Thank you. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just in regards to the increase on -- the increases that we're getting in regards, there will never be an increase in housing because of CMHC and the housing allotment from CMHC to the communities. Is our government looking at that, to work with CMHC to get the housing allotments in the communities risen? Because when the housing allotment are -- if we're putting in new units into a community, we're not able -- they're taking one out of the previous, our old stock. So is there any way that our government and our Minister is able to try to get increases for the housing stock for the communities in numbers? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. That is a bit out of the capital that I've prepared for. I'll turn it to Mr. Martin, please.

Thank you. Mr. Martin

Thank you. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just in regards to that, that comment, I think with the CMHC, they might give us money but they don't give us housing allotments. Who's got the authority to change the housing numbers per community? Is it the territorial government or CMHC for the funding that we're getting? Thank you.

Minister of Finance.

To Mr. Martin, please.

Mr. Martin

Thank you. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Madam Chair. No, so with the housing numbers, who is in charge of increasing housing numbers? Is it CMHC for the funding that we're getting? Because they're saying we're getting a lot of money, but I don't see no new houses. I seen a new house going to Tuk and then one gets pulled out of the system. We have so many young people in the communities now. We have -- for instance, there's a family back home and there's, like -- they all got -- they're old enough, and they all have a girlfriend or a boyfriend. They're all staying in -- they have one House with about 15 people, and it's sad to say. So what I'm asking for who is in charge of getting these hundred new units into the communities? Who is in charge of putting the increase -- increasing the number of units? Say, for instance, Tuktoyaktuk has 176 houses alloted to the community. And if I get a new house in Tuk, they're going to take one out of the housing stock and put that new one in. Then the other one gets left behind. There's no increase. We're never going to see that growth that we try to talk about, because of CMHC. But now the question is, clear as day, I want an answer, who is in charge of increasing the housing stock in the communities? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I gather there unfortunately is not a clear as day answer and the reason is that it depends on the operational funding associated to the housing unit. Again, I don't strictly have that in my preparations from the perspective of providing a capital plan. I understand the frustration, and I understand the question does sound like it should have a simple answer. So what I'd suggest -- I can certainly turn it back -- there's five minutes -- to Mr. Martin to try to explain that now but I can also commit to providing in writing an answer as to how the determinations are made because it takes into account factors more than just by one single authority. CMHC is involved. I gather the LHOs may be involved as well as GNWT. So there's three different levels of authority and, again, different funding mechanisms. But, again, I'm happy to have maybe Mr. Martin try one more time, but I'd be prepared to make a commitment to provide something. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Martin.

Thank you. Member for Nunakput.

Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. You know, the federal government likes to make these big grand announcements of funding that they're giving to the territory, to everywhere across our territory in regards to housing projects and other projects, but that still doesn't change the CMHC's housing allotment for a community. Until that changes, that's the biggest hurdle that we have to deal with in this government in regards to housing for the communities and the numbers. I could use another 20 houses in Paulatuk, another 20 in Ulu, same thing, 5 or 6 in Sachs maybe, and 20 in Tuk. We have no housing. Everything's run down. These retrofits -- I'm getting retrofits for Paulatuk. I got two -- Tuk is two. Major retrofit for Ulu is one. And the outlying communities are the worst hit in regards to housing. And then we're getting a big federal minister comes in, oh yeah, we're giving you $64 million, but that don't mean nothing. The unit increase from CMHC -- until the federal government gets rid of CMHC and how they calculate their funds, that's when we're going to finally start getting some traction, start getting more housing. And that's what we have to push for as a territorial government. They say the LHO has requirements when they look off the housing list. Look off the housing list in Paulatuk and all the young families that are having kids, young adults having children now, and they have nowhere to go. They all got to go to Inuvik. But at the end of the day, I urge this -- like, our government, I know it's coming to an end for you guys but at the end of the day, on a go forward, the CMHC is the one that has to be changed. That's the problem. We're never going to have any increases. We're only going to get new units, and you're taking in and out of the housing stock. Our communities are hurting. We got no housing. People have to move to Inuvik to get into a unit. And you have no units in Inuvik too. But at the end of the day, on a go forward, when the Minister -- the new Minister, former Minister, whatever, goes forward, that's the thing that has to be changed is CMHC's got to be taken out of the picture in regards to increasing numbers into the communities because we're not 1960 or '70 now. And the housing numbers got to be brought up. That's just a comment.

