Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on the pay equity and bargaining issue. Mr. Speaker, last spring the union sent MLAs letters urging us to pressure the GNWT to take the pay equity issue off the table and also get back to the negotiating table. Following the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruling, which ruled in favour of the national union, on July 30th I sent a letter to the Minister of Finance. I asked him to go half ways to get back to the table. Since then, other Members have also asked this to happen and since then the government has offered to go back to the table. They have also offered to revisit, to negotiate, to make revisions on simple interest on the equal pay payments that are outstanding. They have also offered to revisit changes in point ratings resulting from a formal employee job evaluation review process and to pay former employees at the same rates as the current ones would be repaid. Finally, they also offered to take the settlement of the equal pay complaint off the table, if that was the only outstanding issue.

Mr. Speaker, I believe the government offer was a good offer. They offered to take the pay equity off the table if it was the only outstanding issue after negotiations. Why not try to fix a system that is bad first and then if you cannot agree take it off the table. As I said, I believe the offer was a good one. The GNWT to me, Mr. Speaker, has come half ways. I believe it is now time for the union to come half ways and to get back to the table. Thank you.

--Applause