Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is correct. This has been an issue. There has been lots of back and forth over the last few days and as I indicated in Committee of the Whole, we are committed to coming forward and move our timelines up and attempt to honour the commitment and come forward with a package before this coming June of next year, not next year, this June. June 2003. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Well, I am glad to hear it will be prior to the election. Mr. Speaker, I guess what we are looking for is a commitment that the Minister is prepared to work with special programs and bring forward these accurately costed options to social programs before the next session so that we can have a discussion on them instead of just dropping them on us as we walk out the door at the end of next session. Will the Minister commit to that?

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am wounded to the quick by the thought that I would do something like that. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, once again, during the debate of the health and social services budget, I am committed to continuing to work with the Social Programs committee. We will bring forward the information and we will keep closely engaged with the Social Programs committee, so there will be no surprises and by the time the June session rolls around, we should be able to have a very informed debate. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of MACA, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's correct, I have had time to review it. We received the initial proposal over a year ago and we took that to FMBS for funding, but it was one of the initiatives that was put on the back burner for the time being. We received the second proposal again from the NWTAC and we reconsidered the proposal. MACA supports the proposal. What we had to do was take the proposal to our colleagues in Aboriginal Affairs to ensure there were no problems with us funding this initiative. I believe that consultation is over with now and I have signed off on a submission to FMBS for the funding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for his answer. I am quite happy there is some movement on this issue. I would like to ask the Minister if he would commit to meeting with the NWT Association of Communities to discuss his proposal and explain where it's at. There seems to be quite a bit of confusion as to the response to this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of MACA, Mr. Steen.

Mr. Speaker, we have had ongoing discussions with the NWTAM proposal. What was necessary was for the NWTAC to meet with Aboriginal Affairs to ensure there were no problems with us funding that initiative. That has been done. So the submission is now before FMBS for the funding to pass it on to the NWTAC. Once I get that authority, it goes ahead.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, it's not clear to me from the Minister's response. It seems this request has been rejected once before and I really don't know why. It's on the table for Cabinet to review once again, but I am not clear why it was rejected the first time. Could the Minister provide that information to us? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of MACA, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the initial proposal was never refused by FMBS. We were told we would have to find the funding from within and we didn't have that capacity. So what we are doing now is putting the request in to FMBS for the funding.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Final supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad the Minister has clarified that issue. I would like to ask the Minister if that position is put to him again by FMBS to fund the resources from within, will he commit to do so? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of MACA, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am reluctant to respond to this until I have had a response from FMBS as to whether I am going to be turned down.

---Laughter

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board Secretariat, following on my Member's statement regarding the treatment of government employees. It's my understanding that the union has signed off on the agreement, but it still doesn't sit right when you are an employee of this government and what the government does to balance out your pay cheque so you don't do without half a cheque come December, they've taken off the 1.92 percent and then balanced it out, but as a government we inform them, probably afterwards, that if you plan to leave this government prior to December 20th, I think is the date, you forfeit those dollars. So I would like to know from the Minister if he would consider changing that and allowing that money, which is rightly the employees' money to go back to them no matter what time they leave this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for the FMB, Mr. Handley.