Julie Green

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to also knowledge my constituent Dawn Moses, who works with MACA as the Youth and Volunteer Program Manager. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on International Women's Day, we pause to celebrate the advances we have made as a society in advancing women's equality, and it is the day we take stock of the inequality that persists and rededicate our resolve for improvement.

A lot of improvement still needs to be made. A quick glance at employment occupation and income figures for the NWT shows that the rate of employment for women and men are about the same, but the rewards of pay, the inclusion in higher-paying occupation, and the proportion of sexes in senior positions are anything but equal.

Mr. Speaker...

I rise to express my support to my colleagues on both sides of the House for supporting this motion. I think it represents a milestone that we can all be proud of in moving our territory towards gender equality. Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded vote. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS women comprise half of the population of the Northwest Territories;

AND WHEREAS women have been under-represented, accounting for no more than 15 per cent of Members of the Legislative Assembly in any given Assembly;

AND WHEREAS the lack of representation by women may have resulted in the creation of legislation and policy that does not take their needs and concerns fully into account, to the detriment of all Northwest Territories residents;

AND WHEREAS the Northwest Territories has the lowest percentage of women Members of a Legislative Assembly in Canada, while...

Thank you to the Minister for that answer. If the Status of Women Council's role is not to promote the accomplishments of women through the Wise Women Awards, as one example, what is the role of the Status of Women Council going forward?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think, on every other International Women's Day I have ever spent in Yellowknife, I have attended the Bread and Roses lunch and there has been an announcement of the Wise Women Award winners. I note that is not happening today. I have some questions about the status of the Status of Women Council, the body that usually organizes the Bread and Roses lunch and the Wise Women Awards. Can the Minister update us about the status of the Status of Women Council and why they may not have been able to host these events this year? Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, from economic crises and lack of healthcare to climate change, violence against women, and escalating conflicts, women are not only more affected by these problems, women possess ideas and leadership to solve them. The gender discrimination still holding too many women back holds our world back, too. For me, International Women's Day remains a bittersweet celebration, but a celebration nonetheless. Please join me and my sole female Legislative Assembly colleague in commemorating this day. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. My statement outlined the recommendations of the Privacy Commissioner in the matter of the privacy of income information complaint on behalf of public housing tenants. The ruling called on the Housing Corporation and its LHOs to amend its practices to provide for an alternative to giving the information directly to the CRA. First of all, can the Minister tell us whether she has accepted the findings of the Information and Privacy Commissioner? Mahsi.

Thank you. The witness may have, in part, answered my next question, which is why the uptake is so low. Is it the Housing Corporation's understanding that the copay is the only reason, or are there other reasons as well? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in November 2016 the NWT Information and Privacy Commissioner received a complaint about the way the NWT Housing Corporation was collecting personal income to calculate rents for public housing tenants. The complaint was about a new policy making tenants give housing authorities permission to collect income and other information directly from the Canada Revenue Agency. Some tenants didn't want to provide direct access to their tax records. They asked for alternatives, such as continuing to report income on the basis of submitted documents. They were told there...