Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know that at least three Members nominated a woman for consideration on this committee. Was the Minister unable to find a woman that he could consider capable of working on this committee to provide advice on tax policy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Finance, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am sure there are a lot of women out there who are very capable of taking on the challenges that face this committee. In this particular case, I believe there was only one woman's name that was provided to me. It was from Yellowknife. I had to look at regional balance and in looking at all the factors, there just was not room in this case to do that without enlarging the committee considerably. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the terms of reference, it indicates that lay participation will be encouraged. Will the Minister consider adding to the committee and making it larger, if necessary, to make sure that there is at least one woman on the committee, and preferably a balance of women?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Finance, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I do not want to make the committee larger. I think we have a tremendous task in front of this committee. It has a short time frame to work with. If the Member has recommendations on it, I would certainly be willing to look at how we can include more representation to ensure that we have input from all sectors of our society and try to work that in so that they have meaningful input to the committee's work. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. While the Minister is probably aware that I did submit the name of a woman for consideration for this committee, I would hope that he would re-examine that recommendation. I know that recommendation was supported by some other Members in this House, so I hope he will in fact follow up on that and consider appointing not only women to this committee, but also other members to the committee to make sure the lay representation balances the broad population of the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Finance, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the recommendations from the Member. I did look at it. I reviewed it and I re-reviewed it. From the names that were submitted to me, I created a committee. I think it is a very workable committee. It is not just a bunch of people who are, as the Member characterized them, sort of accountants who have no other life. All of these people certainly have a life and make contributions to the community.

They do not represent every sector in our society, but they have an expertise and they have good, broad experiences. I always take advice and look at it, but there are ways of having input into the committee without actually enlarging the committee to make it representative of everyone in the Northwest Territories.

In this case, I will look at it and see if we can do it through other means of making submissions and try to make it as representative as we can. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I understand it, your power bills are to be paid within a certain time. If you become behind in your payments, you face the very real possibility that your power will be cut off. I think that is fairly standard for all utilities. This is what happens. People who own their own homes who are going to be away for extended periods of time, they know they are responsible for making sure their home is maintained and secure in their absence. This includes making sure the power bills are paid while they are off pursuing other activities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Power Corporation in many of our smaller communities, provides the power, passes out the power bills and collects for providing electricity to the homes and businesses. There is no social arm part of the corporation that can provide that. I believe it is important for us to foster and develop the sense of ownership amongst our people, especially in the small communities that have just recently come into developing a sense of ownership over their houses and the many bills you have to pay when you become private homeowners.

I think it is more important to encourage people to be responsible and to plan adequately to ensure their houses are provided for in their absences. If people do not have the money, there are always social services that can be asked for assistance. Income support is there. Everyone has time to take care of their business. I do not accept that sometimes you do not have time to do this. It is simply time management that we have to learn. For those people who simply do not get around to taking care of their houses, there is a consequence when you walk away and do not provide for the maintenance and security of your home. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am sure people who work for the Power Corporation at the community level would act in a way that is responsible to make sure they do not act or do things that would be irresponsible or disrespectful of the homeowners. I think there is capacity within the community to provide for those things the Member is raising. Thank you.