Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of the Housing Corporation. It’s in regard to my Member’s statement and under the Human Rights Act there are certain obligations we have as governments to ensure that we also do not discriminate or harass our clients, whether it’s social housing or whatnot. Under the act it’s clear that it’s against the law to discriminate against a tenant, rental applicant, based on the personal characteristics or grounds. I mentioned the whole area of race, religion, age, disability, sex, gender, marital status, political beliefs, social conditions, and individuals who may have a criminal record.
It has come to my attention that individuals are being refused from even being able to pick up an application to fill out the application to apply for housing, especially with the local housing authority. I’d like to ask the Minister what we are doing to ensure that we are living up to our obligations under the Human Rights Act to ensure that we are not discriminating against tenants from picking up applications.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m unaware of the situation the Member speaks of. If we have cases where individuals are refused applications, I would like to know the details so I can follow up with it, because we wouldn’t condone that type of treatment to those that want to apply for public housing.
This has come to my attention not once but several times. I believe that we do have an obligation under the Human Rights Act as a government to fulfill our obligations as providers of services and to ensure that we are not discriminating clients. What is the Housing Corporation doing to ensure that front-line workers, whether it’s housing authorities and staff, are aware of their obligations under the Human Rights Act?
Our front-line workers at the LHOs have been doing what they do for a long time and they’re well aware of all the issues out there. Again, without knowing the particulars of the issue that the Member is raising, once I find out the particulars I will be able to follow up. I can assure him that all our front-line workers are well aware of their responsibilities and take them very seriously.
These are serious allegations and I hope the Minister will take some leadership here. These allegations where an individual cannot go into a housing authority and pick up an application, is told that we will not give you an application, are against the Human Rights Act. I’d like to ask the Minister if he can write a letter to the local housing authorities making them aware that they cannot discriminate an individual from picking up an application and they have every right to fill out that application and process it. I’d like to ask the Minister if he could commit to writing that letter.
The Minister will show some leadership but the Minister has to know what he’s dealing with. Without knowing the particulars, again, I can follow up with it once I know the particulars.
I would mention that if tenants out there feel like they’re being discriminated against, there is a process to go through the Human Rights Commission if they feel like they’ve been discriminated against. They have that avenue. Again, I will commit to following up on the issue that the Member is saying because we do take it very seriously. We wouldn’t want to see anybody denied an application because of previous tenancy.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I take the Minister’s advice and suggest that all tenants who are having this situation do go to the Human Rights Commission and file their complaints and maybe that’s the only place they’re going to get some reprieve here. I’d like to ask the Minister again, will you consider writing a letter to your local housing authorities and making them aware of the Human Rights Act and that it is a discriminatory matter if you are not allowing people to pick up an application?
I will commit to the Member that I’ll follow up on it, and if I need to, I will make all the LHOs aware of their responsibilities. I don’t think I’d be telling them anything new. I think they’re all well aware of their responsibilities.
Like I said, they’ve been doing this work for a long time. They know what they’re up against. I would like to speak to the Member and get the details of the issues of the cases that he’s raising so that I can follow up on them, because I wasn’t aware of this issue until the Member raised it in the House today.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
