Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
"Houses are for display only."
"The housing issue is awful; nothing is being done."
"There at 16 houses sitting empty and have been empty since 2008."
Those are a few statements from residents at the K'atlodeeche First Nation.
I had understood that work was progressing between the Hay River Dene Band and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, but residents tell me that repair and maintenance program and services, not to mention the houses themselves, remain out of reach.
Mr. Speaker, residents have shared with me their frustration and their despair. They talk to me about the lack of available housing, houses sitting empty, unmanageable arrears, and debts carried over from family members who have passed on.
Young people who want to live on their own have no choice but to live with their parents or leave their community. If they choose to leave, families are separated and traditional ways of life are threatened.
Unfortunately, I have also heard of increased homelessness in Hay River, a growing concern when housing problems have driven young people, single adults, and single-parent families from the reserve. They are left to struggle through the housing waiting lists.
To secure stability, safety, and food security, to ensure basic human dignity, our residents need homes. These homes must be adequate, affordable, suitable and accessible.
This is a fundamental right that belongs to every individual under the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Not only that, Mr. Speaker, but the Members of the K'atlodeeche First Nation are also party to Treaty 8.
When Treaty 8 was signed in 1899, it was understood by the Dene that they and their descendants would be served by the Crown's fulfilment of Treaty terms, including rights to housing.
Instead, today I see unfulfilled promises and commitments and empty promises, layers of excuses, complicated problems with land and program access.
Mr. Speaker, in the face of this, I could only conclude that the GNWT and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation are failing to meet their obligations because Dene people are First Nations and choose to live on a reserve.
We keep hearing that it's a federal responsibility; we are told that it's someone else's problem.
No, Mr. Speaker.
Immediate action is needed on the part of this government -- immediate action and collaboration with both the chief and council and the federal government.
A small bit of progress has been made with the recent purchase of 10 houses, but it will be at least another year before residents can access them. Has the community not waited long enough? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.