Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my community, the Inuvik Housing Authority wait list is currently sitting at 80 applications for one bedroom, nine applications for two bedrooms, and 10 applications for three bedrooms. This number has not changed at all in the past few years, but it's the single applicants who I have heard about from my community who are falling between the cracks. There is a huge gap in service between housing, Income Support, and the private market, Mr. Speaker. We know that we do not have any vacant single units in the Inuvik Housing Authority, and from what I've been told by many of the constituents in my riding, Income Support will only provide a certain amount; the number that keeps coming up is $600 per month for single individuals, as long as they are on the wait list for housing.

They also tell me that, when they go to make an application through the private rental company, and we all know the biggest one that is sitting here in Yellowknife and Inuvik, they are told that they are not eligible, as they don't meet the income requirement. So here they are, Mr. Speaker, homeless, couch surfing, and, if lucky, they get a bed at our homeless shelter.

Mr. Speaker, it puzzles me that Income Support will provide only up to $600 per month for rent, or this is the message that they provide, knowing that the private market is anywhere from $900 to $1,350 plus power for a bachelor or a one-bedroom. Some of these clients are dealing with medical issues. Some are adult students trying to finish their education. Some are returning from treatment, once they arrive back home and have no place to stay. We as a government are not providing them with a basic need of housing, and this is unacceptable. I hear this from both the residents who are waiting for units and from those who are providing a place for these people to stay, asking: why is this barrier there?

Mr. Speaker, I understand that we cannot control private business, but we can control the Income Security Program to work with private rental housing to find a way to meet their income criteria so that, when a resident applies for a unit, Income Security can provide documentation to meet the need of the rental company. It makes me angry that we continue to create barriers instead of meeting people where they're at, to meet their basic needs. I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.