Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the mid 1960s, the Executive Council was in place to somewhat govern the people of the Northwest Territories. The majority of residents were of Indigenous descent and lived a traditional lifestyle.
This socalled government decided to intervene on our independence and our strength as a nation. It stated that they wanted to make our lives for comfortable and convenient, so they started building public housing units. The Gwich'in people, who did not want their lifestyles changed, but the government officials were persistent in bettering our lives. Now fast forward to the new millennium, we, along with the rest of Canada, are experiencing a housing crisis with no immediate solution in sight.
Mr. Speaker, that was over 50 years ago and most of these units are still being occupied today, including the unit where I moved in as a 4yearold boy. When we first moved into the housing units, it had no running water or proper washroom facilities that we take for granted today. So we still had our daily chores. The biggest obstacle that we had to adapt to was our heat source. Prior to public housing, everyone heated their homes with firewood, and today we are reliant on fossil fuels and having to deal with global warming.
Mr. Speaker, with the intervention of this socalled governing board, they changed our lives forever. The government owns the land within the municipal boundaries. We pay for the water that once flowed freely for our use, and we even pay for the disposal of our garbage.
Mr. Speaker, the Indigenous people of the past were deceived. They were verbally promised that if they stayed in these public housing units for at least ten years, they would own the units. Today, the descendants of these peoples are homeless, in arrears with Housing NWT, and are lost souls in a land that once was called home to the strongest and most independent people.
Mr. Speaker, now that we are in a housing crisis with the rest of Canada, the government of today has to involve the Indigenous peoples because we are the ones who are impacted the most. The community membership knows what their communities needs and who are the most vulnerable residents who requires the help. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Members' statements. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh
