Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can't say, with any definite certainty, when and why this service was discontinued. That's something we've been discussing internally. We looked at the merits of doing this, and it's also something we plan to incorporate back into our system where a person that has a driver's licence that will be expiring will be notified. So we're hoping that also to be part of something we bring on stream in the new fiscal year. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if we were a province or territory, the fact is, the federal government does collect taxes on our behalf, and remits them to us. The situation we're in is as a result of the fact that there were less corporate taxes being paid in the year 2004. Whether we were a province or a territory, we'd be in the same situation. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, we have a strong economy, and yet we are so poor, Mr. Speaker, that we lost another $30 million. Surely if we were a province, we could control our own budget better than dancing to the tune of the federal government. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. I didn't hear a question there. Mr. Yakeleya, if you want to rephrase your question.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, as I said, if we were a province we would control our own budget. I want to ask the Minister what our fiscal reality would be today as a provincial government.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. That's a hypothetical question. If we were a province. I will allow the Minister to answer, if he wishes to give some comments on it. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the situation that we find ourselves in is more a result of our formula financing situation with the federal government. Provinces have equalization agreements with their jurisdictions and, as well, they have full control of development of resources and the royalty payments that they would be able to collect. In our situation, we are unable to do that. Our ability to mitigate some of the changes in our fiscal situation is limited because of our situation as a territory. There are other issues. If we were to go towards provincehood, on the financial side, there would be other issues we'd have to deal with, and right now, our arrangement, for the most part, depending on what the expert panel has, and if they're fairly close to what our formula financing situation used to be, is that we would find ourselves in a better situation in the North. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I apologize to the Minister, Mr. Speaker, what type of constitutional protection could we get in terms of becoming a province, versus a territory, for fiscal protection?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we'd face other problems beyond what we face right now with formula financing. The federal government does recognize, to a large degree, the difference we face here in the Territories. As a result, we get a higher per capita amount transferred to the North. Our argument is still that that doesn't adequately address the cost of living, the cost of doing business in the North, and that's something we have to continue to do, is build a business case to show the examples that we have concerns with. If we were a province and were into the equalization program, we'd probably find ourselves mirroring some of the smaller provinces in Canada right now, where their per capita is much lower. In fact, their debt situation is much higher than ours right now. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Your final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in terms of the protection and how we're being treated by Ottawa with this $30 million, I want to ask the Finance Minister what type of support he's been getting, compared to the rest of the Finance Ministers across Canada, to get the Government of Canada to see that we are in a different situation in the Northwest Territories, and that we certainly need special consideration of our fiscal arrangements? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the other jurisdictions we work with in the area of finance, as well as with other Ministers and their counterparts, have been favourable. When we bring our issues to the table, we show our business case, and in a lot of initiatives we do get their support, and they help us through the situations we're in, or the negotiation process. They include us in many of those discussions and recognize the differences. We do get their support on a lot of our initiatives. The big difference, Mr. Speaker, would be if we did get and when we do get -- I should say that -- when we do get a proper revenue sharing deal, we will then be able to deal with the situations we find ourselves in today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the last few days...(inaudible)...and complaining about the gas prices. The increase in gas prices is creating hardship to individuals and, more importantly, to hunters and trappers that rely on traditional food, Mr. Speaker.

Some of these hunters and trappers have to travel 60 to 100 miles to search for wildlife. As I indicated yesterday, during Committee of the Whole, a five-gallon jerry can of gas is $33 in Tuktoyaktuk, and I found out it's slightly higher in Holman, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister responsible for petroleum products. Will the government consider any rebate for the hunters and trappers? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. The honourable Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Roland.