Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am not going to be long. I just wanted to add something that I did not have a chance to state yesterday. I was one of the first people to speak and you do not get a chance to speak twice. I just wanted to state for the record that I maintain the position that while there was some contribution by Members of the last Assembly and there will be for this Assembly, I do believe still that the majority of the funding is public money.
Second, while there is a surplus, that is not going to last forever. There will come a time when there will be a need for the government to contribute to this fund as long as it lasts. I do not assume that once passed, I do not think another Assembly will come in and try to discontinue it in the next ten years.
Third, I have heard that the surplus is there because of good investment and that most of the money gained is a result of investment. That is true, but I still maintain that if you make $100 out of one dollar in government money, that $101 still is government money.
I heard someone say that we do not want to set a precedent of the government dipping into pension plans, and I agree with that position. I was interested to see on Northbeat last night that in fact, the government had a precedent, I believe it is the federal government, I do not think it is the territorial government, but governments have dipped into union money. I do not agree with that, but the option remains that had the Members agreed to spend all or a portion of the surplus money, transfer it to general funds, that is an option that we could have exercised and that would not constitute the government dipping into a pension fund. It would be the other way around, where the beneficiaries of pensions are voluntarily giving the money back into government funds.
I just wanted to add that point. I agree with the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake that the responses I have been getting from the public are that I am on the right side with the public. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
