John Todd Keewatin Central

Yes, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker Brian Lewis

Final supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Jeannie Marie-Jewell Thebacha

Thank you. Final supplementary. The Minister indicated in his statement that the agreement transferred a staff of 122 employees. I would like clarification on whether these 122 employees were current PYs within the Northwest Territories, or did we receive any additional PYs from out of the Northwest Territories upon the transfer? Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker Brian Lewis

Thank you. Mr. Todd.

John Todd Keewatin Central

I stand to be corrected, but I believe that all the PYs were territorial Transport Canada employees, I believe. Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker Brian Lewis

Thank you, Mr. Todd. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Ballantyne.

The Deputy Speaker Brian Lewis

Mr. Morin.

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have managed to get approximately $9 million out of the federal government for home ownership programs that have been carried out this year, and I am going to be attending a housing Ministers' meeting in Newfoundland in the early part of July and hopefully, if there's any money available, we'll get our share. Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker Brian Lewis

Thank you, Mr. Morin. Supplementary, Mr. Ballantyne.

Michael Ballantyne Yellowknife North

Thank you. At the very least, we can probably say a trend has developed, and the capital part of the federal government contribution is slowly dissolving to nothing over a period of time.

My second question to the Minister is, do we still have a firm commitment that for whatever new houses we build, the federal government will continue to pay their portion of the O and M for social housing?

The Deputy Speaker Brian Lewis

Thank you. Mr. Morin.

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We do have a firm commitment. It is my understanding that we have a firm commitment of the federal government paying their share of the O and M for the existing public housing stock that we have. That is shared with them, but for the last year, we have not built any new public housing because they do not cost-share any public housing. They have agreed to cost-share our home ownership program. There is also information available that the Minister of Indian Affairs as well as the Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation are supposed to be putting a paper together for an aboriginal housing program on-reserve and off-reserve, so we are looking forward to seeing that paper.

The Deputy Speaker Brian Lewis

Thank you, Mr. Morin. Second supplementary, Mr. Ballantyne.