Thank you, Mr. Enuaraq. Good afternoon. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' Statements. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Members' statements. Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to inform the House of the state of emergency that has been declared by Mayor John Curley for the hamlet of Cape Dorset. Mr. Curley also chaired the Local Emergency Response Committee. As of 1300 hours, a hurricane warning has been issued for the Cape Dorset area. Strong winds, very high sea swells and freezing rain are affecting the community as we speak and are expected to worsen. Residents awoke

this morning to very strong winds and freezing rain, and all but emergency services were shut down. Mr. Timoon Toonoo, the senior administrative officer, informed me that five boats have been lost, and unfortunately, more are likely to be lost before the end of the storm. Fortunately, Mr. Speaker, there has been no loss of life. These boats represent years of investment by the owners and by no means a minor loss in dollars and the ability to hunt and quarry soapstone. The Emergency Response Committee informed residents that at 10:45 a.m. of a state of emergency alert and outpost camps were alerted via high frequency radio also. Mr. Toonoo told me about some ice build up on power lines and is keeping a close eye on the situation. Because of glare ice and high winds on the roads, for that matter on everything, it is impossible to travel by foot in the community. He watched people falling down and being thrown around by the winds while trying to crawl to their destination. It is for this reason that residents are being indoors until further notice.

The SAO wanted me to pass on the hamlet's appreciation for the assistance of Mr. Mike Ferris from the Department of Municipal Affairs in Iqaluit and for their assistance. Also, in my home community, Kimmirut which is 220 miles to the east of Cape Dorset, I am also informed of very high winds and seas the loss of two boats plus five more that are anchored in fear of danger of overturning, as well as, heavy ice build-up on building walls, windows and roads. That community has also been literally shut down and is taking precautions. I would ask that Members of this House join me in wishing these two communities the best as they ride out this very fierce storm. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Arlooktoo. Members' statements. Mr. Enuaraq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The cost of living is very expensive in the Arctic. The government is promoting healthy lifestyles which involves a balanced diet. For people living in remote communities like Clyde River, the cost of fresh fruits, vegetables and diary products are very high. For people living on income support and low paying jobs, it is very difficult to buy healthy foods for themselves and their families. In communities where there are two stores, you can shop around for better buys. However, in communities where there is just one store, there is no choice of where to buy food. With more than one store to chose from, there might be cheaper prices too. Mr. Speaker, I want the government to know that I am concerned about the high cost of healthy food in remote communities such as those in my region. As a government, we have to practice what we preach. If we say buy healthy food, we should make sure people can afford to buy it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Enuaraq. Members' statements. Mr. Barnabas.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to advise the Members of the House of my support of the Draft Transition Action Plan tabled in this House last Wednesday by the Minister responsible for Division. Mr. Speaker, I, for one, am glad to see the kind of detailed planning finally being done with less than 18 months until division. It is time for action. This plan was prepared as advice to the Interim Commissioner, which I hope he will give some thoughtful consideration to. This was also developed as an action plan for steps that the Government of the Northwest Territories can take to help make Nunavut a reality. Finally, this plan also outlines the funding that will be needed to put basic government structure in place in Nunavut.

Mr. Speaker, like many of my colleagues, I wish that we could be further down the road to implementation and that this plan can continue to follow the actions that are necessary to have a fully functioning Nunavut government in place by April 1, 1999. But if we at least can get the basics in place, then the new MLAs of the Nunavut government will have be the tools and the framework they need to move forward to put the final model in the way that the Inuit people want their government to be.

The people of Nunavut have very high expectations of the benefits that the new government will bring, and I know that the people of Resolute, Arctic Bay and Grise Fiord who I represent are anxious to see the government offices to be built in the communities outside of the capital of Iqaluit. I am very pleased to see, Mr. Speaker, that this plan recognizes that decentralization must take place if the vision for the Nunavut government outlined in Footprints 2 is to become a reality. I want to wish success to all the parties as they begin discussions on the plan and the funding that is needed to turn this into action. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Barnabas. Members' statements. Mr. Rabesca.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, as everyone knows was Thanksgiving. In my household, we along with most families across the great country celebrated this holiday in the traditional manner, cooking themselves a turkey and all the trimmings. For me it was a nice relaxing day to be with family and friends. I would like to thank my family and friends for making this the special day that it is. I would like to also wish everyone a belated Happy Thanksgiving.

