Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, my question to the Minister is in regard to the NWT Housing Corporation and its mandate and outlook on where it could go as a partner responsible for the housing needs and requirements of the people in the Northwest Territories. I think one thing that we do not hear much about, but I think it does have the perspective of having a real economic value to the Northwest Territories, is the forest industry and the potential that it has by way of log homes and even wood products and materials produced in the Northwest Territories. Right now, a large portion of the lumber industry that does take place is that raw logs are being exported to British Columbia, Alberta and elsewhere, but there is no real spin off in regard to developing a market to produce wood door frames and whatnot. A lot of that material is imported and is built here and then is stamped with manufactured in the Northwest Territories. Realistically, the wood product was not produced in the Northwest Territories.

I think as a government we have to seriously look at the timber potential we have in the Northwest Territories, especially in the Mackenzie Delta where a lot of people do not realize that a lot of the structures and infrastructure that has been built in places like Inuvik and Aklavik and almost all of the government centres back in the 20's and 30's were built from logs and whatnot from the Inuvik region. Just because you are above the Arctic Circle does not mean we do not grow trees up there also.

I think it is important that in the communities I represent, especially in Fort McPherson, they have been working on a pilot project with the NWT Housing Corporation. We have worked on developing log homes in the different communities and I think it has proven itself. I think as a department, if anything, I see a real economic opportunity here for not only the NWT Housing Corporation, but for the residents of the Northwest Territories who will generate employment, an opportunity to make log products and build developing log packages in the Northwest Territories where you can have logs packaged in such a way that you can actually have these things produced at a market where you do not have to spend $200,000 or $300,000 to build a home in a lot of these communities. You can do it for a cheaper cost because of the access to the resource that is there.

So, I would like to ask the Minister, is there anything in their eyes of expanding this program to look at the log home projects or to look at people who may be single individuals or elders who may want a log home instead of having a home where you have running water and the plumbing, the whole works? If you can look at something that people just feel comfortable with, having a roof over their heads, having a feeling that they had an input in building it and some pride in those homes and which people used to have in their own homes, you do not see much of that anymore.

I think the whole idea of stimulating our economy is important, so I would like to ask the Minister, is that one area the department can expand on and start looking at allocating resources and start developing more of these type of packages instead of importing these home products from the south?