Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A short addition to this: to speak to the motion, we have known that the issue of the arsenic at Giant Mine and all of the other contamination damage around the area has caused problems for many years. For the Yellowknives First Nation, I know that the elders had spoken previously about when they were fishing right in the bay. I remember when the Ndilo was a smaller community at the time. Right in the front, the elders would fish right in the bay back there until they started to see lesions and other types of problems with the fish and so on.

Now that they're saying...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the research, I am asking the Minister if she is willing to go back to the 1950s to when the first housing was built by Indian Affairs in the Northwest Territories. Thank you

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand that the Housing Corporation is a vehicle for delivering social housing. I would like to ask the Minister when the Housing Corporation was formed. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, again, I'm referring back to that same elder. The same elder had indicated that the money had come from the federal government to the GNWT to house people, treaty people – treaty Indians, and that had evolved into something else. I'd like to ask the Minister: when were the first houses built by the federal government that became available to people other than treaty Indians?

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.] Mr. Speaker, on September 13, 2017, many people, including myself, lost a good friend in Joe Norn. In his younger days, Joe was known as "Sonny." Joe was born on May 19, 1946, and was given the name Joseph Maurice Norn. Joe was born to Albert and Ernestine Norn. Ernestine was a Lafferty, and her mom was Catherine Beaulieu before she married Napolean Lafferty.

Mr. Speaker, Joe had many relatives from the Beaulieu, Lafferty, and Norn families and even has some relatives here in the House. Mr. Speaker, I met Joe Norn when I was a kid and...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I, too, am supportive of the recommendation, going to a Tuesday to vote. I have the very same concerns as our chair. In the communities that I represent, I have seen the community empty out on the weekend sometimes in the fall time, when there is a lot of hunting and things like that. A lot of the community members from the community I represent go out hunting. They are back during the week for when the kids are back in school and so on.

In another community, a highway community, a lot of the people would just go to the neighbouring, larger community for...

I am aware the state of the social housing and some of the program. I would like to ask the Minister the next evolution beyond the Indian and Eskimo housing. What was the next evolution of housing which eventually led to what we have today?

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the other day I was listening to the Aboriginal radio channel, and I heard an elder speaking about social housing in the NWT. He asked a question and he was just contemplating with the reporter, and one of the questions he had asked was: I wonder why the government no longer builds a federal government that no longer builds houses for us directly. Federal governments used to build houses for us directly. I'd like to ask the Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation when the federal government will start building homes in the NWT. Thank you.

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, [English translation not provided].

Mr. Speaker, I want to indicate just for clarity that this side of the House has brought many issues and concerns forward to Cabinet; in fact we do it every day during sitting, and may do it hundreds of times by email or in closed-door meetings. It's not like we just started the process of asking questions and expressing our concerns when the Mid-Term Review started.

Today you've heard from the House. You heard from the majority of the people on this side of the House. You've heard from the small communities that surround...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS pursuant to section 61(1) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, the Legislative Assembly recommends to the Commissioner the appointment of Members of the Executive Council;

AND WHEREAS pursuant to section 61(2) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, the persons appointed hold office during the pleasure of the Legislative Assembly;

AND WHEREAS the Assembly, pursuant to these powers, has chosen the Honourable Louis Sebert to sit as a Member of the Executive Council;

NOW THEREFORE, I MOVE, seconded by the Honourable Member for Kam Lake...