The Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My honourable colleague is correct. I did get a copy of the letter. There is a small organization in Fort Smith that is asking the UNW to allow their members, as I have consistently said and others have, to vote on the collective agreement. We are going back to the table, I believe, around the 10th or 11th of December. I am optimistic and hoping that common sense will prevail. The offer we have put on the table is a fair and reasonable one and I hope that the union will give its membership the democratic right to vote on what we have placed before them. I hope that the UNW executive will see the merit in our offer and will provide, as I have said, the membership its chance to vote yea or nay.

On the pay equity issue, as I indicated earlier in comments at the last session, we have taken that off of the table, that is at the request of the UNW and others. We are in discussions with them right now about other possible scenarios as to how we can advise the staff who are covered under the pay equity issue what kinds of benefits or fiscal rewards they would get should the pay equity settlement be settled. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Todd.

I want to be a little careful in answering the pay equity issue because it is a very sensitive one obviously. It does not just have territorial implications, it has national ones, but we are in discussions right now with the UNW in an effort to see if they are prepared to assist us in sending out to each of our individual employees a synopsis, if you want, of the pay equity arrangement that we have tabled for our employees. This is under negotiations right now. I do not know how it will unfold.

Mr. Hunt, our leading negotiator, has written to Ms. Simpson explaining that we hope they will work in cooperation with us and if, in so doing, we may be able to come to conclude both the collective agreement and separately the pay equity. It is still very much in the discussion stage at this time.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Todd.

Well, of course when you ask for a legal opinion, if you ask two lawyers you may get two different opinions, but our legal advisors are fairly confident that we can provide the members of the UNW who are under the pay equity issue, we can go to them and advise them what offer we are putting on the table. As I said, right now discussions are underway and I am hopeful that we can an agreement on both. I certainly would like to see that before I leave office.

Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Todd

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Hopefully by March.

Oral questions. Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek the Members' consent to extend the question period. Thank you.

The Member for Kivalliviq is seeking unanimous consent to extend question period. Do we have any nays? We have a nay. There is no unanimous consent. Oral questions. Item 7, written questions. Item 8, returns to written questions. Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Returns to written questions. Mr. Clerk.

Mr. Speaker. Return to written question 7-13(6) asked by Mr. Krutko to the Minister of the Executive on the affirmative action statistics.

1. How many positions in the government, overall, have been filled through the Affirmative Action Initiative in the past three years?

The GNWT is committed to a public service that is qualified and representative of the people that it serves. The Affirmative Action Policy is used to accomplish this goal by providing priority hiring preference to the identified groups of indigenous aboriginal, indigenous non-aboriginal, resident disabled people and women in non-traditional occupations and management.

For the reporting period of January 1, 1996, to October 31, 1998, the GNWT has hired or re-hired the following number of people:

Aboriginal 898

Indigenous Non-Aboriginal 145

In addition, employees have been hired or re-hired under the following Affirmative Action Policy categories:

Women in Non-traditional Occupations 57

Women in Management 20

Resident Disabled People 16

Responses to the remaining three questions asked by Mr. Krutko have been provided to all Members this morning.

Thank you. Item 8, returns to written questions. Item 9, replies to opening address. Item 10, petitions. Item 11, reports of standing and special committees. Item 12, reports of committees on the review of bills. Mr. O'Brien.