Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated, I will provide a listing. In that listing will be a status of what the individual employee has done, what he has accepted; also, the reason why I indicated that I would provide that information and circulate it is because it is a bit lengthy and it also provides the information that the honourable Member has been asking for on which department has offered to share certain positions with the GLO. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as I have said in my reply, I will circulate to the Members community by community the exact status of each position. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in recognizing the realities of restraint, the increased role departments are playing in regional communities and the increased abilities of the communities to tend to their own affairs, a total of 11 government liaison officer positions were flagged for reduction, from full-time to part-time, in the Executive offices main estimates on April 1, 1995. Two of these GLO positions were in the Keewatin region, while the remaining nine were in the Baffin region.

Amended job offers were issued to all 11 incumbent GLOs with a request to respond within a five-day period as to whether they wished to accept the amended offer of part-time employment or if the Government of the Northwest Territories should proceed with a lay-off action.

The two Keewatin incumbents responded to the job offer within the requested five-day period. The GLO in Arviat accepted the offer of part-time employment, while the GLO in Baker Lake chose to receive notification of layoff. None of the nine GLOs, having received part-time job offers in the Baffin region, responded with an acceptance of the offer.

Commitments have subsequently been received from the departments of Health and Social Services and Education, Culture and Employment to fund four part-time positions in some of the affected Baffin and Keewatin communities. Where applicable, amended job offers were made.

It's rather lengthy, but I can provide to the Members and circulate by community who has part-time offers and where they are shared with other departments and where the offers are, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Don Morin's return has been delayed so that he can attend to matters related to the Norman Wells forest fire and evacuation. The Honourable Stephen Kakfwi is also remaining in the region because of the fire situation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, may I make a brief emergency statement with regard to the forest fires that are happening in the Sahtu region?

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Titus Allooloo on March 27th. Mr. Allooloo asked if government liaison officers who refused revised job offers for half-time positions would be eligible to participate in the workforce adjustment program.

The workforce adjustment program does not apply in cases where positions are altered or eliminated due to budget reductions. Government liaison officers who receive layoff notices were provided with layoff entitlements, including severance pay and priority status on competitions within the GNWT for a period of one year following their layoff. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to say once again that the Honourable Stephen Kakfwi and the Honourable Don Morin will be absent from the House today to review the forest fire situation in Fort Norman. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, what I will do is refer the question to the Minister responsible and instruct him to reply to the question that has been put forward here. I will take the question as notice. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, it's my understanding that the Power Corporation themselves would be dealing individually with their employees, and it would not be going through the maze of territorial government disposal. Thank you.