Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I too will be supporting the motion, but I do have more to add. It’s a very good motion. I know that the honourable Member for Nunakput wanted some options for housing but I really feel that we should also be, it should be the whole program. That’s the way we looked at it.
At one time we did have our housing program before it was converted to ECE and back again, and even further back it was listed at 75 percent of household income. It was a real break. Then the rent was at $600 a month. I don’t know, along the way somebody signed off to produce it up to 90 percent of income and then 100 percent of income and now to this date they don’t even get credit for how many children they have. It’s full economic rent. I’ve always been against that.
Other areas in Canada have special economic zones and they do have low-rental units, like $500 or $600 a month, in order to stimulate the economy and stimulate employment so that people can make a living and move into the depressed areas. I think our whole Northwest Territories should be a special economic zone and we should be taking care of the rent because that’s what governments do. When there’s a need, then the government comes to the action. It’s not about because they can pay more we make them pay more. They’re just barely getting by as it is. I had a constituent that actually told me, he said, don’t call it a low-rental unit if it’s not low rent. Just a couple of those things.
I strongly support the motion and I’m glad that it came forward. We have many motions on this side, like my colleague for Tu Nedhe said. Government’s going to have to start listening. We’re going to have to make those programs more flexible so that it fits the needs of our people.