Julie Green

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, February 22, 2016, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that the honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. R.J. Simpson, be appointed as Deputy Speaker. At the appropriate time, I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with this motion today. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

My question for the Minister responsible for Homelessness is whether the government is prepared to match the federal contribution of $306,000 annually to Housing First in Yellowknife.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize today Ms. Lydia Bardak. She is a constituent in Yellowknife Centre and a tireless worker with the population of homeless people that I spoke about in my Member’s statement. I commend her for all the work that she does on behalf of those that need it, and I'd also like to introduce my partner and recognize my partner, Janice McKenna, and my mom, Ann Little.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I was campaigning for the position I now hold, voters told me more about homelessness than any other issue. Their concern is for people who are visibly homeless. People who sleep in tents around this building, stairwells, bank foyers, and emergency shelters at night and who wander the streets by day. This is a group of people who need homes. There is some debate about how many people are homeless in Yellowknife today. The last time the emergency shelters publicly reported on the number of unique visitors they had, the number was 936. That was in 2008. This number...