Madam Chair, this program came as a result of the land claim negotiations between the NTI and the federal government some six years ago, I believe, in order to break an impasse between the Inuit and the federal government over the harvesters' assistance program that the Inuit wanted to include in their claim and to which the federal government was hanging on. As the government at that time, the GNWT proposed to the Inuit that they were willing to provide up to $15 million over a five-year period to jointly fund a Nunavut harvesters' assistance program of the nature that the Inuit negotiators were proposing.

The program was set up outside the claim and I think this might be the last year in which we're funding. To date, when it's completed, the beneficiaries of Nunavut would have contributed $15 million to this trust fund, and the GNWT would have contributed $15 million. The interest from that money would be used to administer the program and also to provide financial support for hunters and trappers in the Nunavut area and to fund those activities that would support harvesters in pursuing the lifestyle that makes use of the renewable resources within Nunavut.

The Government of the Northwest Territories also provides the same type of support of setting up of similar programs in the western part of the Northwest Territories. When proposals came forward from Dene and Metis communities, we had said we would provide up to $18 million and that the money would be available as communities and regions came forward with proposals similar to those that we had agreed to in the Eastern Arctic. The way the government set it up is we've just said that as a Cabinet or as a government, in the previous government,

that we were good for up to $18 million. But as you can see, whenever acceptable proposals come forward, we deal with them as they come forward, as special warrants. This is the way that it's shown up. If Members are unhappy, then we should come up with an annual allocation. I'm sure the bookkeepers can come up with an acceptable way of doing business.

As I said, in the Eastern Arctic we simply committed to pay out exactly $3 million a year for five years. Here in the West, we've simply identified a maximum of $18 million, but we've not allocated an annual amount that would be available since we have no idea of when and how communities and regions would be asking to access this money.

That's a long-winded answer but you need the background in order to understand where these initiatives come from. Thank you.