Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's been a long day. Mr. Speaker, my question is going to be directed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, regarding the increase that we've heard about in the education taxes. We went through a number of months with the business plans. I would like to ask the Minister if he was aware during this time that the education tax was to be increased. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Financial Management Board, which I am a Member of, must have approved that increase in taxes, so I would have to answer that question in the affirmative. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since the Minister answered affirmatively, why was the Social Programs committee not notified of this increase that was going to be happening? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the Social committee was reviewing the business plan of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. Since those revenues do not show up in that business plan, it wouldn't be something that would automatically come up for discussion. Education taxes collected outside of the city of Yellowknife are directed to general revenues for this government and not specifically to education programs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the business plans, we know that it doesn't go directly to Education, but it would definitely have been, I would think, an area where the Minister would notify the committee that such an increase was going to happen. Was there any intention to notify the committee at any point during this time? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can take the Member's comment as advice for the future; but since, as I said, we were talking about our business plan and nowhere in our business plan does anything related to that tax show up, I didn't see the need at the time to mention it to the committee. It was not an initiative of the department. However, having said that, I will watch more carefully in the future and try and advise the committee whenever a circumstance may be arising that comes to my knowledge that might affect an area of their interest. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Public Works regarding the announcement he made today in the House about article 24 of the Nunavut agreement. Has the Minister and his department also looked at other arrangements in other land claims agreements, such as the Inuvialuit, Gwich'in and Sahtu, with regard to economic chapters and also other chapters in the agreement, and will you be making a similar announcement in this House on the articles in the other land claims agreements?

I believe, Mr. Speaker, that there are obligations in the agreement which may not be similar to

article 24 of the Nunavut agreement, but there are commitments that the government has to the other land claims agreements. Will you be tabling something in this House to the effect of what those are, because I do believe there are some disputes with some of the articles at this time between your department and the aboriginal organizations?