Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Housing, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The LHOs were indentured to go to each individual senior to discuss with them the impacts and from the small communities I was made aware that very few, if any elders, will be impacted with any formal rent increases.

For those who may, and I emphasis may, we have other options that we wanted to discuss with them further. That is the intent of trying to defer the implementation of the harmonization policy until October 1, 2002.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with our seniors, a lot of our seniors are a valuable resource for information and they do play an active role in the political system in our communities. A lot of our seniors are involved in elected councils, elders councils, in helping the school with our language programs. Any extra revenues that our elders receive through those programs will be calculated as income.

With what the Minister is saying, I think they are very much in jeopardy if they make anything over $500. The rent will definitely be increased. Right now they do not pay any rent. I would like to ask the Minister, how much consultation has taken place with individual elders, not strictly with LHOs? Have you spoken to elders in the communities?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Housing, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the Member is asking me as the Minister in my travels, I do communicate very extensively with the elders. As a matter of fact, they are one of the key groups that I recognize as being very instrumental. Yes, we are cognizant of the fact that some will be impacted and thus we feel we do have some options available to them. It is just a matter of being able to sit down and delve further to determine what level of service we can provide. I cannot prematurely determine that at this point. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, from the Minister's comments, I would like to make it clear that all elders that are presently in our Housing Corporation units will be impacted, not some. Every one of them will be impacted by this change. So, is that true?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Housing, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If we are using the common income exemption policy, yes, there will be some rent increases, but it varies from community to community, income to income. There will be, I will be honest with you, there will be some impact. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We do not have many direct avenues to impact the air fares in the sense that it is a private industry. We want to keep it that way. We have limited control over the costs of those airlines or the quality of service and destinations they serve.

We do, indirectly though, have an impact through the Minister for Transport Canada and some of the Nav Canada arrangements with the Northern Air Transport Association to help influence and persuade those who have a more direct impact, namely the federal government, to work with us. Directly, very little impact.

Thank you, Mr. Minister Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too agree that it should not be government's role to begin to interfere directly into what we hope is a functioning private sector process. I would like to pursue the aspect of competition. It is well known that seat sales, departure times and fare structures among our principal airlines are almost identical.

What can we do to prompt innovation and more serious competition along our principal air routes? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not have a list of things we can do. I am attending the Northern Air Transport Association meeting in Whitehorse in April, and certainly the cost of travel will be an issue that will be discussed there, as well as the destinations.

It is very difficult in our situation though, Mr. Speaker, where we want to have good service. I think the public is interested in good service and reliable service and regular service, and also want to keep the cost down. I believe the airline industry is trying to do a good job of balancing those two. I am certainly open to any suggestions that Members or industry may have on things we can do to lobby with the federal government.

Security and issues around security is a big cost as well as the standards that are placed on us in terms of airport quality. Those are two areas that we can work with the industry and with the federal Transportation Board. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We do know indeed that service and amenities have improved. We have superb service in the Northwest Territories. The point that I am getting at is cost and value. The Minister has said he would welcome ideas and suggestions from Members and the industry, and I want to ask if he would also welcome suggestions from the public. This government does not have a Minister responsible for Consumer and Corporate Affairs. Would his ministry accept comment from the general public on this aspect and get some debate going? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Handley.

Certainly, Mr. Speaker, we would consider that. I would like to do that right across the North. We did have an air industry workshop in December where we looked at a number of options, more related to the Yellowknife airport, which is only one of many airports, so I do not want to use that as the example of how it could be done because it is different in many other situations.

I think the Member has a good suggestion and I am certainly open to hearing from the public in terms of the service they receive and also the cost of it. Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, I think the public would welcome that and I wanted to ask the Minister, as you know he has a public comment and complaint line set up for Highway No. 3, and I am wondering if he would be prepared to use that number, it is 1-888-711-0321, for people to comment to his department on air fares? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.