Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about some forgotten people in our communities. I speak of those that many people would wish would disappear, the homeless. Mr. Speaker, every day when we sit down to eat, these people are wandering around with no place to eat. Every night when we are getting ready to sleep, dozens of people in Yellowknife are wandering around looking for a place to sleep. Can you imagine what it is like looking for a place to sleep when it is 40 below? Mr. Speaker, to illustrate the problem, a couple of my constituents have been in the news lately. They have a small shack in the Old Town, and they consistently let several people, sometimes up to ten people a night stay there. This is causing great concern to their neighbours. Yellowknife is not the only centre that has homeless people. Community people seem to gravitate to the larger centres. Inuvik, Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit all have homeless. Studies have shown that people who are homeless cause more crimes and have greater social problems, things like drug and alcohol abuse, theft, break and enters, prostitution. Mr. Speaker, we cannot rely on our citizens to help all the homeless. That is our responsibility as a government, a responsibility that we seem to be shirking. Later today, I will ask the appropriate Minister what we are doing to help the NWT homeless. Thank you.
Roy Erasmus on Member's Statement 64-13(5): Homeless People
In the Legislative Assembly on January 22nd, 1998. See this statement in context.
Member's Statement 64-13(5): Homeless People
Item 4: Members' Statements
January 21st, 1998
Page 257
Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North
See context to find out what was said next.