David Krutko

Is committee agreed?

Minister of Housing.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize two Pages in the House from the community of Tsiigehtchic representing the Paul Niditchie School: Vanessa Lennie and Jacob Gardlund. I’d like to thank them for their hard work all week and hopefully they had fun here, but more importantly, get an insight into what consensus government is all about. Again, I’d like to thank you for taking in the Page Program and wish you all the best as you travel back home. Mahsi.

Moving on to 5-50, information item, finance and infrastructure services, grants and contributions. Agreed?

Next I have Mr. Hawkins.

Again, Mr. Speaker, we have to be fair to all residents of the Northwest Territories, especially the ones that this is their homeland. More importantly, Mr. Speaker, by getting to the point of unemployment rates in Aboriginal communities that it is the highest in the Northwest Territories of any other ethnic group, again, I would like to get this issue out there on the table and get some serious debate on exactly what are we doing to improve the number of Aboriginal people in the government workforce.

Page 5-43, NWT Housing Corporation, information item. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We tried to build a prosperous Territory, but, Mr. Speaker, as always, some people are left behind and are better off than others. I’m sorry to say that it’s a pattern that is continued to be followed and it even applies to the employees of the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is not respective of the people that we serve in which 50 percent of our population are Aboriginal but only 31 percent of the government employees are Aboriginal. In Yellowknife only 16 percent of the employees are Aboriginal and I...

Minister of Housing Corporation.

With that, I will allow the Minister to respond and then I will recognize the clock. Mr. Minister.