Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I would like to welcome everyone back to the fair city of Yellowknife. Also, I would like to welcome the Pages who are from Iqaluit. Welcome to Yellowknife. I hope you have a good time. Mr. Speaker, my Member's statement today is on division. This government has finished a second year of the deficit reduction plan. This means that most communities can breathe a sigh of relief as they will have no more reductions.
With division some Nunavut communities may even look forward to growth. Unfortunately, Yellowknife is not in this enviable position. When division hits there will be smaller government in the west. Programs and services in communities will not be reduced. However, headquarters functions will naturally be reduced as there will be less volume of users. In other words, division is going to mean a slightly smaller headquarters staff in Yellowknife. For some displaced employees there will be opportunities to join Nunavut government and move to Iqaluit perhaps. Others may not be able to move for family or other personal reasons. Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about the impact of division on Yellowknife residents. No matter what we call it, division will mean that some staff will not have jobs after April 1, 1999. We have talked about how we need stability. As much as possible, we have to give headquarters staff that same stability. As the government develops its pre-division plans, I will be closely watching to ensure the impact on active staff is minimized. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
-- Applause