And, like I -- for the communities that I represent, this is not enough. I got places that two years ago and you could almost -- it's just like jumping on a trampoline in some of the floors that we went in on. There's got to be -- the LHOs, they got to start stepping up in the communities in the ridings. And with the federal government want to come and give funds to our local governments. The biggest concern that I have is, just like here, how do we track them? So the tracking is with the council, the community leaders. They're the ones that have to track this. They're the ones that have to apply the pressure because we're sitting on money that's not being utilized, that's earmarked for housing. So we're failing. It's not so much my Minister's fault in regards to numbers, in regards to getting more houses, because it's CMHC's fault and the federal government's fault for doing what they're doing to her. And she's wearing it, you know. So I -- and I thank you for the work you're doing and I -- but, Madam Chair, that's just a big rant because this is such an important issue for my riding. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you. I want to really bring this one up as well. I mean, it's a 2024-2025 Capital Estimates budgets. You know, for what we're looking at housing this year, I'm not sure where to start, but I already voiced my concerns in March about this issue of housing. You know, I guess as the Finance minister and the next government coming in, they're going to have some tough decisions ahead of them. Overall, you know, we got a budget of $2.2 billion, we're $1.6 billion in the hole with this fire season as it is; we're going to be reaching that in no time. You know, we got grants and contributions coming from the Government of Canada and more or less 75 cents on the dollar but yet, you know, we -- the communities in the Northwest Territories, the housing is still a number one issue no matter which community you look at. But to me, when I look at the housing corporation, you know, if I remember the last estimates, you know, I think the budget was -- or $247 million not including the cost share of the finance of 72 or $74 million, but overall, I mean, we get -- I could see numbers but then on the ground in the communities, I don't see housing. I don't see new construction. Yes, we got some money from CIRNAC, which is $60 million over two years and what's not -- what's in here is -- and compared to the last budget I looked at, on the side note there were monies coming from CIRNAC. And I'm assuming that this is the same thing where that we're dealing with a housing crisis of $60 million but yet the monies that are coming in are not addressing the housing crisis here in the Northwest Territories. I mean, we as a government are not doing enough.

You know, when I look at Nunavut, when you look at IRC, it's getting to the point now where our own Indigenous governments are reaching out to Ottawa and getting their own money directly because we got so much hurdles, barriers that we have to jump through with this government. And it's really frustrating now. And so going forward, you know, maybe it's time that we review the housing corporation. You know, maybe it's time we bring back the Jim Burke report and start talking about a constitution. We got constitutional settled claims here in the Northwest Territories and yet we need -- I think we need to start having those discussions, because whenever you guys come back, all these departments come in front of me, every time they come back they want more money. Every department, year after year it seems like, that's the way it is. But we're still don't have any construction in our communities. Homeownership repairs we need. And we're not doing enough. So going forward, you know, the new government coming in are going to be faced with deficits. We're living beyond our means as a government. I mentioned that austerity is going to happen. It's concerning.

When I hear the people in the communities are really frustrated with this government, it's not on this side of the House they're frustrated. It's on that side of the House. I hear it firsthand from the leadership.

So, Madam Chairman, I just want to make this -- say this because I don't have questions for the Premier or the Minister or anybody. I'm just saying that, you know, here we are again approving another set of budget for this coming year, and I got small repairs here, and this is coming from CIRNAC. So this government's competing with Indigenous governments to get money for housing from CIRNAC. Is that our mandate? Yes, we signed a partnership agreement. That's not good enough. I think we're going backwards here. We got to start looking at building new relationships and partnership.

But anyway, I just want to say that because I'm tired here. I see these budgets. No problem. My colleague says ching ching, pass it, no problem. But the day's coming, in the next government. We really need to take a look at how we're going to coexist here in the Northwest Territories. 75 cents on the dollar comes from grants and contributions but yet we hide behind policies. Maybe it's time that we really review the whole government. That should be the mandate.

We talk about consensus government. Today I heard consensus government a few times here. I made notes here. When I see this and then I see that we don't go into the communities and engage with community government on what their needs are, you know, we need ambulances in the community and so on. We need a lot of stuff. But it's not -- my community is not on here. So when we talk about $2.2 billion budget, I get next to half a percent of that budget. You know, shame on this government.

So, anyway, I just want to make those comments because as an MLA sitting here for a year and a half, I've been asking stuff for my community. It goes onto deaf ears. I was told that the train left. You want stuff for your community, put it on a suitcase and throw it on the train but the train's moving, it just bounces off. So anyway, we got big problems coming up. And we're broke. This is not a joke.

This fire here, we should learn from it. But I think going forward, I'm to the point now where I want to introduce a motion to call for an independent review of that fire. And we're going to look at how we're going to do it. We're going to talk about that next week. But we got to hold this government to account, and to me, it's not consensus government, not the way it's been working.

So Madam Chair, I just want to -- I sat here. I listened to everybody today. I've been watching, listening. And I'm a little bit frustrated because, again, here I am, I'm going to be asked to vote on this budget. And how could I vote on it if I get less than half a percent for my community? We got big problem with mental health in our community. Alcohol, drugs. Where are the RCMP? I asked, again, you know, where are they? You know, we buy a service but yet at the same time they only come out -- in our community, they just come out at certain times, drive around. That's it. So overall, you know, we got to figure a way out we could fix these problems we're having. Anyway, Madam Chair, I just want to say those comments. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to first reiterate a bit what my colleague for Kam Lake said regarding the way that this is all presented to me. Whenever I look at the housing budgets, I'm always wondering like well, where are the houses, you know. I keep hearing for four years we've built this, we've built that and all of this. So then I look at this that we have, and it's all this $13 million is just retrofits and a bit of, like, some boiler stuff. Now that being said, I have since then heard the assistant deputy minister make the comment that the hundred units have already -- will be completed as of this year. So that makes me ask well, why are we not building more in the upcoming year? To me, it seems really strange that we would go an entire year without constructing any units or even starting on the construction of any units given that, you know, we are in such a major deficit to the point where, like, you know, my plans after this, if I'm not successful, is to run away and rent my house. So it's actually becoming quite lucrative now to become almost these little sort of mini landlords and such and live yourself in one room of your house and rent the rest of it out. So that being said, can the Minister or the department confirm that there will be no building of any units for the housing corp in 2024-2025? Thank you.