Thank you Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, this program is seen as part of our overall income support programs and while it may have a flat cut-off rate, our income support program, in general, is related to the cost of living in each community in the North. As such, I am satisfied with the support provided to people in the North. It is as equitable as possible.

I think it is worth mentioning that this government has a number of programs for seniors. This is only one of them. We also offer a program which will match any municipality, up to 50 percent of the property taxes that a senior may pay on their properties. That means that if municipalities go along with it, that a senior in the Northwest Territories who owns their own home could pay no property tax.

We also offer seniors in the Northwest Territories, through the Housing Corporation, financial help in the amount of $7,500, as a grant in order to help the client improve their own home. This could include things like making the home more energy efficient so there would be less need for heating assistance. That $7,500 also is-well it is a flat sum-there is recognition that it would cost a lot more to transport the materials to some communities than others so the cost of transportation for materials is added to that.

I think that this government has a pretty good record of providing assistance to seniors. Like I said, it pains me to have to come forward with this kind of cut but in order to meet the fiscal targets that were set for my Department, I had nothing but difficult cuts to make. I am afraid that I do not have the flexibility to do as the honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta has requested, to defer this program and find the money somewhere else. The Member knows he has been after me to find some money for a larger gym in his community and I have not been able to do that either. I have all sorts of pressures and requests for more money and it just is not easy to find any money these days.

I think that when everything is taken together, I think that we have still gone out of our way to make sure that we provide pretty good support to our seniors in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.