Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to speak today about a topic that continues to cause some of my constituents a great deal of stress and anxiety. That is the Social Housing Subsidy Program that is now administered by ECE.

During my almost four years in this Legislative Assembly, one of the most strange and bizarre occurrences of which, Mr. Speaker, I probably would have to live many lifetimes to try to figure out and understand, is the transfer of the $30 million Social Housing Subsidy Program from the Housing Corporation to ECE. To my knowledge, Mr. Speaker, this program was working properly when administered by the housing authorities. Then the government decided to take the $30 million and put the responsibility with ECE to deliver the subsidy program. We all know when we have many discussions here in this House about the fact that ECE, in order to deliver the program, would have to hire an additional 14 staff members to carry out a program and the delivery of a service that was already being done. So we had to spend another $1.4 million a year to deliver the same program.

The problem is, Mr. Speaker, that here we are today spending this additional $1.4 million a year and getting a service that continues to fail clients, especially those clients who are disabled and unable to leave their homes with any regularity. Constituents advised me that they had never encountered problems when dealing with the YK Housing Authority. Now, on a continual basis, they encounter problems: staff being away, the power going out, computers not working, statements being lost, only one staff member being assigned to any one client. It is just so unfair and inappropriate, Mr. Speaker, that people’s health, peace of mind and well-being is being compromised on a daily basis because we do not deliver the service that we previously had done with the Housing Corporation.

Last November, at the urging of Regular Members of this House, a motion was passed asking the government to put the responsibility back with the Housing Corporation and the authorities. Members spoke to the many concerns that their constituents were having with ECE, and today those concerns are still there. Clients are e-mailing documents because they get tired of so many of their statements being lost or misplaced. Not only is this having a negative impact on clients, it is also causing undue stress to the housing authorities across the Territories who are not getting the assessments in a timely fashion. This is not a situation the authorities appreciate being in and the time has come to examine the delivery of this subsidy program, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Members of this House, the clients and the constituents we represent are getting tired of hearing of excuses on what’s wrong with this program, Mr. Speaker. It’s time we fully examine its functionality. Thank you.