Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Out of the 67 percent of what the Minister is stating, the 2,400 units that we are paying the 21 percent paying zero dollars, 46 percent paying $32, it’s a total of 67 percent. The other 23 percent, Mr. Speaker, I think this option is going to help. It’s an option.
What I’m asking for, the Housing Corporation can keep their economic rent scale. This is an option B. If people are working, say if myself and my wife are working, we’re in a rental unit, we’re going to choose option B. This is the option that I’m providing today. For a five-bedroom unit I’ll pay $1,200 a month for the family, and that’s an option. If the people that want to stay under the current housing policy, they could go ahead. It’s a choice. But we’re providing a choice, Mr. Speaker, that’s going to help the people in the long run so people can actually buy food for their kids, pay their power bill, be able to have extra funds to do things. For myself, the Minister said this is an option. For myself, when you look at it, this is going to help the people. The people should not have to worry, Mr. Speaker, about a roof over their heads. If we’re lucky in the communities, we’ve got 20 government jobs. And those are the people that are lucky enough to get them.
The rent scale we are going off, this is an option. I’m going in with an open-handed approach because I’m not going to tell the government what to do. This is an option. I want to work with them to make this happen. The people ought to be able, like I said, not worry about a roof over their head and be a little bit proud of what they have because they’re paying their rent and it’s an option for them to do that. Our people in the Territories, we have to help them as much as we can as a government. This government can do that. This Minister could go and say option B, Jackie, we did it, we’re going to do
something about it. Under their assessment that they’re doing, it’s possible. Again, this is an option. I’m not going to put fear into the communities right now. That’s what I don’t want. You can stay under the current system and this system is option B, it’s up to the tenant to choose option B. Again, I don’t want to get anybody in the communities scared of the rent scale I’m providing or trying to get into the system.
This has come forward so we can help the people in the Northwest Territories, people who are being evicted. That shouldn’t happen. People shouldn’t have to worry about a roof over their head. Again, we’re just trying to make a better place for the people to live in the Northwest Territories. I know this Minister can do that.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to a recorded vote to this motion. Thank you.