Bill Braden

Thank you, Madam Chair. Much of the money for new social housing and housing in non-market communities is predicated on the federal government providing a significant portion of the required funding.

With the recent change in government at the federal level, it is unclear when, or even if, the funding for northern aboriginal housing contained in the Kelowna Agreement or the Novel housing proposal will come to the Territories.

Members of the committee are concerned with the plans of the corporation should the potential federal funding for these new initiatives not materialize, Madam Chair....

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Indeed the management of wildlife is something that is incredibly politicized and bureaucratized in the North. Let's take a look, just for instance, at the very, very unattainable NWT Wildlife Act that's been out for I think over a decade now in consultation and still has very little chance of seeing its way to the floor of this House. Mr. Speaker, to the caribou now, I wanted to ask the Minister, we're putting a lot of resources, we have a lot of very good expertise and we're putting a lot of money into finding out what's going on among the caribou. I wanted to ask...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. There is great concern recently, Mr. Speaker, with reported declines of caribou populations across the NWT and the Arctic. There are a couple of statistics here: the Bluenose West herd has dropped some 80 percent in size in the last 20 years. Mr. Speaker, the Bluenose East herd has dropped 40 percent in the last five years, and the Bathurst herd, one of the largest in the North, was reported to number 470,000 animals 20 years ago, but we are looking at a survey that was done in 2003. Their numbers are now 186,000, a 60 percent drop.

Mr. Speaker, last year, the Minister...

Okay. Thank you, Madam Chair. There has been discussion among other Members about the Novel housing proposal, and I think I share with every other Member an expectation, a hope, that this opportunity -- it’s an extraordinary opportunity -- can become something that, indeed, we will be able to apply that will make a difference for our communities. It is exactly the kind of thing, Madam Chair, that we can and should expect as a legacy from the Mackenzie Valley pipeline and with that context, a fair amount of information has been circulated about it. It’s still obviously, though, kind of...

Thank you, Madam Chair. This new committee process, under whose direction is it operating and to what level will our government be reporting, Madam Chair?

An aspect that should concern the committee, Mr. Chairman, is that with some of this new information that’s been presented, we now have been assured the information that we can be certain of is that 118 units are going to be built for the investments stated in the Minister’s opening address, not 185 units as the Minister stated; 118. I’m concerned that the Minister is overselling the program and, again, when I’m asked to consider my vote for any allocation, I want to know what I’m getting for it. The Minister is not giving us straightforward information here compared to what he said in his...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I’d like to sort of continue with the discussion I had earlier, and this is on the ambitious plan here to invest the $33 million in 185 housing units. Mr. Chairman, I’m still looking for clarification or assurance that this entire program can and is being committed to, regardless of the support of the federal government. I know I’ve asked this question once or twice in different ways here, but I’m still not getting the clarity that I’m looking for. Can this entire program be financed in the allocation of the appropriation that is requested here, or do...

Thank you, Madam Chair. It still doesn't help resolve my concern that by the time we get to the point where we have to vote the Housing Corporation's expenditures here, we may not know, even if we defer the corporation's detail approval, even if we defer it to the end of the month, we may not know in time. So I'd like to know what's plan B here. If the feds don't come through in time, is the Housing Corporation still going to commit to a $33 million/185-unit housing program, or just what is the extent of what we're able to do if the feds don't come through, Madam Chair? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to start with a few specific queries to the Minister’s opening statement. It starts off, Madam Chair, right in the third paragraph where the Minister told us that in the coming fiscal year, the corporation is planning a significant increase in housing delivery, some 185 units, $33 million. A number of them are replacements for public housing; the Supported Lease Program to assist people to become homeowners. These are very much at the core of why we want a successful housing agenda, but, Madam Chair, the statement then goes on to say this ambitious plan...

Mr. Speaker, to the reference that the Minister made to the many different partners, stakeholders, that are coming into play here. Is there a collective will, Mr. Speaker, to recognize that we have an urgent situation on our hands, and a will to take action? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.