Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I stated the housing situation in the Northwest Territories is at the boiling point. Today I have to restate that again.
People in Nunakput are extremely anxious over the eviction notices. The way that evictions are being handled is unacceptable. The situation is out of control. When people in the communities are evicted, where are they supposed to live? What are the social consequences of these evictions? We know the answers: overcrowding, family violence, and homelessness. The e-mails, letters, and phone calls I’m getting on this issue are heartbreaking.
We have never seen harder times in the communities or greater disparity between families. Many parents feel hopelessness and I’m deeply worried about them. This government cannot take such drastic measures without taking impact on people into account. It’s extremely irresponsible. In Yellowknife and other major centres, families at least have somewhere to get help. In the remote communities, once you’re evicted, the family has nowhere to go.
The inequalities between the communities are also getting worse. Solving our homelessness problem is supposed to be a major priority of this government, but instead we are kicking people out of their homes because they can’t pay their arrears and have no means to because there’s no work.
I’ve spoken about these arrears many times. I’ve urged the Minister to get the staff to review each and every one of these situations to reallocate the arrears. Many people do not actually owe as much as the Housing Corporation claims. This has happened because the system, and reporting the income, and calculating rent are cumbersome and simply not working.
Families in Nunakput are struggling. The cost of living is way too high and jobs are scarce. We cannot continue to kick people out of their homes in this way. It’s not right. It’s a government responsibility to give a person a house, a roof over their head so they don’t have anything to worry about and provide for their families.
I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
