Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With regard to the statistics, Mr. Chairman, Ralph Joyce is going to a Council of Statisticians meeting in early May to discuss this particular issue. I whole-heartedly support the Standing Committee on Finance when it suggests that we all have to get out there and make sure we get everyone we can in that census next year. I can't tell you how important that is.

Mr. Chairman, we have a large birth rate in the Northwest Territories and a burgeoning birth population. One of the disadvantages we face when we compare ourselves with other areas of Canada is they include immigration into their statistics. I think it is very important and incumbent upon us as politicians to make sure that everyone gets into that census. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to go to the Minister's opening comments. On page 2 in the second paragraph, the Minister talks about the fiscal year 1995-96, when grants from Canada will be frozen. Further on, he says because the formula financing agreement will be suspended for 1995-96, total revenues will become more uncertain, since the fail-safe provisions of the agreement will not apply.

I would like to ask the Minister to explain to me what the fail-safe provisions of the agreement that will not apply are, making total revenues uncertain. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, when our eligible revenues went down, the grant from Canada went up. With the suspension of that fail-safe provision this year, there will not be a safety net there for us if our eligible revenues go down. Conversely, Mr. Chairman, if our eligible revenues go up, then we should not suffer on the way up. It's the "fail-safing" going down, when our eligible revenues go down, that is of concern to us, particularly in the area of corporate income tax, which is a volatile commodity and has shown peaks and valleys over the years. That's where our main concern is, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Just very quickly, Mr. Chairman, I know Members are anxious to get on, I would like to say that I think it is an accomplishment that the formula has been frozen at the 1994-95 level. I know we're facing all kinds of pressures and it's not going to be easy living with those amounts, but, I think Mr. Pollard deserves credit for having achieved this feat.

I believe it is only due to his hard efforts and the relationship that he has developed with Mr. Martin that we were spared the knife this current fiscal year. I think there were bureaucrats and officials who would have advised that a harder line be taken with the Northwest Territories. It didn't happen, there was good reason it didn't happen, when one looks at the hits we've taken this year on health billings, forestry, and housing. We had a very good case to make but bureaucrats, particularly, and advisors are never as sympathetic as they should be to these realities we all understand in this House.

I would just like to have on record my gratitude to Mr. Pollard for the efforts he made and his achievement. It's no small achievement, Mr. Chairman, getting our grant frozen. Next year is another matter. It is going to be very much more difficult. Negotiating a new formula is another matter. But, I think we should stop for a minute and give credit to a very hard-working Minister who achieved something significant in getting the grant to the level we will be benefitting from this coming year. Thank you.

---Applause

Well, Mr. Chairman, I can take hardly any of the credit at all.

(Microphones turned off)

---Laughter

Agreed.

---Agreed

Line By Line

Directorate

Agreed.

---Agreed

Revenue And Asset Management

Agreed.

---Agreed

Fiscal Policy

Agreed.

---Agreed

Tax Administration

Agreed.

---Agreed

Bureau Of Statistics

Agreed.

---Agreed