Mr. Speaker, I rise today to update Members on the status of our efforts at the national level to improve housing conditions and also to engage the federal government to partner with provinces and territories.
Provincial and territorial housing ministers met with representatives of national housing organizations and aboriginal leaders in Ottawa on October 8, 2008, to make the case for long term federal engagement in housing. It is our hope that our efforts will encourage the federal government to commit to work with provinces and territories on long term pan-Canadian housing solutions.
Despite a recent federal announcement extending federal funding to several key housing programs, I believe that only a long term federal commitment to housing can provide the stable and predictable funding needed to meet Canadian housing needs. This is certainly the case in the Northwest Territories. The announcement, while welcome, illustrates the problem with the current system. The lack of certainty around federal funding makes it next to impossible to conduct long term planning and develop strategies to create more affordable housing.
At the national level federal subsidies for existing social housing are declining as federal mortgages mature. Annual federal funding to provinces and territories for assisted housing will decline by $500 million over the next ten years. While housing needs grow and existing social housing stock deteriorates, the federal government will save hundreds of millions of dollars on its housing portfolio. The Ministers believe that these savings must be reinvested in existing social housing, much of which needs repair and upgrading.
For the Northwest Territories this is an even larger issue. The positive decline of federal social housing will create serious challenges for all provinces and territories. Here in the NWT it creates concern for the long term sustainability of some of our communities.
There are communities in our territory where social housing makes up the vast majority of our housing stock. It is critically important that we ensure that adequate resources are available to invest in and to operate our housing stock or risk the well-being of families in many communities.
To give you a sense of the magnitude of the problem, the subsidy provided by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation towards the operational public housing stock is declining each year and is scheduled to end by 2038. As a result, the Government of the Northwest Territories will experience a shortfall of $340 million in essential operations and maintenance funding for public housing stock over the next 30 years.
It is an incredible challenge to sustain the delivery of public housing under these circumstances. As the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation I will continue to work with my colleagues on this issue while focusing on the unique issues facing our territory.
While in Ottawa I clearly stated that we’re also not satisfied with per capita funding for housing, as it is insufficient for our needs. Later this year I plan to meet with my colleagues in the Yukon and Nunavut to start a coordinated effort for further investments in northern housing and to ensure that our unique housing needs are recognized nationally.
Mr. Speaker, in closing I would like to thank the Legislature for unanimously passing a motion in our last sitting that stated our position clearly. While our call for an extension of our housing programs appears to have been answered, we must remain steadfast in our belief that sustainability of our social housing stock is one of this government’s key issues and will become an even larger issue in the future without support from our federal partners.
