The Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I cannot tell the Member off the top of my head when that will happen. The way we have the program set up now, the planning for how NMI repair projects are dealt within the community are now decided by the communities. The Housing Corporation works together with local housing organizations to come up with a budget and we work through a long-term plan with them on when the work will be done. Our limitation always is the shortage of money we have for these types of projects, but I will check with the Housing Corporation, who will check with the LHO to find out when the other seven houses are planned for renovations. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Barnabas.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these units are over 20-years old. I am sure they need to be fixed up in order to be used by the public as social housing. Can the Minister assure me there is going to be funding available for LHOs to renovate these units? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said, I will need to check with the Housing Corporation to see exactly what the plans are for these units. From what I recall, we did sit down with the community and worked out a special deal to move these units with the close cooperation between the community and the government and the mine. I am sure we can work together again to make sure we go to the next step to ensure these housing units are useable. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Evaloarjuk.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. I have received a letter, the same letter the Minister himself has been given. My question is going to have to be answered. I want to find out from the Minister himself with respect to the letter and the question. With respect to vital statistics, I think this is a responsibility of the federal government, but there is a concern as to whether they are doing a proper review of the vital statistics responsibilities. Can the Minister advise me as to whether this type of review is done properly? Has he heard anything to this effect? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Translation ends)

Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will take the question as notice and I will have the Minister meet with the

Member either today or tomorrow at the latest to get the background information. Thank you.

Thank you. The question is taken as notice. Oral questions. Mr. Miltenberger.

Can I ask the Member for Thebacha to maybe rephrase his question because the Minister cannot answer on how long it is going to last, but maybe you can ask how long is the government willing to wait?

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We fulfil our obligation and responsibility in terms of what we believe is a fair settlement. We placed that settlement on the table. The next step what I was trying to get at earlier, the questions asked by previous colleagues. The next step really lies with the membership of the UNW. If they wish to go to mediation, we are prepared to do that. I have already said to an earlier question this week. If they want to come back to the bargaining table, we are prepared to do that. We have done all we can do at this stage of the game. It is not my responsibility or the government's responsibility to make the next move. I do not mean that in any offensive way. They have to come back to the table. They have to ask for mediation, et cetera. Otherwise, this thing could go on indefinitely. It really is up to the membership and the UNW executive to determine an appropriate course of action. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Todd.

I stated in the House that the offer we put before the UNW in terms of pay equity and the collective agreement, we will maintain that $40 million, $25 million, $9 million and $6 million. However, given the emotions in this House and some of the concerns raised by Mr. Picco, Mrs. Groenewegen, Mr. Ootes, et cetera, about the need for us to look for new monies for education and for a variety of other issues, I do not know where we would find these new monies. Certainly, there is a large chunk of money put aside for pay equity and for collective bargaining. I would hope that we could keep it there until such time as we could reach a resolve. Sometimes I worry about the naivete, I hope I do not offend anybody by saying that when we talk about spending money cavalier, as if there are a money tree and bottomless pit out there. I would think that most people can read a balance sheet and income statement. The reality is there is a limit to the amount of money. There is a limit to the amount of flexibility for this government. I am not trying to be offensive here. I am trying to state a point of view. There is a limited amount of flexibility. We have worked extremely hard to identify what we think is a fair and reasonable settlement. The obvious solution to this, in my opinion, is to take the issue to the membership and allow them to vote. We have had a number of Members, right across the territories asking that to take place. The union indicates, I believe, they are not legally obligated and it would be against the law for them to do this. I say that is incorrect. I am advised by our justice bar that is absolutely incorrect. Take the matter to the membership. Let them vote on this fair offer. Let us get this issue, once and for all, off the table so we can continue to proceed with a balanced budget with a satisfied civil service, with a settlement of a ten-year issue and with planning to reassigning new monies in the new budgetary process, if it is education, health care, housing, pay equity, et cetera.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at the risk of sounding somewhat exasperated on this issue, I have worked darn hard. I rolled up my sleeves along with my Cabinet colleagues in an effort to try to find, through careful management of the government, some of these dollars for pay equity and to give our employees a fair settlement in the collective agreement. Under difficult fiscal conditions, I want to say that again, I would like to hope we will not have to talk about difficult fiscal conditions again, but I obviously have to.

We have worked very hard to try and achieve that. I feel very strongly that they have an obligation to take it to the membership. This thing has been going on for ten-years. As a Minister responsible, I brought the thing forward. I asked the bargaining committee to try and reach a resolve to this issue. We, through careful management of our money, with the collaboration of the Premier and my Cabinet colleagues, have found the dollars necessary and we are banking that with the hope that we will get an agreement. It is not my responsibility for the agreement to go out to a vote. That responsibility lies squarely in the hands of the UNW executive. I tell you, I have pleaded with them today, that if they want resolve to this issue, during the last eight months of this government, take it to the people and let the people decide whether it is fair.