Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, according to the Housing Corporation's annual report, local housing organization, or LHOs, operate as agents of the corporation in most NWT communities. Under agreement with the corporation and overseen by an advisory board, each LHO provides a wide range of local property management services. Local is the key word here. As the Minister pointed out in a recent statement, when NWT residents have access to an LHO, they have access to timely, responsive, and relevant services right in their home community. They are able to take ownership in the local delivery of government programs.

Let me be clear, Mr. Speaker; this is good work, and the Housing Corporation is moving in the right direction when they help communities establish new LHOs, but there is still disparity, and this disparity is distressing for my constituents who have brought this to my attention. Let me explain. When a community doesn't have an LHO, property management work is handled by the Housing Corporation district office. This means it's handled by workers who are part of the public service, with all the benefits of being in the public service.

Mr. Speaker, the same work in a community with an LHO will be done by workers without those benefits. Mandatory leave with pay, the so-called "Donny Days," is one example, but it isn't the only one. I know the Minister isn't responsible for labour agreements between existing LHOs and their staff, and I know that our communities are well-served when LHOs can help residents engage locally with essential programs and services. Nevertheless, there is a question of fairness here, a question that needs asking. I want to bring this matter to the Minister's attention so that, when the Housing Corporation continues its work to improve community capacity, the people on the ground, the ones actually doing the work, won't be short-changed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions later today.