Agreed. Thank you. I'll ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to please escort the witnesses to the table.

We left off on general comments. Mr. Handley, again for the record, could you please indicate who your witnesses are? Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. With me are Jeff Polakoff, president of the Housing Corporation, and Jeff Anderson, the chief financial officer.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Handley. Under general comments, then, I have Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a quick few comments to make in regard to the Minister's opening comments yesterday. I had a chance to look at the Hansard and I think my questions or my concerns are going to relate to I know the Minister is working with the Minister of MACA with regard to developing lots in the communities. One particular community I was kind of concerned of is in regard to Tuktoyaktuk because, as we all know, it's a long distance to haul gravel. We don't have the gravel necessary to develop the lots that are identified for units. I'd just like to ask the Minister, where is the department now with regard to identifying lot availability in the communities, especially in the Nunakput riding? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We have secured a deed for 2006-2007 and are now working on lot identification and agreements for 2007-2008. In fact, the regional superintendent was just in Tuk a few days ago. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Pokiak.

Yes, just in that regard, I'm just wondering, can he be more specific, I guess, in regard to the agreements he's talking about, about the regional director going down to the community? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I didn't really hear the question. Is it when he was there?

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Could you repeat the question, Mr. Pokiak?

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. I'd like to ask the Minister when the regional director went down to Tuktoyaktuk or to my riding of Nunakput, I wonder, can you tell exactly what was discussed at these meetings with regard to land and development? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The district director, Franklin Carpenter, went into Tuk not that many days ago. He was there discussing primarily the affordable housing initiative, land development or land identification, and I expect at the same time he would have dealt with other issues that people would have raised. I don't have any notes from him on exactly what was discussed. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Can I get the Minister to provide that information once he's got information from Franklin Carpenter? Thank you. ...(inaudible)...Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. I'd also like to ask the Minister, I'm looking at numbers here, if I read it correctly, there will be a total of 258 units for the next year or so. Is that correct?

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, I will ask the district director to provide us some notes from that meeting and provide it to the Member. Second question; yes, there's 168 units planned for 2007-2008. There was 185 last year, and then the balance will be in 2008-2009. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you. If those units are identified right now and if the community just can't identify the lots' availability, where will those units go? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Of course our allocation we want to do based on housing need, but if for some reason a community is not able to identify land, then rather than risk losing the units altogether or the money, we would put them first of all somewhere else within the district. Failing that, then we would put the units somewhere in the Territories. Madam Chair, we can flow the money from one year to the next. So if we couldn't find lots for 2007-2008, it's always possible to do it the following year as long as we had some assurance there were going to be lots. We don't want, though, to end up in a situation where we're deferring half the program to the last year, otherwise for sure we will be sending the wrong message. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Madam Chair. That's all I have for now. Thank you very much.