Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of housing. Can the Minister describe her position on acknowledging housing as a human right in the NWT. Thank you.
From the Deh Cho. Minister of Housing NWT.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. It raises an important issue worthy of careful consideration by this House. I don't think there's anyone in this Chamber who doesn't agree that we're in a housing crisis and that stable, affordable housing provides a foundation for people's wellbeing and participation in society. The right to housing is the subject of international treaties, including the universal declaration of human rights and the international covenant on economic, social, and cultural rights. These are international obligations that fall within federal jurisdiction. In section 4, the Canadian National Housing Strategy Act speaks to the progressive realization of the right to adequate housing, which is the acknowledgement first that the right to housing has not been realized and, second, that it takes significant time and resources to move toward that state. This federal Act already applies throughout Canada. The federal government is the only government in Canada with the fiscal capacity and resources needed to help realize a right to housing. Under the national housing strategy, the federal government has been making significant investments in housing across Canada to aid with the progressive realization of the right to adequate housing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that. Second question is can the Minister describe discussions that have occurred at the NWT Housing Forum to acknowledge housing as a human right. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My understanding is that the topic has been raised at the Council of Leaders and not specifically the housing forum. I am not aware of any direction from that discussion to pursue a separate and distinct naming of this right in the Northwest Territories as it is already acknowledged federally. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have question 3, but I have some things that added underneath there. So can the Minister commit to providing more outcome based measures in NWT in the Housing NWT annual report commit to measuring and reporting on the number of houses in core need by community and the number of homes brought out of core need annually. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So Housing NWT acknowledges it does not have the adequate data and measurement. Due to the lack capacity and resources, Housing NWT has not historically tracked the levels of data that are required in today's world to demonstrate the needs required. Housing NWT is embarking on work that needed to complete a territorial housing needs assessment analysis in collaboration with the housing forum, which we seek to obtain a better baseline understanding of the overall housing statistics in the Northwest Territories and will then look to keep that data up to date on a regular basis. We expect to start this work and complete the work in 2025. The data will be important for the GNWT and communities to know where there are housing needs in the Northwest Territories. The data will help the governments focus their funding on where needs are and help demonstrate the need to federal government where data is currently lacking. We will take the Member's recommendation into account while we look at this analysis, what this analysis will produce, and what can be reported in Housing NWT's annual report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Final supplementary. Member from Deh Cho.
Just more of a comment, Mr. Speaker. I just want to thank the Minister for that, and I look forward to that information. Thank you.
MR. SPEAKER:
Question 246-20(1):
MR. TESTART:
MR. SPEAKER:
HON. R.J. SIMPSON:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So why can't thta program be based out the North Slave Correctional Centre? Thank you.
HON. R.J. SIMPSON:
Mr. Speaker, the only person who wants to shut down correctional centres is the Minister of Justice. It's not this Member. In fact I would rather see all of our correctional officers keep their jobs and continue doing good work for the territory. Is the Minister not looking at SMCC because it's in his riding? Thank you.
Oh, colleagues, that's cutting kind of close. Can we be very specific to what we are trying to achieve here, please. Can you rephrase that question. Member for Range Lake.
Mr. Speaker, did the Minister consult with community leadership, including the Chamber of Commerce, town council, the First Nations in Fort Smith before they made this decision? Thank you.
HON. R.J. SIMPSON:
MR. SPEAKER:
Mr. Speaker, I am sure the Premier is aware of how important jobs are in regional centres and small communities. Especially centres that provide a lot of employment. How is the government going to make up for the loss of jobs and employment in Fort Smith as result of the closure of the facility?
HON. R.J. SIMPSON:
MR. SPEAKER:
No questions.
MR. SPEAKER:
