Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you. Next, we have policing services not previously authorized, $1,691,000. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. I will now call Committee of the Whole back to order. Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 135-18(3), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 4, 2017-2018. Does the Minister of Finance have any opening remarks?

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Mr. Stewart.

Agreed. Thank you. Next, we have not previously authorized total department, $4,822,000. Does committee agree?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. It is to do with the elders' home heating subsidy, which is a great program. Elders have the options to either receive home heating fuel or cord wood or a combination of both, whichever the elders prefer. We have been having challenges with payments in Fort McPherson for the people who are providing cord wood for the elders. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister: will the Minister enter into an agreement with either the band, the designated Gwich’in organization, or, if it's in...

I have had constituents waiting up to two to three weeks, you know. They have been patient, but especially at times during Christmas, we have had challenges finding people to actually provide cord wood because we had hardly any snow before Christmas and it's very challenging getting out there. So, those people who did come forward, many of them had to wait until after Christmas to actually get paid, which is very unfortunate because of, especially, the times back home where there is hardly any work. So, I know in the past, when I was the chief of Tsiigehtchic, we had an agreement with ECE to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, once again I will have to do the communications for the department. I seem to be having to do this for a lot of the departments, whether it's Infrastructure or other departments that are having these community meetings. I know it's a shame that we don't use whether it's Facebook or, you know, everybody's on Facebook. I know you do it. Some of the departments use Twitter, but not everybody is on Twitter. You know, especially road conditions and other things like this. You know, people really appreciate that. Will the Minister make sure that they use social...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a follow-up to my Member's statement. I have a couple of questions for the Minister responsible for Housing. I would like to ask the Minister, it actually came up in my constituency meeting. We had leaders in the community, the chief and mayor and also the president of the Designated Gwich'in Organization who brought up the issue that they would like to see a housing authority in Tsiigehtchic board actually set up in the community with members from the community to make decisions that are needed in the community.

I would like to ask the Minister: will the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, it's really that we have a comprehensive response to this report. Not only that, but adoption of these motions, you know, as my colleagues mention, it is people who take that step to go to treatment or take a life-changing step in their life. We need to ensure that they're successful, and the only way to ensure that is to adopt these motions and have them in place, because those are the challenges we are facing, whether it's shortage of housing. That's something that's come to myself here in the last couple of weeks with constituency issues, but I really hope...