Minister of Public Works and Government Services...Point of order, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Point Of Order

We're all aware of the ruling presented to Members of this House respecting the naming of individuals of the public. I think Mr. Patterson, with all due respect, has not violated your ruling but has forgotten about it. I would like you to, possibly, review Hansard to see whether it is appropriate for Members like us to name specific individuals in questions to Ministers. Thank you.

Thank you. I understand that there is communication between Mr. Mrdjenovich and Mr. Morin and also that, as a shareholder, Mr. Mrdjenovich's name is public knowledge. The question is fair, it's not attacking the character of an individual, but asking for information about an individual. So, I see no point of order here. Mr. Patterson, your point of order.

I will decline, in light of your ruling, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Laughter

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't have the principal owner of Nova Construction's phone number. It must be a private number that he doesn't want people to have. He hasn't even given it to me when he has called. But I do have his address, and it's: 5003 Forrest Drive. That's his house. And he does have a mortgage on that house with CIBC for $163,000.

Ooh.

He pays $340 a week at nine per cent interest and he has over $35 million invested in property in the Northwest Territories. That's information he gave to my office about an hour ago. Thank you.

Again, I must remind Ministers about revealing personal information about an individual unless it is public knowledge.

It is now.

---Laughter

Well, it is now, but wasn't prior to the Minister's response. I would like to remind the Minister that if it is public knowledge, then information should be provided. If it isn't, then it shouldn't be. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to clarify to you that I was not seeking personal financial information. I asked the Minister if he knew the phone number, which is not listed in the directory as being unlisted at the customer's request, by the way.

My supplementary question, Mr. Speaker, since the Minister has indicated that the owner of Nova Construction, who I need not name...

---Laughter

...does own a house in Yellowknife, I would like to ask the Minister, in order to meet current BIP criteria which the Minister has said Nova Construction and its owner meet, does it matter whether the owner lives in the house or just that he maintains it and pays a mortgage and taxes? Does it matter whether he lives in the house? Thank you.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As long as a construction company owner has a Northwest Territories health care card, a driver's licence and maintains an address in the Northwest Territories, he is eligible under the BIP for northern preference. That's how the rules are to date. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, to me, maintaining a house is keeping it standing and paying taxes and paying the mortgage. I take it from the Minister's answer then that it doesn't matter whether the house is empty or not, whether the owner and his family lives in, let's say Alberta, is irrelevant to the BIP as long as the house is maintained. Is that the current requirement of the BIP as far as the residency of owners are concerned in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is correct that as long as he owns the house and maintains it then he is considered a resident, because there are also the other two things. He has to have a driver's licence in the NWT and a health care card. So in order to obtain those you have to be a resident, so that's what we use for documentation to certify residency. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that it's well-known that there are a lot of people who have health care cards in the Northwest Territories who are not principal residents of the Northwest Territories.

In light of the Minister's revelation that all you have to do is maintain an empty house to meet the residency requirements under the BIP, which I think would be a surprise to many of my constituents who not only maintain houses but live in them all year round and all winter, I would like to ask the Minister when we will see the revised, much-awaited, long-promised, much-reviewed, much-consulted on BIP, the revised Business Incentive Policy, in this House? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will make that available to the Members as soon as I get the Cabinet approval on it so that we can go through the last round of consultation to the general public and contractors. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. Mrs. Thompson.