Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My congratulations and compliments to you, Mr. Krutko, and Mr. Zoe for your new views and new perspectives on your respective seats in the Assembly. I look forward to working with all of you.

I don't like to miss a chance at least once in every session, Mr. Speaker, to talk about housing. Like my colleague, Mr. Hawkins, who has reflected on the opportunity before us with the federal election campaign, I think this is an opportune time for this Assembly and, indeed, for everyone in the NWT who is affected by housing issues to bring this to the floor, and make sure that it is on the campaign trail for the candidates in the June 28th federal election.

Housing, especially social housing I believe, Mr. Speaker, is the most critical issue facing the NWT today. I know working as an MLA that just about every issue that constituents come to me with when there are family and personal issues, have some kind of connection to an inadequate housing situation. In fact, in just the past few days in the small community of Colville Lake we have had a tuberculosis crisis, and this is a classic symptom of inadequate and overcrowded housing situations.

Here in Yellowknife, to bring it closer to home, transitional housing and emergency housing needs are staying relatively consistent, Mr. Speaker, and that means that there is a tremendous demand continuing for them even though hundreds of new units have been built. Federal programs that used to come under the auspices of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation have been dramatically cut since the 1990s, and I think it is time that we really got this back on the federal agenda and got it restored.

I don't want to get partisan about it in this House this afternoon, Mr. Speaker, but I would urge every federal candidate, and every federal party, and everyone in the NWT who carries housing as a concern, to take this into this election and make sure that it gets to the top of those federal agendas. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause