Mr. Speaker, these

are all political decisions that can be made, have been made: the issues for no rent.... There is a contradiction or a discrepancy with, as the Member’s indicated, means-testing on one hand and not on the other.

The whole definition of a safety net — which is what we’re trying to provide for all our citizens — does not imply universality. It implies that if you hit the safety net, we should be able to help you so you don’t fall through into poverty. If you have the good fortune to have enough income to live on your own, then that’s a credit to you, and it’s a credit to us as a system that you don’t require our services as a last resort.

But clearly, the issue of public housing and the issue of seniors paying rent in public housing is an issue that’s been discussed a number of times in the Assemblies I’ve been in. There’s been no resolution. The issue has stayed the same. I know the NWT Seniors’ Society is also on the record, year after year, suggesting there should be some rent, however modest, charged to all inhabitants of public housing. That, once again, is a policy issue and it’s a political decision.