Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Recently, Mr. Speaker, the government decided to speak out openly and factually about pay equity. It is now recognized that a negotiated solution will only be possible if the government provides factual information that puts an end to speculation and corrects perceptions that were based on misleading information.

The government believes it is possible to find common ground that will bring about a negotiated solution to the pay equity complaint. Mr. Speaker, I ask everyone to consider that the government, the union, employees and the people of the NWT have the following common interests. Everyone would like to see men and women paid the same for doing work of equal value.

--Applause

Everyone would like to see a negotiated solution. No one likes this issue to drag on for another ten years, Mr. Speaker. No one wants to solve one inequity by creating greater inequities for other residents. Mr. Speaker, there are ways to find solutions that meet all these interests. I have stated many times that I believe the only way to resolve disagreement is through negotiations. Our best hope for a negotiated solution is to put aside the emotions, rhetoric and concentrate on the facts and on finding reasonable solutions.

Until recently, the government believed that the Canadian Human Rights Act did not apply to the pay equity complaint. Until recently, the government did not have the results of a reliable job evaluation system to determine the extent of any pay equity problem.

Before the new Hay Job Evaluation System was implemented, all we had were evaluations on a sample of jobs from a study done in the early 1990s. These evaluations were inadequate to identify any specific pay equity problem. These evaluations did indicate, however, there was a potential pay equity problem. Efforts to address these potential problems were made at previous rounds of collective bargaining by the restructuring of rates of pay.

Recently, the federal court ruled that the Canadian Human Rights Act applies where there is a complaint against the government. The government has just completed the evaluation of all positions using a bias-free job evaluation system. These evaluation results show that even with the restructuring that has taken place, the rates of pay in the collective agreement do not provide for equal pay for work of equal value. This means that the government cannot knowingly ignore the legal obligations set out in the Canadian Human Rights Act by signing a new collective agreement with rates of pay that may be discriminatory against its female employees.

Mr. Speaker, the UNW is faced with the same dilemma since the Canadian Human Rights Act applies equally to the union as the representative of unionized employees. The UNW cannot knowingly sign a collective agreement that contains rates of pay which may be discriminatory against its female members.

This means that the government and the UNW must find a solution to the pay equity problem before they can sign off a collective agreement. Rates of pay must be based on a bias-free job evaluation system as set out under the Canadian Human Rights guidelines.

Mr. Speaker, I am hopeful and optimistic that a negotiated solution to pay equity will be achieved within the April 1, 1998 deadline the parties have set for themselves. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause