Just a question in regard to the contribution assistance, that residence enhancement program. There’s been a major decrease in the funding for that program. Realizing the importance of the refocusing that was done where we used to have some 14 programs at one time, they basically scaled it down to four general programs. But yet for us to decrease the budget to almost $205 over $2 million, I think it’s going to have a major impact on those programs and services.

I think a lot of Members have stated earlier in their general comments that the housing conditions in the North are…. We do have a lot of aging housing. We do have a lot of retrofits that have to take place. And even as government we realize, going through this budgetary process, there’s a lot of major repairs that have to be done on the Housing Corporation’s stock. I think we also have to realize that this also affects the private sector and people who are into home ownership and also people that depend on government assistance for programs that we deliver by way of HELP, STEP and other programs that are out there.

So for myself, I’d just like to ask the Minister: exactly why is there such a major decrease, and why did you cut in this area, realizing that it will have a major effect on the communities, people in home ownership, and also for people that have homes that basically need some major repairs?