Richard Edjericon

Okay. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I'll have to ask these questions tomorrow then because they are important. The monies that we're talking about from CIRNAC are $30 million over two years, but that money was spent to fixing the public housing. We still have housing crisis in Northwest Territories. And the money that's been used to address these issues were never addressed. So what I'm saying, Mr. Speaker, is that tomorrow I'll bring this up and say, hey, look, we got to work with Indigenous government to talk about how we're going to we should actually do a contribution agreement with...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you for your response. Again, Mr. Speaker, you know, I've been here a year, and there's no Minister no Cabinet Minister has approached me to say, what is it your needs are for your community in your riding. In 2019, all MLAs got together, and they are able to put everything on the table in what they want to see for their riding, and they came up with a mandate for this government. Again, you know, I was never given an opportunity to have a say what should be on that mandate as well. So, you know, we've been advocating for winter roads, dust control, additions...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was elected on February 10th, 2022, on byelection for the Tu NedheWiilideh riding. In October 2019, the newly elected MLA Members went to a retreat to bring forward all their goals and mandates for the respected communities from this retreat. The GNWT tabled their fouryear mandate plan, and it has been one year, on February 10th, 2022, I was elected as MLA for Tu NedheWiilideh riding. Not one Minister, not one deputy minister, or the Premier approached me on the needs and wants for my riding. Despite I made every effort to work in Cabinet to be heard, but...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, and I'll reach out to the Cabinet by email and see if we could try to work together to come up with a day to go into those communities because I think it's very important that we do that. Mr. Speaker, earlier I had mentioned that, you know, there's and I heard the Minister of housing talk about the $30 million that they're looking at putting back into housing. But that $30 million over two years is it's coming from CIRNAC to deal with housing crisis. And in my riding, we have a housing crisis already, and we have housing issues. So I want to know if we are able...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the last year, I feel the Premier and Cabinet are not working together with the ordinary MLAs in the spirit and intent to resolve their respective community issues. In this consensus style government, this should be a top priority to work together with all Members so all communities have a voice to be heard in this government, and that needs to be respected. From what I could see, this is not happening with this government. There is no consultation or accommodation with MLAs in small communities, especially for my riding, their wants and needs for the respective...

Yeah, thank you, Madam Speaker. I was going to say that, she made a comment about the council of leaders etcetera. But not long ago there was an article put out by Herb Norweigian talking about settled claims and unsettled claims as to how they're treated. So my question to the Premier is how can we build new relationships so that we are able to make sure that we're all on the same page? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'd just like to welcome everybody in the gallery into the House. I also want to recognize our translators that are here today. I want to say mahsi to you all. In particular, I want to recognize Dennis Drygeese, Tom Unka, Mary Rose Sundberg. Lena Drygeese, she was here at the beginning of the session; I just want to recognize her as well. And Jonas Lafferty. Again, all to the translators, mahsi.

Yeah, thank you, Madam Speaker. There was an article in CBC Report that the Northwest Territories will receive $60 million over two years to tackle the territory housing crisis from federal budget directing $10.1 million to housing. But how that funding will be allocated in the NWT isn't clear. Well, Madam Speaker, it's clear now that in this budget that we're going to spend $35 million fixing up public housing already in the communities. But the CMHC provides funding to the Housing Corporation for maintenance operation and maintenance. And I'm not sure why we're putting more money into it...

Yeah, thank you, Madam Speaker. This dialogue "government for the sake of government" can't continue. We have one year left to change our system, to make real change happen for our people. So, Madam Speaker, in all it's a concern for me to say that, you know, yes, we got one year left in our term. How can we fix the problems we're having? Right now as it is for me to address any issue in my riding, I got to deal with policy and government. And right now it's really concerning. So we're going to have to do better as a government. We got one year left to change it because otherwise if we don't...

Yeah, thank you, Madam Speaker. I believe the reason so many First Nation governments don't recognize the GNWT as a system of our system faults when constitutionally protected selfgovernment agreements are being established through the modern claim process. Why would anyone want to make space for a territorial government that is so out of step with priorities of its residents and struggling to deliver their most fundamental rights?

Madam Speaker, I said it before and why am I here? If political priorities can't influence decisionmaking, why are many of us here as MLAs if consensus is really...