicates to us that the general contractor has met all of his or her obligations. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi. Thanks for confirming that. It is true then that the contractor has to sign a statutory declaration. What happens if a contractor signs a statutory declaration and subsequently you find that a certain subcontractor has not been paid?

Mr. Pollard.

Well, number one, we'd be most upset, Mr. Speaker. We would investigate the matter and see if we can resolve the issue between the contractor, the subcontractor and ourselves. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Koe.

For the record then, if a statutory declaration or affidavit has been falsely signed, what recourse has this government to ensure that all subcontractors are paid for work performed or materials supplied on a government contract?

Mr. Pollard.

That's a legal question, Mr. Speaker. I'll take it as notice. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are delivering approximately 435 units this year. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Speaker. With the permanent reduction in the funding from the federal government for social housing, there is a reduced need for staff to run these programs. As well, all government departments have been asked to cut costs. How many fewer person years were in the Housing Corporation in 1994-95 than in the previous years, taking into consideration that there have been phenomenal funding cuts to the Housing Corporation's budget? Thank you.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Taking into consideration that the Housing Corporation has undergone many changes: we've changed programs; the way we deliver programs; we've changed the rent scale, which has taken a lot of work, there are new home ownership programs; there has been reorganization; and we are still delivering the same amount of units that we have delivered previous to the cuts, no there has not been a reduction in PYs. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It appears that there is no control on spending or any attempt to reduce

PYs. Most departments have made cuts at headquarters to help the government get a better control on spending. What was the approximate reduction on operations and maintenance expenditures of the Housing Corporation over the past couple of years? Thank you.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me assure the Member that there is control on spending in the Housing Corporation. The Housing Corporation has done the same amount of work, if not more, with a smaller amount of money. We've had to redesign all the programs and implement them. We've gone through many changes. We are doing that, and we are doing that within the existing budgets we have had. We have come forward to this House with a $17 million supp for capital projects, and that's houses that are going to be delivered into the communities, houses that are desperately needed. Also, the Members must realize that for every dollar you cut from the Housing Corporation, you're giving 75 cents back to the feds. Ultimately, you're cutting 25 cents of NWT money. Thank you.

Final supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.