Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my Member's statement today is regarding a meeting that was held over the lunch break with the Union of Northern Workers dealing with the negotiations which seem to be at a point of settling with the government's final settlement offer. The union was disputing the process that was used and exactly what legalities are associated with the settlement. Mr. Speaker, the people of the north would like to see an end to this long outstanding issue settled once and for all, and for myself, I feel it is an obligation to the employees of this government that they do settle this dispute as soon as possible. I would like to also state that it is pretty hard to draw the line between what we hear
in this House and what we hear from the union. One group states they were bound by a legal decision with regard to the Human Rights Commission with regard to pay equity. On the other hand, you hear from the union who states that if they proceed with allowing their members to vote, they are stuck in legal ramifications where they may be sued by their members because of the situation they find themselves with the question about pay equity as to whether if it is fair and reasonable.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to, hopefully, find a solution to this problem before the end of this sitting so we can give comfort to the Members of this government, our employees and the people in the community who serve the people of the Northwest Territories. For myself, having been involved in the negotiation process in the past, I feel it is in the political best interest to allow the membership to have a vote on this matter and to resolve it based on their own ethical belief as to whether this is a good deal or not. I do believe that there has to be a mechanism in place to allow for the government and the union to sit down and deal with the whole question about process. I do not believe there is a problem in relation to the agreement. I believe it is a question of what the process led up to and exactly how the outcome of that is. At the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister a question on this matter. Thank you.