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.