Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are many different ways of solving an issue. If the Member has concerns or if he has people from his constituency who are raising a concern, be very specific, bring it forward and we will deal with it. To put the departments through a lot of work, I do not know if I am willing to do that. Be specific. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not know if there are court cases, but if there are, then I would not be at liberty to talk about it. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral question. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, following up on an earlier question by Mr. O'Brien on where we could find the money, the $25 million and $9 million which is $34 million in the $6 million he is hoping to include, $40 million. I just went over the budget that was approved yesterday. I could not find any line item for the $40 million. However, I do recall the Minister telling Mr. O'Brien that we can get it in the supplementaries, but I also remember the Finance Minister saying that the supplementaries are the exception rather than the rule. I am wondering, how does the Minister anticipate massaging the budget to the point of finding an extra $40 million? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

I think it is important to point out that on a pay equity set, it is $34 million, Mr. Speaker. I thought I had said, through good fiscal management and batten down the hatches, the sooner we can get an agreement with our colleagues, that we will make every attempt to be able to pay this bill. I certainly do not want to take this government into a deficit situation where we are going to try to avoid that. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, no one wants to see the government back into a deficit situation. I agree with the Minister that we have to try to look at it. Mr. Speaker, having the budget book in front of me, I find it very difficult to understand how the Minister can say that we can massage the budget we just passed to come up with an extra $34 million, plus the extra $6 million that he is talking about putting in, which comes out to be $40 million. Could the Minister just explain how he thinks he is going to do that and if he is not going to cut programs and he is not going to lay off staff, where in the budget does he think he can find $40 million?

Would you like to respond? It is the same question over and over.

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure my honourable colleague that the $34 million for retroactivity and the ongoing costs, we can reach an arrangement, will be found without any layoffs or cuts to services to this government. Thank you.

Again, to remind the Members about the rules of asking questions that have already been asked and responded to. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the past couple of weeks, in regard to pay equity, the Government of the Northwest Territories, through FMBS, has placed full page ads in every daily and weekly newspaper available in the Northwest Territories. Is that part of the government strategy to sell the pay equity question to the public, to the employees and so on? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Todd.

Mr. Speaker, all we are trying to do is provide our employees with facts. Thank you.

Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, some people have asked me about the cost of these ads. Has this been budgeted within the FMBS program specific for pay equity for placement of these ads? Thank you.

Mr. Todd.

That is correct, Mr. Speaker.

Oral questions. Item 7, written questions. Item 8, returns to written questions. Mr. Clerk.

Mr. Speaker, return to written question 9-13(5) asked by Mr. Ootes to the chairman of the Financial Management Board concerning court proceedings on layoff severance packages.