Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will use by Member's statement today to speak about some of the housing concerns that my constituents raised last weekend.

In the budget, there are more dollars requested by Education, Culture and Employment to distribute amongst the LHOs to cover wages and benefits. I don't want to downplay this request, because I believe this is a good injection of dollars to all the LHOs to assist with the rising costs of operating their public housing.

The issue I have, Mr. Speaker, is the accountability factor at the LHO level, which this government does not diligently monitor or pay much attention to how the LHOs spend their contribution dollars. I received the LHO budgets in my riding of Tu Nedhe. I noticed that wages and benefits have increased over time, and other important areas of operation, such as maintenance, have decreased during the same period. I understand that the redistribution of these dollars at the LHO level is permissible to a certain degree, and if it makes sense and improves the operation of the LHO. But when the public housing units are not receiving the maintenance they require on a regular basis because of the redistribution of funding by the LHOs, the clients start to refuse to pay their rent and this creates serious problems at the LHO level and at the Housing Corp, and it continues on today. We have massive debts at the LHO level, Mr. Speaker.

I would request that this government, through their universal partnership agreements -- the key word being "partnership," Mr. Speaker -- with these LHOs ensure that the consultation and annual reviews are conducted, and that the contribution dollars are spent on the expense items that they were intended for. If changes in the distribution or the reallocation of any dollars at the LHO level is required, then notice has to go out to all the public housing clients and it should go out to the Housing Corp headquarters and this government, and reasons why they're making the redistributions should be given to everybody, especially the public housing clients who are really concerned that maintenance dollars are going into wages and benefits and not going into maintenance of their own units which they pay exorbitant rents for, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much.

---Applause