Mahsi Cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I too am standing up in support of this motion. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, I don't particularly agree that we should plug a little bit here and there but April 1st is coming along right around the corner. The government is not budging on this harmonization. Mr. Speaker, you know the Special Committee on the Review of the Official Languages Act, just submitted a report to this House. It is a good report. That is something I wanted to spend my time talking about this week and last week, but this harmonization has taken all my time and energy. I wanted to speak about recreation and sports activities for youths and elders in our communities, but harmonization has taken all my time and energy.

Mr. Speaker, in this House, when you were absent, our colleague, Mr. Krutko had to take your place. That left three of us Members on this side of the House to represent 28 communities and their interests. When they put government officials forward, they cannot represent the interests of their constituents, so they come to us. That makes it very difficult for those of us who represent the smaller communities in this House. The votes in this House do not represent the communities. They represent the population, but they do not represent the diversity of the Northwest Territories, the diversity of the communities and the challenges that every community faces. Every one of them are different; some greater than others. But harmonization is taking that away from us.

Communities tell us, we need your help to make life a little easier for us, but this is the help the government is responding with. Elders are saying we need to participate in our communities so we can help pass along our traditions and languages, et cetera, but this obviously doesn't make it easier.

Mr. Speaker, I've been asking the government, through Committee of the Whole, to tell me where their employees are. Harmonization, income support and public housing are something that's an option in the communities. Employment sometimes is not an option. People are being forced off of income support because of the vigorous delivery mechanisms and design in the system. They fall off the face of the earth, they are no longer unemployed because they don't bother answering that question. They are no longer looking for government assistance because they're tired of government over handling this. When they have to explain their bingo incomes, their little carving incomes, all of the other incomes, that forces them away from government. They end up in the regional centres, capital cities, end up on the streets. Is that what we're telling our citizens?

I told the House, Mr. Speaker, that this affects the Constitution and the political representation of this House, as well. When these kinds of policies force people away from their communities because we don't provide them with other options, they move here. That population base has an impact on how we represent in this House. To me, that's the biggest issue, the scariest issue. If our policies are going to force people into the regional centres and into the capital, then our communities are going to disappear. That diversity that we know as the Northwest Territories will disappear. We'll have maybe six communities, but no representation in that area. It will likely be a lot easier for government and its bureaucracies then. The question I ask the government is if they don't want to be in public housing, if they don't want to provide services and programs to those who are needy, then why are they in them in the first place? Why can't they just give the money to the communities and let them deliver it so they don't have to feel the headaches from it?

Mr. Speaker, single parents will feel this the most. But we don't look at them for phasing in projects or programs. No, you make this much, you're going to pay now. If you can't afford to pay, we have income support that you can fall onto.

I'd like to see this harmonization die. I'd like to see the government pick up the tools again and start building from scratch. Maybe then, knowing our feelings, knowing the situation in the communities, they'll do a better job. So if this is going to help weaken harmonization, then I support this. As I said, single parents will feel the most pinch, but there are other people out there. One of the areas is the confidentiality of people; people's human rights to privacy we don't seem to recognize or respect. When we ask them to sign a letter of waiver so that other agencies of government can dig into their private lives, are we asking hey, you're down, sign this thing. If you don't sign it, we're not going to help you. That's harmonization and I can't support that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.