Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on October 1, 1996, I had the opportunity to attend the Kitikmeot Leadership Forum in Cambridge Bay and I attended this meeting.

Many of the issues were discussed during that meeting, in Cambridge Bay, namely community empowerment, housing, housing was the predominant issue according to my understanding. I only had the opportunity to spend one day.

Mr. Speaker, one of the problems that came about in the Natilikmiot region, I think this is a concern of all small communities in the eastern Arctic, namely Nunavut, was that government, this government is now in the process of selling staff houses. We are moving at full speed while in the communities we do not have alternative housing for our teaching staff.

Mr. Speaker, the number of enrolment, student enrolment, is growing every year, increasing every year. Subsequently, we will need a teaching staff for the communities of Gjoa Haven, Pelly Bay, Taloyoak, other communities in our region.

Government is now in the process of getting rid of all the government houses, Mr. Speaker. While the communities are concerned that, what happens if all the government houses are sold to individuals, corporations, private sector and so on, there will be no houses left to, boarded up, for the teaching staff.

And one of the alternatives that we were told, Mr. Speaker, is that municipalities could buy houses and in turn lease them to the government employees. Will the government ensure once those houses are privatized that there will be affordable, reasonable prices for teaching staff to house them?

That is one of the questions that came from the Kitikmeot Leadership Forum. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.