Thank you. Member for Nunakput.

Madam Chair, no. Just in regards to that, the Minister brought up our regional governments and working together. The biggest problem that we do have is who do we -- how do we hold them accountable? They get the money. Nothing being built. IRC is sitting on funds to build units. How do we hold them accountable? I could hold my Minister accountable but how do we hold and work with the IRC, I guess, to hold them accountable to build the units that they're required to build with the money they got sitting in a bank account. And I don't want to bring it up here but, you know, we're frustrated. The community leaders, I'm frustrated. We're trying to get units into the community. All I see is lip service from the federal government announcing things over and over again but nothing. You know, it's got to stop. Just give us some houses, please and thank you. Not hard. Spend the money. You're sitting on it. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Did you have any questions left over for this Minister?

No, I don't. Thanks.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Did you have anything final to say under this section to the Members, to Member's comments?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I can follow up with the Member as well too on what we've been doing in Nunakput as well. I'll follow up with him separately. And then also with the distinction based funding that the Indigenous groups have had, we are in the same boat as well too in trying to understand what are they delivering and looking at our community housing plans, how can we better work with the Indigenous groups and trying to support them in their housing delivery. But it's just the department knocking on their door and whether they invite us to the table or not is really up to them. And we've had some progress throughout the territory, but it's just that building relationship. But I will follow up with the Member with the numbers for his riding. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. We will now begin executive on page 380, with information items on page 381 of the budget. Questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I do have questions, but I think we're going to come back to 274. I just want to ask one quick question in regards to the program details on page 380 on the executive.

Given that, you know, we -- in working with the housing corporation and the people in the communities, the Indigenous governments, you know, we have to start building a new relationship and trust again with the housing corporation. I just want to say that by starting to do that, maybe then we may be -- I would like to recommend that they should seriously take a look at having that Indigenous advisor next to the president of the housing corporation. That way here that the chiefs in the communities or the Metis leaders or people in the communities want to go to talk to somebody, they could have somebody at the housing corporation that they could relate to. Maybe our former leader, maybe something like that. But right now, like I said before, you know, we don't have very much Aboriginal people in that office. I know that we've gone to committee and there may be one or two people there, but we need somebody there to advocate to work with the president but at the same time trying to convey what the people are saying in the communities so that the people have a voice to go to somebody because they're busy as it is, so I just wanted to -- that's the only question I had, Madam Chair. And then I have further questions on 374 later. Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister Chinna.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And to the Member's question as well too, we do have the Council of Leaders housing working group that has all leaders throughout the Northwest Territories that have contributed to the changes throughout the territory. We also have a working relationship established with YKDFN. They're actually going to be hosting our housing forum this year. And they're putting forward and working with us quite significantly with their housing aspirations, I want to say, because they do have a plan that is put in place. And also the district offices, the majority of our district directors are Indigenous. Our LHOs, the majority of our people at the ground level that have the service contract are Indigenous as well too. And majority are community representation. I also wanted to include that 80 percent of our employees are in the smaller communities. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

I'll have a followup question to that then. I guess what I'm trying to say is I think the Minister misunderstood what I'm trying to say is that I'd like to get a commitment from this Minister here to really trying to get somebody in the headquarters of the housing corporation and sitting next to the Minister -- or sorry, to the deputy minister. That's what I'm saying is on top of what you just said, yes, we understand what you're saying, you're working with the Circle of Aboriginal leaders, etcetera, but you need to have a body in an office over there that people could talk to, who could relate to, and vice versa. If the president needs something to happen in the communities, then you have that person to go to. Right now I could walk into that office. I'll be lucky to see maybe one, two Aboriginal people in the three storeys, in the three floors over there. And I don't think we got the numbers there in terms of Aboriginal people. So people from N'dilo and Dettah, or wherever they come from, they want to go over there. Yes, the president might be there, but they need to talk to somebody to convey in their language anything pertaining to housing. So I just want to say if you could help commit to maybe look at this and trying to get somebody into that office. Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister Chinna.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just for the Member as well too, that our vice-president for district operations is Indigenous. We have hired an advisor to the Office of the President as well too who is Indigenous and originally comes from Behchoko. We do have our North Slave district that was previously vice-president as well too and came from smaller communities, and that was Indigenous as well too. I feel that there is a balance in our office as well, and I think that when we get into the communities that working with Indigenous governments is a priority. I am Indigenous myself. I come from a smaller community. Indigenous representation is a priority of this portfolio. And I think we've made quite significant progress. When we're getting into the smaller communities as well too, I'm making sure that my team is there, that they do relate, and they do have those open conversations with local people, not just the leadership but actually going into houses, taking the notes, and actually understanding what are the needs in the smaller communities and within the city as well too. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Members, do we have any other questions for Members on NWT Housing Corporation Department of Executive? Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to question the Minister on the allocation of staff. You know, we have 107 positions and we have North Slave and Yellowknife that are in Yellowknife. So we have 65 staff. It's really misleading how the numbers come out because if you go to the table of active positions summary, so 65 staff are for the headquarters in North Slave and you know, when we're doing these, the mains, we should make sure that we make that very clear and we don't put them in with the regional offices. So you have 41 staff for the rest of the territories and there's 33 communities. That's really misleading. And I'm just wondering, you know, many times when you are not client-based and you have a staff who are not driven to make sure that the client is looked after at the door, there's no oversight on how a client is treated, and there has to be. And I just wonder how the micromanaging from the top continues, okay. The person that comes to the door has a problem and everybody agrees with the staff instead of the client. How do we deal with that? Sure they can go to the board but the board isn't privy to everything that happens in that office and how the client is treated. So I'm just wondering how client-based with a pamphlet or a booklet is going to help that client. That is my question for the Minister, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. And we are on the department of the executive. And so within this department, there are only 15 staff. They are in the executive. So that's where we're focusing the questions on this topic. We've already passed the community -- so Member, so if -- can you wait for the mike? We have to have -- make sure -- just direct your questions. So Member for Thebacha, did you have any questions?

No, I don't.

Thank you. Are there further questions on the NWT Housing Corporation executive? Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm just looking at the -- and I apologize if I know this answer and just need some reminding. The policy and planning, there's been quite a difference in fluctuation around what the actuals were versus what was budgeted and such. So maybe the Minister or the department can speak a little bit to why -- so that's on page 380, why that line item keeps sort of moving around and do we think then that the $2 million is going to be enough? Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister Chinna.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll have President Young respond. Thank you.

Thank you. President Young.