Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I move seconded by the Honourable Member for Baffin South that Bill 31, An Act to Amend the Public Utilities Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to proceed with first reading of Bill 31, An Act to Amend the Public Utilities Act.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, December 9, 1998, I will move that Bill 31, An Act to Amend the Public Utilities Act, be read for the first time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I guess the answer would be probably. As I said to my colleague I will have to look into the matter and I know there is a criteria set, I just cannot remember what it is at the top of my head. I will provide him with a complete briefing on the conditions under which an injured worker would be compensated which will encompass so many days they have to work, et cetera. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe there is a criteria and I apologize to my colleague, I cannot remember exactly what it is, but I am sure there is a criteria set and one of it will be extent of injury, how long they have worked, what level of salary they get. There will be a series of them. I will look into the matter, I think you asked me earlier. I have already asked the Workers' Compensation Board to provide me with a full briefing on it. Off the top of my head, I apologize, I do not know.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If an employee is injured while on the job, they go to the nursing station, there is a form that each nursing station has that indicates the extent of their injury, how long they are going to be off, et cetera. It is a workers' compensation form, I believe, is then sent into the Workers' Compensation Board. They determine if this injury was done during a working environment and assess whatever compensation is then necessary by the staff of the WCB.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. All costs associated with any necessary layoffs or anything else that is associated with the downsizing of the western government, as the eastern government moves forward, will be negotiated with our federal counterparts. As I have said on a number of occasions, we will continue to document that cost. I think there is an acceptance that some of these costs will be negotiated, of course, because some of these costs are valid and that would be, then, the responsibility of the federal government to provide us with compensation for same. Thank you.

Well, if I was to take an optimistic view and if there was an agreement reached that we do have the right and the mandate, as we believe we now do, then we could move very quickly to go out there and advise our people that is what we are doing. However, the less optimistic view is going to be that the UNW will actually want to examine the letter sent by our lead negotiator. I would imagine they will seek legal counsel and we are going to bring it forward, I believe, next week. From my personal preference as a Finance Minister, we will be able to move quickly, as I have said many times here. Given the track record and the history of discussion and debate on this very sensitive pay equity issue, we will just have to see how events unfold. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times if you ask two lawyers for one opinion, you get two. The opinion of our lawyers and our legal people is that if pay equity is not a collective bargaining issue, then we have the right and are obligated to, and I feel very strong about that, go out directly to our employees and show them and demonstrate to them what the pay equity proposal is and ask them if they agree or disagree with it.