As some of you heard on the radio this morning, Jean Marie River has now become the latest community to have a full- year-round highway access. Myself, along with my colleague, Levi Barnabas, were fortunate to be able to travel with my colleague the Honourable James Antoine to partake in the grand opening of this new access road. The community has been lobbying the government for many years, and Saturday they were able to realize this dream. I would like to thank the community of Jean Marie River for their hospitality, and the Minister for inviting me to witness this very important event. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Rabesca. Members' statements. Mr. Ootes.

The Member for Yellowknife Centre is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do I have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Ootes, you have unanimous consent.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Members' statements. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Members' statements. Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to spend a couple of minutes this fine Tuesday afternoon to talk about a non-inspiring topic, that of statistics usage. Mr. Speaker, with the arrival of the computer age, our society has at its fingertips the ability to compile and compose statistics as it so desires. We have statistics for this and statistics for that. For the most part, these titbits of information seem harmless, but placed in the wrong hand can become grave and lethal weapons. Recently, Yellowknife has been in the local headlines as being an undesirable place to live or invest in because of the media's reporting of crime rates. While the increase in perceived crime rate is real or perceived, these articles have left residents, potential residents and investors with the impression that Yellowknife may be a less charming place to reside and invest in.

I have had the opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to study these detailed statistics for myself. It is my observation that the incidents of overall crime in Yellowknife has decreased by approximately 18 percent over last year. Statistics do say that the crime rate in Yellowknife has actually decreased 18 percent. I too, could have viewed these statistics with a sensational eye and arrived at some of the same conclusions. For example, I could have concluded that from the stats that the incidents of reported aggravated assault have raised 100 percent over the previous year. I had one case of reported aggravated sexual assault this year. We had no reported cases last year. But that could have been a gross misuse of information.

Mr. Speaker, quite frankly it would be a misrepresentation of the facts, it should also be noted that these statistics do not support a conclusion that the youths of Yellowknife are responsible for the majority of the reported cases of crime. According to RCMP officials, youth are not to be blamed for the seeming rash of assaults. Most of these charges in this area are 25 year old or older. Mr. Speaker, the statistics show that crime is not on the increase in Yellowknife. Crimes by youth in our city are not on the rise and that Yellowknife is not a haven for crime. These are the facts, Mr. Speaker, and I am happy to report this positive news. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Henry. Members' statements. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier this summer I had travelled by boat to several sites in Frobisher Bay and then onto Resolution Island. Resolution Island is the site of an abandoned DEW Line site. It was abandoned around 1974 and, Mr. Speaker, was left in a very disturbing manner with PCBs and, yes, even an abandoned army jeep. My estimates put the cleanup at about $40 million. Over the past two summers, the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation has been involved in preliminary work assessing the potential areas of concern and have several people at the site all this summer. All buildings, warehouses, barrows, woods, metal and various other left over equipment are still very obvious at the site. There is major concern with the amount of PCBs that have been detected in the soil and surrounding the buildings. This summer via sealift, the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation brought in heavy equipment necessary to facilitate their appraisal and the cleanup.

Mr. Speaker, last year I raised the issue of the DEW Line cleanups and the deal that was signed between the federal government and the United States' government providing $100 million for the DEW Line and other United States' military cleanups in Canada. The problem, Mr. Speaker, is that from all estimates, $100 million is a shamefully small amount with a caveat. Mr. Speaker, the caveat, as I have said in this House before, is that the $100 million is not an actual cash but an amount that will be used to draw down as a credit by our government in the purchase of military equipment.

Mr. Speaker, this past spring when I questioned this government about the deal, we learned that although we have the majority of the sites involved with the cleanup, we were never informed about it until it was announced in the media. That was not acceptable. Resolution Island is well known as a major denning site for polar bears. There is much concern about the concentration of PCBs and other chemicals at the site and its effect for the past 25 years on wildlife in the area. The concern last year, Mr. Speaker, that I had with the disposal of PCB lead in paint being buried in the north from the abandoned DEW Line buildings and exemption sought by the Department of National Defence to the federal department of the Environment is still a major concern.

Later today, Mr. Speaker, I will be raising some questions with the honourable Minister for Resources, Wildlife, and Economic Development to ask him about the situation. Also Mr. Speaker, the storm affecting Cape Dorset and Lake Harbour is also affecting Iqaluit. I would like to wish all the residents, my wife, children and mother well. Our thoughts are with you. God bless.

Thank you. Just to remind the Members, I believe there were three Members so far that have made Members' statements that went off their main topic. I would like to remind you to stick to one item and do not switch from one to another. Members' statements. Mr. Antoine.

(Translation unavailable) (Translation) We had an opportunity to go to Jean Marie River, Levi Barnabas and James Rabesca. Because it was close to Thanksgiving, it was an opportune time for us to open the access road to Jean Marie River. There was an elder lady, Bella Norwegian, and Chief Yvonne Norwegian who assisted me in cutting the ribbon. There were so many people there that were thankful for the event, and we had also had a feast. In the past, the community was only accessible by a winter road. Now, the Department of Transportation opened up the access road which was 27 kilometres long, and due to this stretch of road we trained many young people and everything turned out fine. I am the MLA and represent the people of Jean Marie River and with the assistance of the government, the community of Jean Marie River are able to travel outside of their little community and do their shopping. I want to thank you in the House for that opportunity. Thank you. (Translation ends)

Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Todd.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. I have a return to oral question, asked by Mr. Picco on October 7, 1997.

Environmental Liability Inventory

The following is the information requested concerning the inventory of sites in the Northwest Territories with potential environmental liabilities.

The Standing Committee on Government Operations requested that an inventory of sites where potential environmental liabilities may exist be completed by the Financial Management Board Secretariat (FMBS). This task was undertaken by the FMBS and a report provided to both the Chairman and the Clerk of this Standing Committee on April 7, 1997.

The inventory identified 648 sites. At 624 an environmental liability exists or may exist. Based on an estimated average cost per site of $10,000 to $50,000 to conduct detailed environmental assessments to determine whether or not environmental damage exists, and the potential costs of remediation, the assessment could cost between $6 to $40 million. The actual cost of remediating or restoring these sites to their original condition is unknown and cannot be determined until the detailed environmental assessments are done.

While the Government of the Northwest Territories cannot afford to conduct these detailed assessments at this time, having developed an inventory of potential sites is a positive step.

Thank you. Returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Ms. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Because the plane was cancelled today going to eastern Rankin, I am able to recognize my husband in the gallery with my little buddy, Randy, and also our other son, Trevor. Thank you.

Thank you. Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Ootes.

Thank you. Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Evan Walz. Evan used to work at the Legislative Assembly and has since refound a home at Renewable Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. Thank you.

Thank you. Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Krutko.

Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Enuaraq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess my question will be directed to Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Jim Antoine. As I mentioned in my Member's statement people who live on the highway system have the ability to go elsewhere to buy their food. Also on the highway system, food is less expensive, a little bit anyway. In remote communities, there is no choice where to buy their food. They must rely on expensive airlines and local stores. What are we as a government doing to assist low income families in remote communities to buy their healthy food. Thank you.

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have to take this question as notice. Thank you.

The question is taken as notice. Oral questions, Mr. Miltenberger.

The Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board, Mr. Todd.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke on a number of occasions that diamonds are different than any other commodity and that we have to be very careful as to how we approach this industry and ensure that Canadian interests as well as northern ones are protected. There is no question, if you want. The value or the return on investment that this industry has historically in Africa, Australia and other countries is significant. I am advised that this current diamond activity going on in the Northwest Territories could bring somewhere in the range of two mines that are up and running of about 7.7 million carats a year and that a large percentage of those carats are of gem quality which would mean a significant return on investment for both companies.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Todd.

Well, of course, there is a great deal of debate right now as to what the number is with respect to taxes and royalties. My numbers right now indicate that the federal government and ourselves would get somewhere in

the range of about $2.4 to $2.5 billion over the life cycle of one mine. There is some discussion about some of the secondary taxes that may come that would bring this thing to somewhere around $4 billion over the period of one mine. So, you know, I think, the numbers we are talking about are national in their context. They are large in terms of the balance sheet and, while the risk capital is significant and nobody denies that, some of the rewards, if these diamond operations are successful, are immense. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Todd.

I did have the opportunity to read the latest in the Globe and Mail, Mr. Speaker. It indicates here from a renowned capital investment firm called Deans Knight Capital Management. They have shares in the Aber Company and they also manage about 2.3 to 2.4 billion, so that gives them some credibility. They figure that the two Canadian diamond mines, once they are in production, would be one of the top world's diamond producing nations. They also indicate the rewards for diamond miners can be enormous. A top notch diamond mine can be worth ten times as much as a comparative sized gold mine. I think that kind of illustrates that it is not only us that is saying it, it is national finance and investment firms that are saying the same thing that we are. The rules and engagement as it relates to diamond mines should be different than other industry or nonrenewable resources industries out there. We hope at the end of day that the federal government will see the need to protect Canadian interests, as well as the other ones at the same time. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Roland.

