This is page numbers 3755 - 3792 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was know.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can't say exactly if it has or not, but I'm pretty sure we've sent them and given that message to the federal government and the Alberta government that these concerns have been raised in the House and have been raised with our Indigenous organizations and governments that we work with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that, and I'm happy to send my remarks directly to the Minister in Alberta if that's going to help move this along. But has there been any change in position from the Government of Alberta about a GNWT seat on this committee? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're still waiting for a response from the federal minister but we have not heard back from the Alberta government except for the letter that we had received and they were saying no to both our requests for both the committee and a technical advisory committee. I think that's the other one as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. You know, I write letters sometimes and sometimes I don't get answers; I don't get answers to emails. Sometimes the best thing to do, Mr. Speaker, is actually pick up the phone and call someone.

So I'm asking the Minister if he would be willing to be pick up the phone and call our federal minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada and have a personal discussion with the federal minister on this matter? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is in the works. We are working on -- we're trying to wait for that response but we are in the process of looking at phoning not just the federal minister but the Alberta Minister as well to have those frank conversations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. I guess I -- you know, we don't seem to be making a lot of progress on this file. So I'm wondering how is the Minister working with Indigenous governments to try to get them on board as well to put pressure on these two orders of government to finally pay some attention to us and make sure that we're well represented in this committee and the whole issue of the development of regulations for the discharge of tar sands? So how's the Minister working with Indigenous governments on this file? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the question from the Member.

Previously we had a face-to-face meeting. Unfortunately, due to COVID, we were trying to have meetings through the phone but we are planning to have our next meeting. We're in the planning process. With the restrictions being released or reduced by the chief public health officer, we are in the process of trying to have a face-to-face meeting with our Indigenous governments. I can guarantee you that our Indigenous organizations and governments have been very upfront and have been bringing forth their concerns just not to myself but I believe to the federal government as well as the Alberta government, but also in the press. They've been bringing forth their concerns and I appreciate the work that they're trying to do to help us resolve this very difficult issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of the Housing Corporation.

Mr. Speaker, roughly 30 percent of children in the child welfare system were apprehended due to exposure to domestic violence. But in many of our communities, the shortage of housing means a parent cannot move to a new home. Because of the community residency policy, it also means that a family or a parent cannot put their name on a waitlist of another community. This jeopardizes the safety of families and risks continuing cycles of apprehension.

So my question for the Minister is does the Minister agree that we must prohibit the apprehension of children on the basis of poverty and access to housing? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member as well too because she has brought this up quite a number of times. And looking at what we do have, the low income housing program throughout the Northwest Territories and looking at, you know, the apprehension of children as well and looking at the movement and, you know, domestic violence and, you know, how are we going to be working with the -- with the individuals, I have to work in conjunction with my colleague with the -- for the Minister of Health as well too to address these concerns. But also, Mr. Speaker, we have a limited amount of housing units at the ground level. And I'm not wanting to create or look at what it is that we can -- how we can House people at the ground level. I'm trying to work with the department and changing and acknowledging those barriers that we currently do have.

We do have a massive policy review that is going to be coming into effect in the next few months, and hopefully we're able to really look at those documents and being able to pass that in the lifetime of this government. Those policies will be reviewed as well by the Indigenous groups as well. And there's a number of issues that is brought up at that table that is concerning housing as well.

But I want to make it very clear that when it comes to domestic violence that I'm not -- I'm not looking at trying to create more barriers when we're looking at families fleeing from other communities and wanting to be moved into another community. We've got to also think about the waitlists that are there too and those circumstances in each of those communities, they vary in every one of them. But we do have a limited amount of housing units, and we do have a significant waitlist.

I am trying -- I am working with the federal government to address the significant housing need and crisis that we do have in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question was does the Minister agree that we must prohibit the apprehension of children on the basis of poverty and access to housing? Thank you.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't agree with that as well but I don't see where that is -- where we can highlight that within the way that we look at our public housing waitlist and the way that we look at our applications coming forward. I haven't heard of any concerns like that as of today. But I would like to work with the Member should she have a constituent that may be needing those -- needing that addressed in what specific community that she's speaking of. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. I'd just like to remind Members to please take your time here. Our interpreters are having difficulty keeping up so keep that in mind. Member for Kam Lake.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

My apologies, Mr. Speaker. My apologies to the interpreters. I do speed up when I get excited.

Mr. Speaker, I am bothered by the Minister's response of not agreeing with that one. And later this session, we -- well, social development hopes to table a response that shows our social development's feelings on that one.

But I guess my next question then for the Minister is does Minister agree, as the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, that Indigenous people must have access to safe housing? Thank you.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely. We are going through a whole renewal strategy within the corporation. We are reviewing all of our policies. I take into deep consideration that, you know, we are moving into a social programming department. We are not just only looking at housing people throughout the Northwest Territories.

We have a number of issues why people are under housed; why are they overcrowded. People returning back to communities. We don't have domestic violence programming in each of our communities. We have a lot of people moving around. We've got students that are in and out of the communities. We have incarcerated people that are wanting to come back to their communities as well. And within the corporation, we are working very hard and very strategically on trying to address all of those issues.

I hear the Member as well too when we're looking at women and children as well, and I don't -- I don't believe that any applicant should be penalized whether their children are being apprehended and they're not living with the parent at that time. I think this is a change that we are making within the corporation. We are moving into social programming. And it's more than just providing housing.

And yes, I do support the Indigenous housing in the communities. The majority of our clients are Indigenous. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Kam Lake.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the reason I asked the first two questions of the Minister was because those are directly from the MMIWG Calls for justice and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. And I think if this government is truly serious about implementing those, then we need to make sure that our policies don't stand against those.

My next question for the Minister is the Minister told me after the first question that the policies are being reviewed by Indigenous groups. The Minister said yesterday to me that LHOs decide their own policies. And so I'm wondering, then, if the Minister is talking to Indigenous groups about reviewing these policies; should I be talking to Indigenous groups and not the Minister of Housing? Thank you.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to be very clear that I've been challenged as well too to be making sure that we do include the Indigenous groups, and they have provided a lot of feedback and a lot of advocation as to how we deliver the housing program. We've been high -- we've been very much criticized at the ground level for not making drastic improvements to how we deliver housing. And, you know, we have created a Council of Leaders Working Group, and this is important to the Housing Corporation to making sure that we have that direct partnership, and we are making changes to the policies that we are working with today. And also, I want to recognize the local housing authorities and the service contracts that they provide as well too. We are going through a huge overhaul throughout the Housing Corporation. And I know that a lot of concerns have been brought up, and we are trying to work with them and we are trying to address them. But, you know, we will be following up with committee as well too once we are -- we do receive feedback from the Indigenous groups. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Thank you. It's a question for the Minister of Finance.

Can the Minister explain why the Government of the Northwest Territories has added 2,700 position to the public service while our population has only increased by 5,000 people? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister responsible for Finance.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've heard quite a number of numbers and dates coming out of the Member's statement earlier.

I can speak to, Mr. Speaker, the 2022-2023 Main estimates which, for the public service, has a net five people being added. If I include all the public agencies and various special purpose funds, the surface rights board, etcetera, at that point, we have over 6,000 -- 6,200 -- 6,249 public servants. There is a total net increase of 48 this year, Mr. Speaker. So I can certainly go back and look at some of the evolutionary history over the last few years but for this year, as I've said, the departments here are a net increase of five. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Thank you. Can the Minister explain why health, education, and housing outcomes in many small NWT communities have gotten worse while the public service has added 2,700 positions? Thank you.