Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm glad to hear that this is the way it will be done. But, I guess I would like to ask the Minister, wouldn't the most efficient process have been to train and support the local housing authorities to deliver the program on the ground in the communities, and then transfer the responsibility to the Housing Corporation, rather than transfer it to the district office first and then get the communities' training up and running afterwards? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister knows that I am concerned about how staff housing has been transferred to the corporation, and I think I have also made him aware of the fact that, recently, a new employee of the Housing Corporation responsible for staff housing had to go to the enormous expense of travelling from Iqaluit to Hall Beach, just to check two or three transferring teachers out of their staff houses. Mr. Speaker, my question is, if the Minister is committed to allowing local housing authorities to deliver all the programs in communities, including staff housing, why are these services being delivered from the district office? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Minister for the attention she gave to a meeting with care givers in Iqaluit during her recent visit and also for the attention she and her officials gave to the meeting with the officials of the Baffin Treatment Centre. Also, they worked out some funding and implementation problems, which have now been solved, allowing the new Baffin Treatment Centre to start its work and take an in-take clients, successfully, this spring.

I would also like to commend the Minister and the Minister of Justice for finally accomplishing a project that has been long-awaited in this Legislature and that is the tabling of legislation in family law reform. I think this is something that was really expected in the previous Legislature and it never occurred. So it is very gratifying to me that, even though we are in the last few days of the 12th Assembly, that this important work has got to the point where the legislation has been tabled. I know this represents an enormous amount of work. There have been lots of problems and challenges, but I think the Ministers and their officials deserve tremendous commendation for having taken it this far. I am confident that the next Assembly will act upon this long overdue need for reforming our family law.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to mention my gratitude to Mr. Morin and Cabinet colleagues for having, in principle, approved the negotiation of an office space contract for the Department of Renewable Resources for a building, the first phase of which is going up in Iqaluit this summer under the auspices of the Kakivak Association and Qikiqtaaluk Corporation. Cabinet support to this new aboriginal venture in my constituency is appreciated and it will be a big economic boon to the community to have this project going ahead this summer.

The last good thing I would like to comment on, Mr. Speaker, has to do with myself and...

---Applause

...but I want to express my gratitude to my colleagues on the Standing Committee on Finance for having elected me deputy chairman. That was gratifying for me and an honour which I appreciate. That is another good-news item I wish to celebrate with you today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

...and give credit where it is due. First of all, I would like to thank Ministers Arngna'naaq and Todd for the good work which has been done by Minister of Renewable Resources and Workers' Compensation Board officials to provide timely compensation for the families of the full-time hunters who died tragically in the waters of Frobisher Bay last fall.

---Applause

Since not every one of those hunters, like many of our constituents, had birth certificates or even marriage certificates, quite a lot of work had to be done to get their applications in order. Credit also goes to Anne Crawford and Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik for their very hard work assisting the families. But I would like to commend the Ministers for the fact that interim payments have already been received by the families of the full-time hunters and they are well under way to getting the compensation package finalized.

Secondly, Mr. Speaker, I would like to give credit to Raymond Ningeocheak, who has overseen the implementation of the Nunavut Tunngavik hunters' support program this year with the assistance of his capable director Burt Dean and advice from the hunters' and trappers' organizations and the regional organizations throughout Nunavut. This program has received substantial one-time capital contributions from the GNWT and my assessment is they have done an excellent job. They have recently approved a total of 260 applications to hunters in need of assistance throughout Nunavut and I know this will be a very important contribution to developing the renewable resource economy, which we all so much want to support in Nunavut.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank the Honourable Nellie Cournoyea, Minister of Health and Social Services for the attention she gave to care givers in Iqaluit. Since I have some more good things to say, I would like to request consent to conclude my statement, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at least once a session, I try to be positive and uplifting. I don't always like to rant and rave.

---Applause

So today I would like to talk about some good things that have happened...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, more signatures are being collected as I speak, but today I would like to table Petition No. 11-12(7) that was organized by the Nunatsiaq coalition against further gun controls. It is signed by 966 residents of various communities in the three regions of Nunatsiaq riding in Nunavut. It reads:

"We, the residents of Nunatsiaq are strongly opposed to the proposed gun control legislation, Bill C-68, and as such, do not support further controls which are intrusive, unfair and unreasonable to the legitimate aspirations of law-abiding, responsible firearm owners and users."

Thank you.

--- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can I take it from the Minister's response that, subject to approval and agreement of the Special Joint Committee on Housing, consultations similar in kind and scope to the ones that took place last year could take place in the coming year on on-going housing issues? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. I think the Minister knows that I was very impressed with the manner in which people in my region were consulted on housing issues, and then the burning issue of the day was the new rent scale last year. I would like to ask the Minister if he has plans -- since there were many other issues related to housing raised in those consultations to deal with design, method of delivery and construction -- to have further consultations with the regions in the current year on other housing issues. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, am not surprised but distressed by the passage of Bill C-68 which was given third reading in the House of Commons yesterday.

I would like to take this opportunity, Mr. Speaker -- I commented on the feeble amendments that were introduced yesterday -- to announce the formation of the new Nunatsiaq Coalition against further gun controls. This organization, Mr. Speaker, has sprung into existence out of the strong and deeply-felt concern against this new federal gun control law. The objects of this new organization are to oppose further gun controls which say are intrusive, unfair and unreasonable to the legitimate aspirations of law-abiding, responsible firearms owners and users. The coalition is working very hard to demand accountability of their elected representatives.

Although newly organized, they have sought support and received extensive support for a petition which has been circulated through the good offices of hunters' and trappers' organizations from Kitikmeot to Keewatin and Baffin. The petition, which I'll table later today, has 1,000 names on it and is growing by the day. The coalition represents aboriginal and non-aboriginal hunters and firearms owners in Nunatsiaq. It is strong and determined.

Mr. Speaker, I know that the MP for the Western Arctic today in a radio interview stated that there may be a silent majority in her riding who support the new gun control bill. I feel very confident in saying, and I know the Nunatsiaq coalition against further gun controls proves, that is certainly not the case in Nunatsiaq riding. This remains a very serious issue, and the last won't be heard of it from the passage of this bill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause