Bill Braden

Mr. Speaker, my questions this afternoon are for the Minister of Finance and it relates to our ability to cash flow the growing and inexorable deficit that we have in our capacity to afford our housing program. Mr. Speaker, we heard nothing at all in the federal budget yesterday on a national program, let alone a northern basis, for housing. The CMHC program, of course, is drying up. The Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation has suggested that maybe there’s something out of an aboriginal program, but I’m not convinced and I want to go to the Minister of Finance to ask what our...

Finally, Madam Chair, in that particular area I’m wondering if the department could produce, not necessarily right now, but will there be an evaluation done or has there been an evaluation done of the impact that’s had on the diamond cutting and polishing industry? Was it money well spent? What kind of results have we got to show for that? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. This particular area, and it’s posted here for $4.666 million if I have it right, Madam Chair, is a fund that’s available for employers to tap to help bring their workers into trades and other skills. There is a reduction here of about $200,000. Not a significant reduction, Madam Chair, but I was wondering if the Minister could advise are there any areas here where employers are potentially seeing any reduction in this service. This program, which I would like to add is something that I’m proud of; I think Members are. I think it’s doing us very well to have this...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The development of the Assembly’s position on housing is one that is very high up on the radar screen, very close to all of our constituents, no matter what riding we are from. We are addressing these needs, Mr. Speaker, through our voices here in the Assembly, through our research, through our participation in forums, in housing seminars, in meetings and workshops with our constituents and with the non-government organizations, Mr. Speaker, which are so incredibly valuable to the delivery of housing programs for those in need, for the homeless, for the disadvantaged...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to hear that there is going to be an open door on it. There is one particular area that has touched a lot of nerves, and that is those two words used in one sentence that can be very dangerous: “rent control.” It is a situation that we have had exposure to here in Yellowknife, and very recently one of our other larger communities has a situation that was brought to the attention of this Legislature. Is that something that this government will consider if there is strong public support and interest in pursuing that kind of a policy? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions at this point are for the Minister of Justice. Within that department is the responsibility for the Residential Tenancies Act. Mr. Speaker, the government has already committed to a review of this act and I would like the Minister, if he could, to give us a snapshot on when renters and landlords both can expect an opportunity to contribute to this review. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that there are options out there; we just have to be bold enough to go out there and put the case on the table. There’s one very apparent one that comes immediately to mind in the Aboriginal Development Corporation who, through land claims settlements and cash injections to the Government of Canada, are, I think, very well positioned to be major players in finding an answer to this solution. Are the Aboriginal Development Corporations and First Nations on that list in our toolbox, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will take the advice there. There have been a couple of forums in Yellowknife on this area related specifically to housing and people with disabilities, but there were concerns voiced there about how some of the aspects of our system do treat them. I will take the Minister’s suggestion that there is flexibility in the system and I would be happy to work with constituents to see if we can resolve their cases. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance just said that he would be interested in looking at the kind of thing that my colleague Mr. Ramsay was talking about: tax breaks, tax situations, and what the cost would be to the government. But here we go, we’re looking internally again. We’re saying oh, gee, this might hurt us. What about the positive impact it might make for the families and the people out there in the Northwest Territories, in the communities, who are coming up short right now because we’re not able to think outside that box? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Okay. There is turnover. Should committee still be concerned? Yellowknife is a magnet community. We have more people coming into Yellowknife with issues and problems and needing support. Are we beefing up the income support office to respond to that growing clientele, or are we trying to do more with the same? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.