(Translation) Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm talking about the three students from the Tlicho region. I know that next week there will be no more day care. What is the Premier saying he's willing to do? Another question is, what has the department done to ensure these parents are being resourced to help with the day care services?

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, let me say, first of all, that we want the students to continue with their education. We will do whatever we can to make sure that it is possible for them to continue, and for their preschool-aged children to be properly cared for while they're at classes. Mr. Speaker, the college will help the individuals find a suitable day home. Second, Mr. Speaker, if there is a need for additional resources, then that is something the students should be talking to student financial assistance about and, again, I'm sure the college will be prepared to help them with that, as well. Most importantly, we want to see those students continue their schooling. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are to the Minister of the Housing Corporation, the Honourable David Krutko. I will start, Mr. Speaker, by saying that I realize that this empire that has developed over the years of the NWT Housing

Corporation did not all occur on this Minister's watch, and he has fairly recently taken responsibility for this. However, he is now the point man for the NWT Housing Corporation, and the buck stops with him. So that's why I direct my questions to him. I would like to talk first about the cost of operating the headquarters of the NWT Housing Corporation. We know that the capital dollars and operational dollars for housing needs in the North are limited. I, obviously, am of the opinion that there are too many people. How many people are employed in the headquarters of the NWT Housing Corporation? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with regard to the headquarters and the operation of the Housing Corporation, roughly the total budget is in the range of seven percent, which is a lot lower than other departments. A majority of our expenses are spent in the communities, and we have a district staff roughly in the range of five percent of the budget. So between the district offices and the headquarters office, you're looking at just a little over 10 percent, which, compared to other departments, is very low. I think that you have to realize that almost 85 percent of our budget is expended in our communities to run the operations of providing housing in communities and elsewhere in the North. I'd just like to point that out to the Member, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Seven percent in headquarters and five percent in the district offices; just doing the math, not to challenge the Minister, but that is 12 percent not 10 percent. This is a capital-intensive corporation. The money should be going to capital. There are not a lot of operations issues. Of course, might I also say I have no issue with the staff located in the districts. I'm talking about the staff in headquarters, and I'd like to know the number. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I don't have that detail here, but I'd like to offer that to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently $30 million of the Housing Corporation money has been transferred to ECE. Was there a reduction in the staff numbers in headquarters as a result of that transfer? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, we have reduced in the area of, as we all know, the human resources section. That has now been centralized, so there has been a decline in the human resources positions of the department due to the centralization throughout government departments. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the consolidation of the human resources function is something that has happened government-wide. Every department gave up human resources people. Besides the human resources people, has there been any reduction in the staff at headquarters as a result of this transfer of money to ECE and the recent contracting out by the Housing Corporation? Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there has been no contracting out. All the work has been done in house with the resources we do have. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we all know that the Premier's favourite subjects are devolution, hydro and, definitely, pipeline. So my questions that I'd like to ask today to the Premier are what actions this government will be taking, if any, to prevent Imperial Oil from backing out or postponing the Mackenzie Valley pipeline project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, if Imperial were to decide not to proceed with the pipeline, there is nothing we could do. That is a board of directors of Imperial's decision, and they are not required to build a pipeline. Having said that, Mr. Speaker, there is a lot that we're

doing in order to encourage the building of that pipeline. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.