Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I heard the Minister indicate that there will be consideration for log homes. I wonder if the Minister is considering the use of modular homes or trailers to address the social housing in his proposed redesign.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question today will be for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. In my Member's statement today, I talked about the need to let the communities themselves make decisions about what kind of housing they need and how the funding should be used to achieve those needs. My question for the Minister is, whether the proposed redesign of programs of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation gives consideration to the empowerment of communities?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to focus my Member's statement on the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation's need for a new approach to meeting the housing needs in our smaller communities.

My colleagues have heard me speak of the Extended Downpayment Assistance Program as being essentially useless to the communities I represent. The gap between who the corporation will support and what the banks will offer in the way of mortgages means that there are viable, potential homeowners who cannot realize their dreams.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, the decision to withdraw social housing funding by the federal government is patently unfair to the North. The decision that the aboriginal residents of the Northwest Territories are not eligible for any of the millions of dollars that the CMHC and DIAND make available for on-reserve housing is also unfair to northern aboriginals.

It is time, Mr. Speaker, time to change the policies of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to meet the fiscal and political realities that we face in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, community control over the programs offered in the community is paramount. Who is the corporation to dictate to a community what kind of housing is appropriate to the community, or how the funding should be spent? Communities must be able to decide whether they should continue to build one or two stick-built houses each year, or use that same money to build a four-plex, or four or five modular homes.

Mr. Speaker, there are many barriers to meeting the housing needs in the smaller communities. Some of the barriers are economic, some are political and some are the fault of the policies and practices of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. Policies that state that modular homes and trailers cannot be used to provide social housing may no longer be realistic. I cannot stand by and watch two or three generations live in the same overcrowded stick-built house, when I know that it is going to be four or five years before the situation can be alleviated.

That is the reality in the communities without a viable housing market. I no longer believe that the economic gains and the short-term jobs are worth it, given the overcrowding and desperate core need. If the community decides that trailers would better meet their core social housing needs, so be it.

The Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation has already committed to looking to aboriginal development corporations to build social housing and leaseback to the Housing Corporation. This is a good idea and should be followed up on. I will be asking questions on this issue today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to ask, when will we know the status of these programs?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Based on your letter, which indicates you are faced with some difficult choices and the plan that is being presented addresses areas of greater priority, I am given to understand that we will be looking at some cuts and some programs will be sunsetted.

I would like to ask if there are any programs or projects that will be cut in my riding of the Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I agree with the deputy minister when he states there are many kilometres to patrol. The officers are not able to cover it. Being from Fort Providence, I realize that the presence there is very few and far between. I do not think that we have even addressed how to deal with the bison issue. Raising the kilometre speed limit is surely not one way to do it. The community and I are very concerned that for over two years now, we have had near disasters. I am looking for an answer as to how the department is going to deal with that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to raise a question I had asked the Minister some time ago. The Minister indicated at the time he would get back to me. I am sure I will receive a response any day now. My question is regarding the concern that the travelling public has with bison on the highway close to the community of Fort Providence. Every year we have anywhere from a dozen to 20 collisions with the drive through traffic. Up to now, we have been fortunate there have been no fatalities.

The problem there is obvious. It is speed. There is very little enforcement. I believe, as do many people in the community I represent, that a lot of this can solved if we have the presence of a highway patrol officer there. It would increase the employment opportunities in the community. This year, we also had a near disaster on the ice bridge with the semi-truck going through the ice. There was no monitoring. There are no people making sure that the traffic is not coming onto the ice bridge. There is nobody checking to see how fast they are travelling.

I would like to ask the Minister what he is doing in response to the request of Fort Providence to have a highway patrol office stationed there?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have one final question then. Can I ask the Minister if the program can go ahead and recruit this year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am hearing two different things along the same line of questioning. Am I to understand that the Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is reneging on a commitment made by the Minister responsible for Youth?

-- Applause