Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen. Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just quickly, last week, I was asking questions to the Minister responsible for the FMBS. All I was asking was for him to hear the point of view of the City of Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, in regard to the administration of the FAA act, would the Minister responsible for the FMBS be willing to hear the point of view of the City of Yellowknife before he points fingers to the Minister of MACA? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board Secretariat, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am well aware that the city council and the mayor would have a point of view as well as every other mayor and council across the Northwest Territories. Municipal and Community Affairs has been working with the municipalities and communities on the issue of budgeting. I am willing to work with the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs to see what we can do. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not really sure what that answer meant when he said that he is willing to work to see what he can do. With that response, did the Minister agree that he would help facilitate and hear the concerns directly from the City of Yellowknife, demonstrating the open-door policy of this government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think we've established on a number of occasions that Municipal and Community Affairs has been open when you look at the budget we are presenting and a new deal for community governments. We are open and looking at how we can work with the communities in trying to ensure that they have the adequate resources. We understand it is tight and difficult in planning. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has been working with municipalities in the area of budgeting. I am willing to work with my colleague from Municipal and Community Affairs and see what we can do. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It looks like it is going to be a long couple of weeks because I am going to keep asking this question. A simple yes will do. Mr. Speaker, we have the FMBS Minister pointing at the MACA Minister and the MACA Minister pointing at the Finance Minister. So, Mr. Speaker, we have two people pointing at each other. I just need a yes from this Minister saying he'd hear the concerns of the City of Yellowknife specific to the FAA act that this Minister takes care of. If he says yes, we are done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. That question has already been asked. You can only ask the same question once, so I will rule that question out of order.

---Ruled Out of Order

Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will we get a yes this time from the Minister responsible for the FMBS? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Hawkins, I didn't hear a question there. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pose another question to the Minister of Finance about the insurance industry. I have had many discussions with the Minister, Mr. Speaker, and there seems to be a very strong acceptance in the North that the government really can't interfere with the insurance industry, that it is an independent industry. I don't agree with that necessarily. I do believe we can go forward more. There are other jurisdictions where insurance rates have become election issues, and many governments have taken active roles in that. I would like to know if the Minister is willing to do more than just dealing with the CFIB to curtail the insurance costs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board Secretariat, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of insurance is one that is cyclical in any jurisdiction. We have definitely felt the impacts in the Northwest Territories. We, as a government, have had to make adjustments, as the Member has stated earlier, about how we deal with the insurance end of it. Our ability at this time is to monitor and provide for the brokers or the sellers of insurance, that is the extent we have with the insurance industry to date. To go beyond that, we'd have to look at possibly bringing in another act. I haven't got to that detail yet. With the volume in the Northwest Territories, I think we would right now be better off to try to work with other jurisdictions in this area. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that, in this jurisdiction, we don't have a Minister responsible for consumer advocacy or civil rights. We are just really paying through the nose. The government ought to do something. Mr. Speaker, could I get the Minister to make a commitment to contact his counterparts at the federal level, the Canadian Minister responsible for Insurance, and see what the federal government is proposing to do about the cost of insurance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we are willing to work with the other jurisdictions, the federal government, to see what initiatives may be undertaken. As I stated earlier, we are putting together some information so that we can sit down with Members and have a more detailed discussion in this area. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Your final supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that the Minister has indicated that Members will have a chance to discuss this further. In doing that, I would like to ask the Minister if he would be willing to send his officials to talk to some of the deliverers of insurance in the North and ask what the industry is going through and what kinds of things could the government do to mitigate the high cost of insurance. That is really impacting the small businesses. We know about the individuals. We know about our insurance bills, but, I tell you, 94 percent of small businesses in the Territories have said that this is one of the biggest negative factors in doing business. Could the Minister talk to the insurance industry in the North? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.