Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It has come to my attention that we have a Human Rights Act in place which clearly does not allow for discrimination on the basis of race, age, gender, disability, sex, political beliefs, social conditions. It’s still apparent that the word has not gotten out, especially to our front-line workers who are discriminating on the basis that the individuals who are coming forward to pick up an application to apply to the housing authorities are refused simply because they do not want those individuals to be tenants.
The Human Rights Act is very clear that you cannot discriminate solely on the basis of the person in front of you being someone you do not want as a tenant. It is very clear that the law protects you against discrimination in certain areas of your life; for example, in your workplace, in your ability to rent a place to live.
The Human Rights Act has been in effect for several years. The message does not seem to have gotten out, not only to the public but also to the public service, that we’re responsible for ensuring that we as a government and Legislature and provider of programs and services understand that we do have a Human Rights Act in the Northwest Territories.
We have to do everything we can to not only educate the public but to educate the public service of the Northwest Territories, the front-line workers and public housing authorities, to ensure that landlords and other people who have a responsibility to provide housing to residents of the Northwest Territories, that they do not discriminate simply because they do not want those individuals to be tenants.
At the appropriate time I will be asking the Minister of housing questions on exactly why this practice is still continued today.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