Thank you. Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have had the opportunity to have the initial meeting as well as follow up meetings with the panel on the economy with the Premier's Business Panel. They have made recommendations to this government and I have presented that all to the committee when I presented my business plan. I would be pleased to give the Member a copy of that, and all Members a copy. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier's Panel made recommendations through that panel to this government on a few of the issues that we have moved forward on. One of the issues, for example, is this spring in the Legislative Assembly, the Minister of Finance announced a $16 million initiative of this government to top up our economic development programs, our lending institutions as well as to top up the Minister of Education's budget as well as Resources, Wildlife and Developments' budget on investing in people's future as well as investing in business. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The future for the Northwest Territories in general, looks fairly well. What we have to make sure is, as things develop in the Northwest Territories that we seize on the opportunities that will exist and that will come to the attention of this government, as well as the communities that are surrounding the development in the Northwest Territories. We have to ensure that we have properly trained people ready to go into the work force. One of the major issues that people addressed in the Premier's Panel, that we have to make sure that we are in sync with the private sector and working with private sector to make sure our people are trained, so they can take the jobs that are coming available. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I cannot foresee the recommendations or what the panel will recommend to us. I know that we do have a good working relationship with the business people of the Northwest Territories. We know that in order for the north to develop, and move ahead, those partnerships have to be strengthened. We have to work together as two partners. We also know, and we made it very clear, that the government no longer can be the engine of the economy. It has to be the private sector and we have to work in conjunction with them. So, that is the overlying issue we have to address with the private sector, as to how we can work better together to enhance what the private sector is doing on behalf of all the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you. (Translation) Our MP, Ethel Blondin-Andrew is amongst us. (Translation ends) Oral questions. Mr. Krutko.

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the case of Aklavik. I must say this is the first time I am hearing there was such a request for an all-weather road to Aklavik. The department will have to take a look at where Aklavik is, in conjunction to the existing highway system and look at the possibilities. What are the possibilities of connecting it into the existing system? Personally, I am not very familiar with that part of the country, so I cannot say how that is going to be done. The department will receive a request from the community, and what we could do is take a look at what the possibilities are. It is a starting point. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the case of the all-weather road that was just opened last Saturday to the community of Jean Marie for 27 km. That was a 30-year process to get it, from the time they first requested it until it was completed. It took that long to get it completed. It was not until about 1990/91/92 that the actual planning started and now it is 1997. It took that many years before it actually got done. The process for a place like Aklavik, it will have to go through a request from the community to the department and we could take a look at it. We are operating on very limited resources in the department and at this point in time, we would probably have to start off with a very long range plan, to see something of this nature come about. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Ootes.

The Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is true the Department of Public Works and Services did receive requests from the NWT Architectural Society and in particular from Mr. Wayne Guy. We spent some time looking at the proposal and the merits of the proposal in areas where it needed some work. We did point out some areas that the proposal did need to be worked on. We did work together in that sense. However, as the Members can appreciate, we do have very limited time in the next year and half because of a very heavy Legislative agenda. We have informed Mr. Guy that the work that has been done up to-date is useful, and it could prove valuable if future Legislatures wanted to use it for an architectural act. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The draft proposal, as I understand it, is one borrowed from Alberta, and it does include some comments made from groups in the Northwest Territories. It has some merit in that sense, but we cannot just take that proposal from a private group and rubber stamp it right through the Assembly and make it into law. The government through the Department of Justice has to go through a drafting process. It has to look at all the implications that it might have on other parts of the government, et cetera. I would also point out that the Government House Leader has given very clear direction to all Ministers that because of our full legislative agenda, there is only specific criteria of laws that we can work in, in the next year and half. This is not included in that criteria.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it would be a bit more clear if I put it this way. I have been informed by the Department of Justice and the Government House Leader that there is no room at all in our legislative agenda in the next year and a half to put through an architectural act. However, the work that has been put together, so far, is valuable in that it could be used in future acts. We just do not have the time to do it at this point.

Thank you. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand there is still no consensus amongst the industry about the acceptability of the proposal. There are groups, like the landscape associations and the interior designers, which have some problems with the proposal. In that sense, there is still some work to be done. We have already told the architectural association that the work is valuable. We will take it and file it, and it will be used at the first opportunity. We will ensure that whatever changes are made in the committee regulations are followed.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Miltenberger.

The Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would be only to happy to address that frequently asked question by my honourable colleague and my other one, who is not in the House today, Mr. Picco. Mr. Speaker, we have agreed to a full briefing tomorrow at 9 or 10 o'clock tomorrow morning, for those Members that may show an interest in the Aurora Fund Marketing Strategy. I did have a meeting with Mr. Bailey who is our investment manager on this issue earlier this weekend

while I was working. He indicated to me that there is actually a fair amount of work done with RWED, in fact they are our partners in this process. They market this fund the same as they market the department and BCC and try to advise as many people as possible as to what the fund does. Mr. Bailey met with some Chambers of Commerce in an effort to advise them what the fund is about. This House, of course, is a very public facility, and we have discussed that and that gives more people more of an interest in what we are doing. There are no large sums of money in terms of marketing dollars with respect to the fund. As I said, it is a private fund operated by private individuals. Mr. Speaker, what I am trying to say is that RWED assists us in advising people of the availability of this fund, as they do with other funds they take care of, like the BCC and the smaller grants, et cetera. But there is no conventional marketing strategy on this fund because of the limitation of dollars. Thank you.

Just to remind the Member for Keewatin Central, for Members that are not in the House. Members are not allowed to mention that they are not in the House. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Todd.

I think my honourable colleague is trying to trap me today, but I will not fall into that trap, Mr. Speaker. The reality is that I would hope the Department of Economic Development and the economic development officers would assist people, the same as they assist people in applying for CIBC money, the Royal Bank, the Bank of Montreal, trust companies and everything else. What I was saying earlier in the week was, the fund is an independent fund. The investment committee is an independent investment committee. The investment manager is an independent investment manager and there is no, it was implied, if I may, by some Members, that there is political interference. There is absolutely none. What I am saying is, there is a limitation to the fund's marketing dollars because it is run on a very lean and mean fiscal framework. What we are trying to make sure, is that the maximum dollars can get out to the private sector and minimum dollars administering it. That is the concept of the fund. Mr. Speaker, I hope I have answered my honourable colleague's questions.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Todd.

Mr. Speaker, customer A is looking for x amount of dollars to expand or to create new business that is going to provide new job opportunities. He goes into RWED and he says to them, this is what I want to do. RWED says there are options out there. There is the BCC, there is the grant program, there is this Aurora Fund, et cetera. What I am saying to you is RWED does this, fortunately, on behalf of the fund at no cost because of its obligation to the private sector and its responsibilities to aid it in trying to find alternate sources of capital, besides GNWT or the conventional banks, et cetera. That is all I am trying to say. The fund is another Government of the Northwest Territories capital option that we can provide to the business community. It has some limitations, as we all know, and tomorrow in the briefing we will be able to give you a very precise description of how the fund operates and its successes and failures to date. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Todd.

If my memory serves me correctly, I believe that Mr. Bailey has spoken for example, to the superintendents. I could stand to be corrected, but if my memory serves me correctly, as we were having breakfast the other morning as we were discussing this fund and trying to get a handle on the marketing strategy. I believe that the superintendents of RWED, Mr. Kakfwi's department, have

been brought up-to-date on the fund, if you want, the criteria and conditions attached to it. As I said, we are very pleased that they have been able to assist us at no cost in advising northerners right across the territories the availability of this fund and the criteria and conditions attached to making an application for the dollars. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Mr. Speaker, last year about this time this House passed a motion for the government to publish the names and salaries of people making over $90,000 a year. In the spring, in answer to a question, the Premier had indicated that the staff was still working on that list. I was wondering when the Premier intends to honour the commitment of releasing the names and the salaries of people making over the amount of money that was indicated in the motion? Thank you.

Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was a two part motion by Mr. Ootes. One was on contracts and to identify the sole-sourced or negotiated contracts, and the binder of contracts that every Member receives and members of the public can buy for $9. Then it was also on salaries for government employees and we have been working on that issue and continue to work on that issue. Whether or not we are going to do it or not, I do not know as of yet, Mr. Speaker. It is something that we have to address as Cabinet. Whether or not we agree to do it or not, I do not know. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What types of things have to be considered before the release of that information?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know that the Member himself, as well as other Members, have raised the whole issue of our employees and the morale of our employees, how hard they have been working, and how little they have been paid, and issues as such. We have to look at how that will affect government morale of employees and whether or not we should even consider releasing it. Whether it should be at the $100,000 mark, $90,000 mark or $50,000 mark, or what. It is something that we have to work with. I think it is also something that we have to address with our legal people, as well as I think the unions would be fairly interested in this issue as well, because it would be involving their membership as well. It is not a decision to be made lightly. It is a decision that must be made one way or the other and I am sure will be made fairly shortly by say the winter session. Thank you.