Statements in Debates
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
WHEREAS Members of this and previous assemblies have expressed concerns about the extent and quality of reporting by the NWT Housing Corporation to the Legislative Assembly and the resulting impact on the ability of committees to perform their oversight function;
AND WHEREAS Members and the Auditor General of Canada have expressed concerns with certain business activities and decisions of the NWT Housing Corporation;
AND WHEREAS there is a critical need for adequate, accessible and affordable housing in NWT communities;
AND WHEREAS Members are not confident that the NWT...
Good Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just one more time, will the Minister conduct an assessment? He said he would bring it to the attention of his officials, but I was just looking to see that he will conduct an assessment soon. I am sure there are some leases coming up here shortly as well. Mahsi.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m glad to get that clarified because there are lots of misconceptions out there, especially, like I said, in the small communities who depend…Our hybrid vehicle is the four-by-four.
---Laughter
Just with that, is the government even looking at hybrids themselves before they start forcing other people to move to smaller vehicles? Thank you.
Just with respect to the article in the Yellowknifer on Wednesday, March 1st, with respect to gas guzzlers may pay more for registration. Which means that the larger vehicles, of which I have lots in my constituencies in the communities, we need those larger vehicles, they’re saying that because people own larger vehicles that their cost of registration will be that much more. Is this true, Mr. Speaker?
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Gaylene Oskenekisses from Wrigley, as well, and welcome all her classmates. Mahsi.
---Applause
I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, that the Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay, be appointed Acting Speaker for the remainder of the session.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Committee wishes to consider Committee Report 8-15(4).
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier, I mentioned that the time has come for a certain motion put forward by one of the Members and here’s another motion whose time has come.
It took 30 years for us to have a review of the NWT Housing Corporation. I often speak that the Housing Corporation Act of 1978 is very old. It comes from a distant colonial past that we are doing this for you, your own good. In fact, some of our policies, Mr. Speaker, still do that, like the EDAP and mortgage assistance policies. Well, we’ll lend you the money, but we will still build it for you and you will have to pay us...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With respect to the motion, I, too, see that as a gap. As a Member with many small communities and many elders in the communities, having their knowledge valued is something that is of great importance. As well, many of the elders I represent are not wealthy elders. They don’t have huge RRSP stockpiles on which to draw upon. Often the only income they have is what they get from the federal government and what they get from the territorial government. Often they are used at meetings for consultation. We bring them to meetings. We pay them a limited amount of money, but...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m amazed that the government is broke already; we just gave them a billion dollars.
---Laughter
My question is for the Minister of Public Works and Services. Earlier this week, members of my community got together with respect to accessibility for disabled. I was just wondering if there was an assessment done on all the facilities that government owns and leases in the Nahendeh riding with respect to accessibility access. Thank you.