Richard Nerysoo

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to recognize my sister Grace, Grace Martin. She's very active in the community of Fort McPherson's political arena and also volunteering, and I'd just like to welcome her to the Assembly.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too will be supporting this motion. I've made a couple of statements on housing, how bad that it's needed in each of the communities, especially my riding. We have houses in Fort McPherson, Aklavik, Tsiigehtchic that are some 50 years old and still being used. There's some houses that are boarded up that the energy the energy efficient can utilize those homes and use some of our companies within our region, make energy efficient homes. In Aklavik alone, we have some 100 homes. We can't build 100 homes for the community of Aklavik so we have to be more realistic and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the problems that we are encountering within our smaller communities is not the same as the bigger centres. The leaders and community members are the people who best understand the concerns of their specific communities; therefore, financial resources should be allocated to the communities to heal their communities.

Mr. Speaker, back in the 1970s, Elizabeth Collin, Bertha Francis, Jane Charlie Sr. and Dorothy Alexie, took it upon themselves to go for treatment to address their addiction problems. They did not like the way their lives were leading. They...

Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, that information would be helpful in addressing this with constituents who were placed on medical travel and ended up in Calgary or elsewhere. That information will be helpful. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to bring the concern of alcohol and drugs within our communities. This issue is nothing new to the residents of the Northwest Territories and this government. The legalizations of marijuana, the dealers from the southern region of Canada have had to resort to hard drugs to keep their business going. Unfortunately, these hard drugs have made their way into our communities within the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, when I was the interim band manager for the Tetlit Gwich'in Band Council, we dealt with the influx of alcohol and drugs on a daily basis. We...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have one question in regards to the travel support program. There was patients from my region would have been misplaced and were located in Calgary about a week later. Would they qualify for this program, or is it still active? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I look forward to the tour with the Minister. Thank you, and that's just a general comment. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think more of these consultations should be taken out to the residents of the Northwest Territories. Will the department look at meeting with the residents of the Northwest Territories to get feedback on its policies? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have residents within our communities who want nothing but to better their lives for themselves and their families. I am referring to residents of our communities who want to return back to school in hopes of finding a secure career path for their immediate future. Their hopes and dreams are soon diminished upon returning to their home communities to find that they do not have a home to go to.

Mr. Speaker, I was contacted by a constituent from my riding who stated that she wanted to go back to school for this very reason. Before leaving her community with...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the general public has lost confidence in the housing local housing authorities because they themselves have to follow these policies. Will the Minister look at doing a consultation round with the residents of the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.