Mr. Chairman, there is no policy, per se. I understand there is in the policy binders of the government, there is one there back from three governments ago, I believe. But, the privatization initiative was one that the new government decided was something that we were going to do.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Tabled Document 46-13(4), which I tabled yesterday, is the document that Mr. Arlooktoo referred to. For in my research, when I received this document, I understand that it is still on the books of this government as a policy. It does not matter if it is three governments ago, ten governments ago, or five terms ago. It is still on the books as a policy of this government. Yes it is. It is still on the books as a policy of this government. So if we are not following that policy and we are not following some policy, we are just following his direction, then how can, for example, we look at, as a government, the different areas that are being privatized? Is there some kind of rule set out on which areas that we will privatize so that the Members can have a look at them? That is the point here, Mr. Chairman. I ask again, can maybe the Minister provide that direction, this legal document, these legal borderlines, or paralegal, or whatever there is in place that tells you of how you are going to privatize? Maybe the Minister could give us an idea, other than say that, well it was the direction of government.

Mr. Chairman, the document that the Member refers to, and I did skim over it the other day, is from 1985. It is a policy of a different government, but happens to be in the policy binder. From what I remember in that document, there are two broad principles in the beginning which said that the government supports businesses doing business in which they are capable and that if the government privatizes, that the standards that the government uses should be met, or exceeded, and that staff would be treated with respect and so on. Those broad guidelines still apply. Then there was a bunch of pages following, specific to what the government wanted to do at the time, but other than that, that document is 12 years old.

No. All I am asking, Mr. Chairman, when you rephrased my question you rephrased it wrongly. What I was asking for is, if you are not following this policy, which is the only policy that I can find on the books for privatization, then what policy is the government following? I would like to see a policy, if this is not the one and this one is redone and that is the only one I can find, then give me a policy of five pages, 10 pages, one page, saying this is what we are privatizing, this is what we are doing, so that I can ask legitimate questions and questions to find out information based on a policy. Are we just making it up as we go along? I do not know. That is what I am asking. Do you have something? Then provide it! That is all that I am asking.

Mr. Chairman, if I could direct the attention of the Member to page 16-1.11 and part 8 and it is in the same document that he has, I believe, the prerogative of the Executive Council. It states nothing in this directive shows in any way be construed to limit the prerogative of the Executive Council to make decisions or take actions respecting privatization of government services and programs outside the provisions of this directive.

I do not understand what his point was. So you are telling me that it is 12 years old, it is not redundant, it is a policy of the government. All I am saying is, if you are not following that policy, now he quotes from the policy, are you following that policy? If you are not following that policy then what policy are we following as a government, so that when I go to look at privatization you can say, yes, Mr. Picco, turn to page 3 and it will explain why we are privatizing property management, how we are doing the POL initiative and then the guidelines that have to be followed, or for any other privatization issues that are coming up. That is all that my question is. If you want to quote from the policy then, and that is the only one that is on the books, and I understand from some advice that I have, is that if the policy is on the books, then you follow it. If not, if it is out, then that is it. So, my final question is again, can the Minister furnish a written policy on privatization initiatives of this government as I have requested now in four supplementary questions. If not, when can they get it for us to see and if they do not have one, when are they going to write one?

Well, Mr. Chairman, I am not going to question the chair, but I think I have asked the same question for four supplementary questions. My question is, where is the policy that you are using and then maybe one of my other colleagues here can go after it.

Mr. Chairman, I think the Member is wrong on the two fronts that he is trying to follow. One is, if he is saying that the government is breaking a policy. One, he says that there is no policy, I think that was the original question. What I said is that the privatization initiative is one that the government in the beginning decided that it was part of its Deficit Elimination Strategy, job creation strategy, et cetera. But now they will argue that this policy is in effect, and I have yet to get advice on whether it is or not. If it is in effect, this section 61.11, part 8, does allow us to go ahead with what we are doing. That was my point.

Yes, I would like to be wait listed.

Mr. Chairman, I will find that out and let the Member know. We do not have that information.