Michael Nadli

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a constituent, Jim Thom of Fort Providence. Jim is the former chief of the Deh Gah Got'ine First Nations and also the former Dehcho negotiator for the Dehcho tribal council. Also, he is a former original member of the Fort Providence canoe team that raced down the Mackenzie during the centenary race. He is also the partner of the Commissioner. Last, but not least, we all call him "Uncle J.T." Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize the Chief Electoral Returning Officer. Also, at the same time, I just want to say thank you to our translator, as well, Joe Tambour from K'atlodeeche First Nation, being the South Slavey translator for the duration of the session here. Mahsi. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to item 5. Mahsi.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] Today is good. It seems like a new day for us. [Translation ends] [Microphone turned off] to stand in this House many times on behalf of the people of the Deh Cho riding. This truly is a special place of united people for the good of the NWT.

Four years have quickly passed. I have to say a few words of gratitude to some people I am blessed to have in my life. I must say that I am blessed with my children and my grandson. Yes, winter is dawning. I am grateful and appreciative from the support of my relatives and extended families throughout Deh Cho and Denendeh...

[Translation] I want to talk in Slavey, my language. It's pretty hard for me to speak it, but it's my language. I want to know that it's good to speak my language if I have to. Many times, I have been in meetings, and we will talk about our government, talk about our leaders, and an elder said that: whoever is the boss of this land, who you call the boss of the land, is he looking after all the land? How come you guys, we don't see them very often? If we speak in Slavey, in our language, we say that we're looking at the land, the boss of the land. All the time, we look at the government that...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to challenge the NWT Housing Corporation to be more flexible in how it applies its policies. If an applicant doesn't have homeowner's insurance, instead of turning the applicant away, why doesn't the NWTHC let them apply a portion of the loan to pay for the insurance? That way, the applicant can still get needed repairs, plus help funding the cost of insurance. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wanted to highlight some comments. First of all, I wanted to thank the Members of the Standing Committee on Social Development, my colleagues, and of course, our committee was led by my colleague, Mr. Shane Thompson, the Member for Nahendeh. Also, recognizing the members of the public that attended the public meetings and wrote to the committee. Of course, last but not least is the Minister and the department and their staff, for working collaboratively with the committee. This discussion would not be possible without their cooperation and assistance.

In short, we...

Has the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation done any analysis to determine what its annual losses might be if it provided these programs to low-income clients without the need for homeowners' insurance? In other words, is the valley of investment so high that it is worth denying low-income clients who need home ownership assistance just because they don't have insurance?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. As I stated in my Member's statement, some residents of the K'atlodeeche First Nation want to repair their homes but do not have home insurance and so were denied assistance. My question is to the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. What kind of education or information does the NWT Housing Corporation offer for home-ownership clients, to encourage the need for home insurance? Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It is getting harder and harder for our lower-income families to make ends meet. These days, people have to scrimp and save every penny to pay the bills. This often means that things which were once considered a necessity, like insurance, are becoming a luxury that people cannot afford.

According to a 2018 study by JD Power, the average annual home insurance premium in Western Canada is $1,200, meaning is it likely to be even higher in the North, and, with the catastrophes wrought by climate change, insurance costs are on the rise. When it comes to the choice between...