Michael Nadli

Mr. Speaker, how are our elders who have had to leave their homes for long-term care provided with additional support in ways that respect their culture and unique needs? For example, receiving services in their language if they're unilingual, being able to eat traditional foods, and being able to regularly visit with their families.

Mr. Speaker, earlier I spoke on the need for senior care facilities in communities. My question is to the Minister of Health and Social Services. Can the Minister identify how many residents of Northwest Territories longterm care facilities are living in a community other than their home community? Mahsi.

On the reserve, too, aside from the 10 houses that have been the focal point of this government and the federal government to try to get them to a point where they could be accessible and liveable by people from the reserve, there are other units on the reserve that are abandoned and unoccupied. At the same time, their existence is to the point where they are derelict. What is the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation's plans for those houses?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Earlier, in my statement, I made an attempt to try to outline the progress of the housing issue on the Hay River reserve. A term that I use to describe the sense of despair that the constituents feel, in my language what it means is that there is a sense of futility, the acceptance that nothing will be done in regards to housing. That is how some people feel on the reserve. My question is today, Northwest Territories Housing Corporation Minister: would the Minister advise the House on the progress that has been made on the 10 units on the Hay River reserve? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on the reserve, and like the whole of the NWT, there is a shortage of housing. How is the department working to address people who are waiting for housing? I understand, in some communities, the waiting list is pretty long. How is the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation addressing people who are seeking to get into housing off the waiting lists? Mahsi.

I would like to thank the Minister for providing that update. The Minister had stated that there is one occupant one of several houses that had been focused on in terms of getting them ready for people to access them, and they are being renovated. Can the Minister advise what progress has been made on the remaining six homes? I understand there are six other homes as well.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, [no translation provided].

Mr. Speaker, those who have housing are worried about overcrowding and its impact on family relationships, unmanageable arrears, debts carried over from family members who have passed away, and the difficulty getting repairs and maintenance done.

Those who cannot get housing wonder why vacant houses on the reserve have not been put to good use. Young people who want to live on their own have no choice but to live with their parents or leave the community. If they choose to leave, families are separated and traditional ways of life are...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I wanted to highlight just a couple of perspectives in terms of thoughts on the Infrastructure Acquisition Plan for this year.

The riding that I represent, of course, is four communities, and mostly small communities that are situated in the southern NWT. We realize that, people who come up here by vehicle during their summer holidays, we are the first communities that they see and visit. At the same time, when people travel up here, we are the first government infrastructure that they see.

It is very important that the government ensures that the facilities and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is this the natural evolution of how we have heard devolution? It is ongoing, evolve and devolve. I think again there is an opportunity for us to perhaps push the agenda further on terms of taking on more responsibility for water and resources. The Minister has stated that he has had discussions with his federal counterpart on this very idea of taking more responsibility from the federal government, so is there a timeline in terms of this government engaging the federal government in terms of devolving more responsibility, especially for water and fisheries, to the...

Recently this government has been trying to diversify our economy. In that effort, we are extolling the value of a fishing strategy and that we need to try to get communities involved and revitalize the whole industry. At the same time, we are promoting tourism and also sport fishing. There is an increase in interest of activities to be out on the land. In its role as the government of the Northwest Territories, how are we protecting the waters of the NWT?