Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, in the area of capital acquisition, where does the Housing Corporation get their materials -- the raw lumber -- to build and repair houses in the Northwest Territories under its mandate?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, again one of the problems that I see on a consistent basis on this side of the House where I'm responsible for the programs and service delivery of this government in the communities I represent and a lot of the communities in the Northwest Territories, is that when departments and corporations come to us and in this sitting they have a tunnel vision. It's not part of our responsibilities, so we can't help you.

So I'll ask a simple question. Has the Minister communicated, or is he in contact with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment to identify the possibility of working in collaboration to provide affordable housing for professional people in the communities, whether it's the Minister of Health and Social Services in his responsibility to deliver health and social service programs and services, or the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the Minister and his responsibility in delivering his departments responsibilities? Now I think the government has to start working together, especially in the area of housing, so we can have quality educators in our community and that they can stay.

So I ask, has the Minister communicated with the other Ministers to see if they can help address their needs, the needs of the communities if you're not going to be able to provide a decent deal for corporations, the same kind of deal that's available in market communities? That deal is great for Yellowknife and for Hay River where there's a housing market, but there is no market... A teacher is not going to buy a house in Fort Resolution. They'll rent for a few years. That's what we're trying to make them do: stay for a few years. But we can't expect them to buy a house and expect them to sell it at the same price, because there is no market in our communities. So the Housing Corporation being the only entity of this government that provides housing, have they talked to the other departments to see if they could help with their needs? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, that may very well work for a place like Yellowknife where if you build a building it's consumed right away. But if you're asking a development corporation or a private business entity to get into similar arrangements with the government to provide housing needs in the community for teachers, there's going to be two months a year that that house is not going to be occupied. Is that being recognized in this new financing option? I'd like to ask the Minister, who is responsible for providing housing to our professional people in the communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, what kind of financing option is available to local corporations so that they can provide the necessary housing for teachers in our communities; affordable housing, Mr. Chairman. Affordable housing is the key here. We know that teachers come and go on a very consistent basis, contributing to irregular delivery of education programs and services in our communities. The cost of housing is a major issue for the teachers. So the financing options that the Minister is referring to that's available to local corporations in communities, is the end result providing affordable housing to our teachers? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, who has the mandate for that particular area of housing? Is it the department responsible for the delivery of that program and service?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, in Fort Resolution, we are anticipating that there's going to be a shortage of housing available for the upcoming school year. Is the Housing Corporation working with the community organization in that community to address that problem that's on the radar screen? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, in a Member's statement in questions directed to the government, I asked about government housing for teachers, nurses and other professionals. Has the Housing Corporation looked at the possibility of getting back into government housing so that they address these shortages in our communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, if that's correct, then this government is discouraging entrepreneurship by using the fact that it does cost more to deliver certain services in certain geographical locations, and only if government is the one that's delivering that service will this government subsidize or recognize the need for subsidies in this area. What I'm trying to suggest is an opportunity for the government to get out of the delivery of this program and service by recognizing that there are people in these communities that could do the job just as well as they can, and that they should get the same kind of treatment that government gets when government delivers these products and services in the community.

All I'm saying is we have an opportunity here to save nearly $1 million in salaries alone in this division. With 11 people averaging $100,000 a salary, with benefits and all, factoring in the costs for renting office space, etcetera, etcetera, there are some savings that could be had here. Capacity could be developed in communities, only if government in this area wants to get out of business, and recognizes that there is a subsidy requirement. Who knows? Once you agree on a subsidy per year and the cost goes up, the individuals in these communities could raise their prices and they'd take the political heat, not the government. There's a possibility of that happening. If the fuel price goes down, they could drop the prices and get the benefits rather than government. I'm just suggesting a different way of delivering this program, a suggestion that might save this government a lot of money and a lot of headaches, and develop capacity in communities. That's just a suggestion, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I'm not too worried about those discussions. They happen all the time within government. It sounds like a piecemeal and administrative nightmare to me, just in what the Minister is talking about. But currently, is it a practice of government that if they are in business in any community and there's another private entrepreneur that wants to start a business, that they'll get out and they'll take their subsidies with them. Is that what the Minister is saying?