I do not have that particular figure before me, but I would like to say that employees were given ample opportunity to purchase the units, and there have been, for a variety of reasons some employees who have chosen not to. Our secondary position was to go to local based community owned aboriginal and non-aboriginal development corporations who, with the help of some lending mortgage companies, are proceeding to buy the units with the assurance that they will provide cost effective, affordable housing to our staff. Thank you.

Thank you. Operations and maintenance. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, is it possible for Mr. Todd to get that information, to provide it to us? How many have actually been bought by our staff? How many have been sold to the private development cooperation? Which is a good point. It would be very hard to argue against the development corporations buying the staff houses. How many private companies have actually bought houses, also? If Mr. Todd has those figures available.

Thank you. Mr. Todd.

Mr. Chairman, many of these offers are pending, and we are moving in the sale of staff houses daily so it is hard, I am not trying to avoid the question, but it is hard to determine an accurate analysis of what is private, what is local, what was bought by the tenants, et cetera. I would be prepared to commit that once the dust settles and the majority of the houses are sold, that I would table in the House, the information asked for by my honourable colleague. I cannot give him an accurate reflection of that right now because we are selling them by the day. For example, we sold a large number of units in Iqaluit this weekend. We are selling some today in the Gwich'in area. I mean it is just wonderful. It is fluid. It is moving. It is enthusiastic. I will bring forward a full comprehensive analysis of who purchased the units to meet the request by my honourable colleague, Mr. Picco. Thank you.

Thank you. Operation and maintenance. Mr. Picco. We have Mr. Steen as well. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As we are on the Directorate, I had some more questions in some other areas on the Directorate. If Mr. Steen would like to continue the housing line, I will defer to him, but I do have some new questions on the other functions that are Directorate.

Thank you. I believe Mr. Picco that you are not asking a question that may require response. Right? I recognize Mr. Picco.

Yes. Thank you. I would like to bring up another line of questioning unless Mr. Steen would like to continue this line.

Thank you, Mr. Picco is wondering, Mr. Steen, if you will ask question as a supplementary from Mr. Picco. Mr. Steen.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

It would be fair to say that Mr. Arlooktoo, who has been working extremely hard to try to find creative solutions to our desperate housing shortage, that all of us around this table are involved with. The fact that, through no fault of his own or this government, the federal government arbitrarily cut $43 million from the housing budget two years ago. We are looking at ways and means in which to bring forward creative solutions to what we call the social housing program. This transfer of any staff housing that is no longer required and redundant really will have a very small impact, but it will have some impact. We will transfer with it whatever funds we have to run these houses. With the hope that it will, in some small way alleviate, in some of the communities, because there are communities where the private sector will buy these houses up, et cetera, some of the housing problem.

The other thing that we did, if I may, to add to it. We also made the commitment and Mr. Arlooktoo supported it strongly along with the Housing Corporation, to turn over where we have some long term lease obligations that we cannot get out of, of turning these lease units that are vacant for use in social housing. This is where we are trying to get as creative as we can to try to have some small impact on the desperately short housing situation. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Minister. On the list we have Mr. Steen, Mr. Henry, Mr. Barnabas and Mr. Picco. In that order unless Members who have not spoken yet wish to speak. Mr. Picco will remain at the bottom of the list. If there are no other Members who wish to speak, who have not spoken, there will be Mr. Steen, Mr. Henry, Mr. Barnabas, and Mr. Picco. Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Minister.

I think that Mr. Steen has a valid question. I think it would be fair to say that what we will do is transfer the money we have got, the O and M we have got to run those houses. And that may not be, and we are doing that analysis right now. We will have to take a look at how we are going to determine the short fall both in the O and M if there is a need for it and I expect probably in the maintenance. The reality is that the housing situation is so desperate right across the Territories, so that we have to look for some kind of desperate solutions. While this is not an ideal one, it is better than what we have right now. Mr. Steen has a valid concern. It is one that I am concerned about, and I am working that through with my colleague and Mr. Arlooktoo as we speak. Thank you.

Thank you. Directorate. Mr. Steen.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Yes, another good question by Mr. Steen as always. He is correct. We are looking at the leased apartment units as well. Where we are fiscally obligated to pay those rents through some contractual arrangements that we can not get out of, and there is a vacancy that is no longer required, we will transfer, or are in the discussions right now with our friends in the Housing Corporation, and my colleague Mr. Arlooktoo, to transfer those vacant units along with the associated funding to the Housing Corporation to try to alleviate in some small way, and I suggest to you it is not utopia, it is not the be-all, end-all but it will provide some relief

in some areas. Thank you, Mr. Picco, for that applause. It will provide some relief in some areas where we have leased units that we are fiscally obligated to continue to pay.

Thank you. Directorate. Mr. Steen.

Thank you. This requires some detail. Mr. Todd.