Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, yesterday I received a very negative response from the housing Minister on behalf of some constituents. In short, there is now an Indigenous elderly woman, along with her daughter, who are now homeless and couch surfing. It is moments like these that I feel demoralized, defeated, and disgusted at the system.
Can the Minister explain if her department supports reconciliation despite putting more vulnerable Indigenous people onto the street with some of her decisions? Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Housing NWT.
Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you to the Member for her question. And just commenting on this specific file, we have seen a lot of situations like this occur throughout the Northwest Territories. We are currently under a policy review. We are looking at establishing and working with the renewal document that we have completed this year. Throughout the success of Housing NWT, we are concentrated on putting units on the ground, working with people productively, and looking for positive outcomes. We have a number of programs that are suitable for each of the residents of the Northwest Territories, and Housing NWT does work diligently with each of the clients throughout the Northwest Territories. We do support our local housing authorities in them establishing work on our behalf. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker, defeating a person who is trying to make things right is not okay. My constituent is correcting herself and is trying to better her life. Rather than working with other departments in an integrated case management approach to support this person, the housing Minister is choosing instead to shut the door on her and have her to be homeless. Is the Minister okay with that? Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. And I want to correct that Housing is not here to completely say "no" to each of our clients and we do find problematic situations with our tenants. We are here to work with them fairly throughout the Northwest Territories. I have identified a number of programming that is available to the individual, and we are there to support each of our tenants fairly throughout the Northwest Territories and through a collaboration with the Indigenous governments as well. We look forward to successes in each of our communities. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker, since the Minister is also the Minister of Homelessness, the unfairness of another constituent case is not okay either. Defending staff who make wrong decisions is not okay. My constituent who lost his house to a tornado has to crawl onto an airplane every time he flies because of his mobility issues. This is a man who worked 35 years for the Government of the Northwest Territories and trusted the system to be fair with him but was failed. Is the Minister okay with that? Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I know it is inappropriate to be speaking about individual client files on the floor of this House, but I do want to remind the Member as well that housing does react and does provide adequate services when we are looking at residents that have extreme conditions that have suffered extraordinary circumstances fires, evacuations, floods. We have been there to provide assistance to the people of the Northwest Territories in trying to accommodate them as quickly as possible. Some of these residents did not have to wait on the waitlist. Some of them did not even have an application, and we were there to provide fair and adequate client service to each of these individuals. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Thebacha.
Madam Speaker, will the Minister admit that her department made a mistake and also commit to compensate my constituent for lost funds that he should have never spent on market rental housing because he should have been moved to public housing? Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Housing NWT is currently in the role right now of looking at our policy changes. We are speaking with the Indigenous groups, stakeholders at the ground level. When we're providing adequate services, we're looking at the threshold that is provided. Unfortunately, at this time, the individual was only able to access market housing. But we were able to efficiently provide housing in such an unusual circumstance and in such an emergency. Housing and the local housing authority as well did provide that adequate assistance. And right now, Madam Speaker, we are looking at putting more houses on the ground in each of these communities. And I want to just confirm right now that Housing is going to be constructing two units under our coinvestment fund and also through our CIRNAC allocation of federal funding, we're putting in additional four units in the Member's riding, Madam Speaker. I feel that Housing has done a fair and adequate client service throughout the Northwest Territories, and I continue to support my department. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.
