Caroline Cochrane

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to turn to Martin on or to deputy minister on that one. But before I turn to him, I'd like to say that, really reinforcing that, we're either at the table or not at the table, and for the longest time we weren't even at the table. The federal government wasn't even talking to us. The previous government wasn't really friendly with the federal government, and it took a long time building that relationship to the point where they let us at the table again. But, again, Martin could probably speak better to section 35 than myself. Thank you.

Mr. Chair, I'll take this one. The Indigenous governments are getting more money from Ottawa, and the reason they're doing that I'm hoping is not just because that they don't trust us and we're doing a horrible job, I think it's because as a Cabinet we've been lobbying for the Indigenous governments to get money from Ottawa.

In the last Cabinet, which I was a part of, the philosophy was give us all the money because we know best and then we will decide where the money goes. That didn't work well for that Cabinet in honesty. Like I said, I was part of that, and I did see one Indigenous...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I would be negligent if I didn't also recognize Cheetah Resources in the gallery today. As stated earlier, my family has been in the industry longer than I have been born, over 60 years. I think our previous MLA Bill Braden, BradenBurry, was part of the resource sector, indirectly, as well, so a lot of knowledge in the gallery today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Actually, those consultations should be almost finished by now, actually. What I can say, Mr. Chair, is I heard that there was some contention about them, and I had my own contentions about them.

We were my understanding is that when those agreements were first done, it was agreements bilateral, not trilateral. The NWT wasn't part of the discussions. It was those Indigenous governments and Canada. And we had to fight to get at that table. And what when I first took over and that was just at the beginning of the consultation, it was kind of a signed deal, the Indigenous...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. You're right, you did come in halfway through and you hit the road running. Probably the not best; no time to stumble, but. Could be on Cabinet; that's what we always say hit the road running and you keep running.

I think housing is a priority for this government on both sides of the House. It's why I came. I think you've learnt today I've spent 20 years of my life before politics working with low income family, specifically running homeless shelters. My that's why I came. And that's where I'm going when I'm finished, back to that work. So, and I always one thing I'd...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I think it's going to do two things. One, it's going to open it up so that there will be more dialogue and more things that we might be able to challenge, not only ourselves but Indigenous governments can challenge us on. Even in the Cabinet review, we've already made some things that said why are we doing that? So we've already started that process, in fairness.

The other thing that it's going to do for me, which is just as big if not bigger, is that there's this misperception out there that we have these hidden mandates and they're really secretive. And I think all...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, thank you for the kind comments from the Member. I think the one thing I pick up about this Assembly that I never really felt so much, maybe because of the position I'm in, but the different strengths that we all bring as Members. You're absolutely right that we might not agree on everything. But every single person here has immense background and immense knowledge in whatever fields they have, and it's by working together that we actually make better decisions. So what I took, and I'll try to keep that with me all the time, is think outside the box. The Member's...

I'd like to defer that one to Minister Chinna.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The only thing I can say is that the previous Member is right, and this Member is right, the number of priorities was too much, and I did say that when we began this Assembly. And I'm hoping that at the next Assembly, and I know that we're only at the mid term point, but I hope that Members that run again, that decide to run again that get back in again, will remember that because I 100 percent agree that when you have too many priorities, nothing is a priority, and it would have been way better if we would have had six or less. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to refer to the Minister of Housing, Mr. Chair.