Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am going to be speaking today in favour of the motion. I want to begin by saying it's interesting listening to my colleagues, especially my colleagues from the regions and Members who have small communities and the majority of housing issues that are created in the small communities.

It is interesting to listen to them talk about the condition a lot of these housing units are in and the fact that folks are imposed at having to pay 32 percent. Mr. Speaker, I don't agree with this figure. The reason I don't agree with that being imposed on our residents here is it is a national standard. We have spent the last two years here talking about the cost of living in the Northwest Territories. It is absolutely more money to live in Colville Lake, Tulita, Behchoko or Whati than it is to live in southern Canada. Why we would impose a national standard of 32 percent of household income to go towards rent is beyond me. I think we have to examine this situation.

It is much like one of the Ministers going to FPT meetings listening to their provincial counterparts say, well, this national move towards super service centres in the provinces works. Well, yes, it might work in the provinces, but we are not a province. We are 42,000 people. We need some made-in-the-north solutions to housing. Mr. Speaker, I think we can get there. It is just a matter of us working something out.

I think this motion...again, it was mentioned by my colleague, Mrs. Groenewegen. It speaks to absolute frustration that Members are feeling in regard to housing and why the 32 percent is being imposed is something, again, it is a national standard. Why do we accept that? Most of my worry, Mr. Speaker, is the smaller communities. The market communities, yes, it is fair game especially in the larger centres. People should pay a proportionate amount that they can pay. Here in Yellowknife or Hay River, they have more of a wherewithal to be able to pay that because the cost of living isn't as high as it is in some of our isolated communities.

I think also what we could look at doing is, when we talk about other programs that the government has in terms of business development, they categorize communities. I don't know why we wouldn't look at doing that as well, like go on a cost of living ratio and you can see which communities. We do it too with the supplement that we give to employees. If they live in different communities, they get more money. I don't know why we don't look at judging communities by the cost that it actually takes to live there. I think we need to look at doing something like that and maybe develop one, two or three categories of communities and address it from that angle, Mr. Speaker. Again, I do want to say that I do support the motion and will be voting in favour of it. Mahsi.

---Applause