Mr. Speaker, I've been involved with housing issues for many years before I came to this Legislative Assembly. I have seen people live in want of a decent place to live, to succeed in their lives. I have often said that you can't expect much from someone who doesn't have a house or who lives in overcrowded housing and housing that is in very bad repair. How will they get out of bed in the morning to go to school? How will they get the rest they need to do their jobs?

Mr. Speaker, an important moment for me was at Christmas when a house burned down in Tuktoyaktuk. There was a picture of it on the CBC News website. Mr. Speaker, that house was the size of a normal living room. The story reported that 12 people lived there, 12 people lived in that house in Tuktoyaktuk. Their family was going to have to take them in because they had nowhere to live, which meant that overcrowded conditions would become even more overcrowded.

This government puts out hundreds of millions of dollars for health and social services, education, economic diversification and so on. If people don't have the basics, all we're doing is sticking a band-aid on this problem. We need to address the basics of this problem. I recognize that this problem is different in different places. In Yellowknife it is affordability. In the smaller communities it is suitability and adequacy. So whatever plan that the Housing Corporation is going to come up with, and I'm sure that the Housing Minister is engaged in that at this moment, it has to address the different issues in different places.

I recognize that this is a potentially overwhelming problem, the numbers are so large, of houses in need, people in need, and the money required to get on top of all of this, but we have to try. We just simply do have to try. We have to be strategic and ask the government to be strategic, to work with them to create a successor to the Building for the Future plan and roll this discussion into consideration of that strategic plan to come up with tangible measures to reduce the core housing need, which is ultimately the right measure for this problem. I appreciate the support of my colleagues. I'm disappointed that the Cabinet will abstain on such an important and fundamental issue, and I'd like to request a recorded vote. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.