Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I feel a great pleasure today in being able to speak on the topic of human resource management and the government's central labour relations and human resource management functions, which include the provision of job evaluation services. Going back to 1974 when I worked in the hen farm, in that position

where there was no union involvement, which caused quite considerable pain for us.

Moving on then into 1980, when I was working in a fish plant in Newfoundland, we did not have a unionized shop there. Thus, when Labour Day came, we were working 70 and 80 hours a week. We complained to labour relations and we won a contract settlement. In the next position I had, I did not have a unionized shop. So the unions do perform a service.

After giving a little bit of a background on that, I will go ahead to 1987, when I was President of the Union of Northern Workers and on the negotiating team. In giving that kind of background and history, when I was President and also a member of the negotiating team and a shop steward and that kind of wonderful stuff, I think I am qualified to speak on this area of labour relations.

Mr. Chairman, the Northwest Territories at this time has never had a situation with such low morale in our Public Service. The introduction of the Public Service Act and the subsequent amendments last year, drove a stake through the hearts of the unionized movement here in the Northwest Territories. That is why I voted against it. Coming out of that, the director of labour services for the government, Mr. Herb Hunt - the union had a problem working with him.

Now I am leading into my question here for Mr. Todd and Mr. Voytilla. Can the Minister update us right now as to the status of the labour relations, the disagreement that our major union, the Union of Northern Workers, the Executive of Northern Workers, and the rank and file had with the labour relations service and the Labour Relations Board, for which Mr. Herb Hunt works. I wonder what the status is now of that working relationship, because the union had said at one time they did not want to deal with that individual and for x-number of reasons.

So my question would be, what is the status now of the relationship there?