Well, I will be honest with you, and answer it if I can. You know there have been program cuts, and there are continuing program cuts, and every time we cut, most of you pass motions to put them back in. I am not sure how we will ever satisfy any of the people, or anytime where we may satisfy some of the people some of the time.

Our employee morale, I think, is understandable right across the country from Newfoundland to BC, from shore to shore, where you are cutting and making government smaller, as we all have to do. You are going to have a problem with employee morale. That is unfortunately just one of the situations that prevails in this difficult time.

I thought, in my budget address, we tried to reassure and compliment what Mr. Ootes said, and that was in relationship to our obligation to our staff as it relates to division. I do not want to be disrespectful to anyone, but let me tell you, I am going to repeat again, division is a reality. Mr. Ootes said he was concerned about the damage in terms of the relationship. He should be concerned about the damage to the relationship if he implies that we should slow it down. The bottom line is that you have to get on the band wagon here, and make this thing work in a timely manner, because those who will be the new legislators are watching what is going on, and they may in fact, if I can be so bold, resent any implication that this thing should be held up.

We need to move swiftly, not slowly. We need to reassure our employees, as we did in the budget, that they will be given an opportunity in the Nunavut government. I want to remind everyone, it is two new governments, not just one. You are obligated through legislation to move on division. I am trying to reassure this House, and my honourable colleague Mr. Steen, that discussions are under way with Mr. Martin and the federal government on the fiscal side of things. But to talk about relationships, we need to demonstrate to our colleagues in the east and the west that we are going to move on a timely, efficient way to put some government in place. I feel very, very strongly about that.

I would suggest to you that there should be no reluctance to move on this issue. We are already, and I have said this on a number of occasions, behind the eight ball, as they say, on the division issue. So, again, on the employee morale, I understand that Mr. Ootes has a large civil servant constituency, so have I. Unfortunately, in the era of cutbacks, we are going to have some uncertainty, and it is just a by-product of the fact that we are sitting with a deficit.

I think over the next short while, once this budget is approved, assuming we get the cooperation of the House, we will be able to bring some stability, and some reassurance to our hard working employees that their jobs are relatively secure. But suddenly, I have to say, for the record, there is going to be a significant shift in jobs, as it relates to Nunavut as we move east and west. That is just a reality. That is not something you have to hide from, that is something you have to confront.

You have to confront it up front, in a productive, efficient way. I intend to do that, and will try to do it as fairly and equitably as possible. So I look forward to the debate on the budget, particularly as it relates to division in the coming months, and I am optimistic that my federal counterpart, Mr. Martin, is sympathetic, and that we will be able to move forward in an orderly way with the official's committee to initiate discussions on financing of the two territories in March. Thank you.