Thank you, honourable Minister. ltern 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Enuaraq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Housing. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my Member's statement today, there was extensive

consultation leading up to the implementation of the new social housing rent scale last year. The previous Housing Minister promised that the consultation would continue once the rent scale was in place. Will the Minister commit to a process of community and regional consultation in the coming years so the Housing Corporation can consider the effectiveness of the new rent scale and other housing issues? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. The honourable Minister for Housing, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the corporation has continued to undertake consultations at a community and at a regional level in following the past practice established by the former Minister. In the case of the honourable Member for Baffin, I am actually advised that with the exception of lqaluit, all communities in the Baffin district have already undertaken community consultations for this current fiscal year. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that we will continue to look at community consultation readings to address housing concerns. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for lqaluit, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in a letter to all MLAs and recently in the media, it has come to my attention this government is continuing to look at the possible purchase of Canarctic Shipping. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister for Transportation please confirm to this House that in actuality we, as a government, are negotiating to buy Canarctic?

The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The government department and the Cabinet have riot made any decisions on this matter. We're reviewing this matter further and we will get back to the Member as soon as we have any direction on this matter. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Rabesca.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, on the Human Resources Development Canada notice to apprentices in their income support document. The changes to the apprenticeship program will be effective April 1, 1996. The program will be available to those apprentices who are eligible for UI. If their UI claim starts on or after training start date, the normal UI two-week waiting period will apply. The basic training allowances to offset the waiting period will no longer apply.

Mr. Speaker, if an apprentice submits a record of employment or an application which is incorrectly filed, the first unemployment insurance cheque will not arrive until seven or eight weeks after the training date starts. Apprentices are expected to save enough money to meet their financial commitments for at least four weeks or two months after the commencement of the course because there may be some delays in payment.

Mr. Speaker, I have also been informed that as of January 1997, there will not be any more allowances for the apprentices. Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment if this is in fact true.

Thank you. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Rabesca.

Since most of the apprenticeship technical training is taken in the South, how will the apprentices receive. their training it there won't be any more allowances after January 1997?

Thank you. Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Krutko, Member for Mackenzie Delta. I believe the honourable Member for North Slave still has the floor. Mr. Rabesca.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How will eliminating the apprenticeship allowances affect employment programs?

Thank you. Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Mr. Rabesca, final supplementary.

With the changes to the apprenticeship programs, who will be monitoring the program to ensure that they are following standards so that a student will not have to wait two months to receive enough money to remain in the program? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Mr. Dent.