Norman Yakeleya

WHEREAS people with post-secondary education are six times more likely to have employment, and completing post-secondary education dramatically increases the lifetime prospects of having well-paid, stable employment;

AND WHEREAS the Department of Education’s Student Financial Assistance Program is designed to support full-time students pursuing a post-secondary education;

AND WHEREAS the living allowance for these students has not increased for 11 years, since the year 2000;

AND WHEREAS the Consumer Price Index in Canada has increased 27 percent since 2000, which indicates that the value of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly hope that the LHO board clearly hears what the Minister has said. The board is the boss, and their comment that we have to take instructions from the district office is wiped out.

I want to ask the Minister, when he looks within solutions, can the Minister look at the concept of a community rental, community tenant/community liaison person for the housing that could help the tenants and the Housing Corporation so they can work together daily, monthly, weekly, biweekly, so they can help them with the arrears? Certainly that’s what we want to do and we need to...

I mentioned the Ministers of PWS and DOT because he talked a little bit on this issue here. For example, the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority is going to hire four, but in any other regions, none of their health boards are hiring any summer students. This is an agency of something like the Sahtu Health Board. I want to ask if this opportunity can be given the same as the Fort Smith Health and Social Services Authority, which has hired six people.

The fairness and equality is not there. Can the Minister ensure that our regions will also have the same opportunity as the boards in...

I have some information, thanks to the Minister, that he passed on to me. That’s what I want to look at in terms of one of my communities, where if a number of people do not do anything, they will be asked to leave their public housing units; a total of 10 adults, not counting the children. I want to ask the Minister in this regard, we will have a homeless problem in Deline. Can the Minister in any way, through his leadership and direction, look at putting a little more emphasis and resources to working with these people? There are 10 adults that need to see where they’re going to be housed...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister inform the House how many of these summer students have come on board with the Department of Transportation or PWS such as engineering or bridge construction or any other fields that the department is working in?

Mr. Speaker, we need to fix our own house. Let’s start with the foundation and location, move them to the communities, build it up from there. It works.

Mr. Speaker, housing is a government responsibility. We’re all in this together. We need solutions like a tenants relationship officer, solutions like working off the arrears, solutions like garnisheeing a percentage of their wages, or volunteering in the community with coaching or working with the elders. It may not fit the government policy, but, hey, it’s the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, we need the attention of this government today...

Mr. Speaker, last year the Department of Transportation hired 31 students. Certainly, then, we want to see that number matched or even to increase. I want to ask for clarification, because the Minister is also responsible for DPW. When he said 34, was that the combination of both departments? I just want to ask about the Transportation numbers. Can the Minister clarify those numbers for me?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly hope that the LHO board clearly hears what the Minister has said. The board is the boss, and their comment that we have to take instructions from the district office is wiped out.

I want to ask the Minister, when he looks within solutions, can the Minister look at the concept of a community rental, community tenant/community liaison person for the housing that could help the tenants and the Housing Corporation so they can work together daily, monthly, weekly, biweekly, so they can help them with the arrears? Certainly that’s what we want to do and we need to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We all know that a good education is a way to a good job. By ensuring that student financial assistance meets our students’ needs, we are investing in our future and the future of the Northwest Territories is in their hands. We badly need these students to come back to our communities and work in our communities. All kinds of companies and organizations need well-educated employees; our local businesses, governments, our schools and our Aboriginal development corporations, our health centres and, yes, this Government of the Northwest Territories.

The Consumer Price Index...

I have some information, thanks to the Minister, that he passed on to me. That’s what I want to look at in terms of one of my communities, where if a number of people do not do anything, they will be asked to leave their public housing units; a total of 10 adults, not counting the children. I want to ask the Minister in this regard, we will have a homeless problem in Deline. Can the Minister in any way, through his leadership and direction, look at putting a little more emphasis and resources to working with these people? There are 10 adults that need to see where they’re going to be housed...