Jackie Jacobson

Putting out pamphlets and stuff like that don't mean nothing. It is good to have them in the community, but we need to know: what are the improvements of the healthcare system that the department is currently working on today?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, my Member's statement is on cancer. It continues to touch the lives of so many people across our territory, and it is taking our loved ones far too often.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the front-line staff in Health and Social Services, who work every day with those affected by cancer, from the doctors and nurses to the people who book medical travel. These are caring professionals. They help cancer patients navigate the medical system in such stressful times in their lives.

Unfortunately, we face challenges, such as in the remote communities that I represent in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to pay my respects to Aida Egotak. Thoughts and prayers for her husband, Mark, and her daughter, Helena, and the rest of the family. She passed away in Ulukhaktok. Thoughts and prayers for Elsie and Joseph and the rest of the family.

Also, I would like to pass on regards to Arnold Archie, to my Aunty Barbara, Dorthey, Marth, Elvira, Peter, Bessie, Charlie and Gorge and Wilbert. Thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Whoever lost loved ones in the past few months, Mr. Speaker, thoughts and prayers are with the families from Nunakput. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In regard to this go-forward on the rent scale, I'm giving notice now, Mr. Speaker, if I'm unsatisfied with the Housing Corporation, I'll be bringing a private Member's bill to bring forward for the next sitting of this House to provide our own rent scale, but I want to work with the Minister in regard to working on that rent scale and for the people in the Northwest Territories. This is not only my riding; this is across the whole territory. This rent scale has to be sorted out, because people who want to work, people can't work because they are penalized if they do...

The question I asked was: could the Minister stop the evictions in the Beaufort-Delta and across the territory for the next six months? Because Christmas is coming. The last thing we need to have our constituents worrying about is being evicted and having a roof over their head when, at the end of the day, this government has to provide housing shelter over our constituents.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Residents of public housing in communities across the Northwest Territories, especially in my riding, have challenges created by the Housing Corporation's Public Housing Rent Scale. Something has to be done urgently to help the people who we serve, Mr. Speaker.

The Housing Corporation's website says to the public, and I quote, "The rent scale is designed to help reduce your cost of living in Northwest Territories communities, to increases your personal responsibility for your shelter costs, and to encourage your participation in employment, if employment is available in...

As the Housing Corporation across Nunakput, I know the rent scale is out of whack. We have to sort that out for the people. The T4 system is not working. The high rates, the cost of the units that we're providing, which is 42 percent problematic since the last census, there are problems in every unit that we have. There is overcrowding. People are suffering, Mr. Speaker. We need to make the residents, my constituents in my riding, they have to have a place to stay. Would the Minister answer me, yes or no, if she could provide the answer to stop the evictions for the next six months so we can...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I have my questions for the Housing Minister in regards to working together. Mr. Speaker, would the Housing Corporation and the Housing Minister take lead to stop the evictions for the next six months so we could work together with the clients in the Beaufort Delta in my riding of Nunakput to get them back on track on a go-forward basis, so cutting out evictions and people with medical having to be moved to other houses? She could take lead right now to say "yes" to me, Mr. Speaker, and make it right. Thank you.

It's pretty dire, I guess, in regards to when you're travelling. When we travel down here, since the last two months we've been here, I've been travelling on that 14 times. Every time, you're seeing somebody in the airport actually being physically taken off the flight, being removed. I'm asking the Minister: would she call a meeting, I guess, with all the transportation providers that provide service to this government, to call them in and try to work with them to try to get adequate aircraft and try to get our patients out of our ridings to where they are travelling for their appointments?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I want to pay tribute to an important member of our community who reached her 101 years of experience and accomplishments, Ms. Persis Gruben, on her passing.

Persis was born somewhere along the Peel River on October 20, 1918, to Sarah and Liman Koe. Her father Liman passed away when she was three years old, so Reverend Whitaker chose Lenny Iglangasak to be Sarah's husband, even though she was Gwich'in and he was Inuvialuit. He would be a good provider, loving husband, and father. Together they had nine children: five daughters and four boys.

Her father's...