Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about homelessness in the NWT. Last year the City of Yellowknife released a comprehensive strategy paper titled "Yellowknife's 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness." The plan contains many facts and figures regarding chronic homelessness issues that are facing all of the NWT, not only Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, I would like to highlight some of these key findings in the 70-page city plan, which includes topics such as migration, urbanization, rural homelessness, housing market trends, and housing needs, among others.

Mr. Speaker, the plan states that the issue of homelessness is directly related to Canada's history of colonization, which has not only resulted in many people without adequate shelter, but has disrupted many generations of families and entire Indigenous communities on a social and spiritual level. It is important to help accommodate all people who choose to live in Yellowknife and the NWT, regardless of the circumstances that brought them here.

Mr. Speaker, there are many social factors that push people into homelessness in the NWT, including things like no employment, poverty, and lack of housing. Moreover, it is crucial to know that these issues are not only Yellowknife problems, because we must also consider the fact that there are many reasons for people to relocate to Yellowknife from the smaller communities.

Some common reasons, Mr. Speaker, for people to relocate to Yellowknife from smaller communities includes seeking escape from trauma in their home communities, greater access to services, and an overall improvement in their well-being for themselves and their family. Unfortunately, in addition to these factors, one stark reality for some people is that, once a person ends up on the streets of Yellowknife, Yellowknife becomes a place of easy access to drugs and alcohol.

However, Mr. Speaker, the biggest factor for people relocating to Yellowknife from smaller communities is housing. Most of our small communities are seeing population increases, while the population across the NWT shows constancy. Mr. Speaker, we as a government have a duty and a responsibility to build our capacity to house homeless people. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted