Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, once again I want to state that as part of Towards a Better Tomorrow, we stated that we were aiming for housing that was adequate, affordable and suitable, elders who were well supported by their community and able to live independently.
Once again, I want to repeat that the public housing and income support harmonization initiative does not support either of these stated goals by this government. Many of my colleagues and I have already pointed out that this initiative was poorly planned and communicated to most of our residents, especially to those in public housing.
What I find most distressing about this program is that it fails to address the true issue facing those in public housing in these communities. Those critical issues are of the unsuitability and inadequacy of their homes.
Mr. Speaker, in the year 2000, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation conducted a housing needs survey. In that survey, the larger communities of Yellowknife, Hay River, Inuvik and Fort Smith identified affordability as a major housing issue. However, the other communities, the other 29 communities of the Northwest Territories, only two percent in public housing identified affordability as a problem for them.
The government has gone through great trouble to show that the majority of the rents will be decreasing as a result of the harmonization package. However, they are still ignoring the fact that 19 percent of the people in public housing have stated that suitability, the number of bedrooms in their homes and how many people squeeze into one room is their biggest concern.
The adequacy of their housing is the most important issue. In two of my ridings, Mr. Speaker, Kakisa and Enterprise, over 40 percent of the homes require major renovations, including plumbing, heating and/or electrical systems. These stats are all from the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation's own housing needs survey.
Mr. Speaker, what is the point of the Housing Corporation going out and asking these questions in a survey if they are not even going to listen to the answers? The communities have answered loud and clear, Mr. Speaker. For those in public housing, affordability is not the issue. Safe and healthy homes for our people is the issue.
Mr. Speaker, given the poor way in which this harmonization program was developed and communicated, and given the fact that it does not begin to touch the more important housing issues, I recommend that this government scrap this initiative...