Robert Villeneuve

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today I just want to talk about the great elders’ facility in Deninu Kue. Currently, there are no elders living in the main building that is designed to accommodate up to four residents or elders. The community is well aware that this facility is not a long-term care facility, but they do support the options proposed in the review of the memorandum of understanding and the possibility of the reprofiling of a facility to better meet the needs of the community.

Mr. Speaker, the issues brought to the Minister’s attention about the proposed uses of the facility are not issues...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I am not going to reiterate all of what other Members have spoken about. I am sure the message is clear that this side of the House is pretty unified in support of this motion. I will reserve my judgment for when it’s time to vote anyway. That’s not to say that I, in any form or fashion, condone the behaviour that was displayed in the House yesterday. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t take more time to discuss this issue, some possible options for ramifications for something like that. It’s unfortunate that we have to call for measures this extreme, especially this late in...

Mr. Speaker, why did I waste my time even mentioning to the ECE then? Why didn't the Minister of Housing stand up…

---Laughter

…and answer those questions with regard to the rent scale policy, because that's what I was asking about. I wasn't asking about the…

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't know how the Minister can say that this has nothing to do with rent. It has everything to do with rent, Mr. Speaker. It's called the rent scale policy. You know, and that policy is developed by this government, again, for the LHOs to carry out, to charge the government back what they would charge for a one, two, three, four, five-bedroom, and the client pays a portion of that and this government subsidizes the other portion and that's the rent that the LHO receives for that unit. So basically these clients want to come out with the minimum amount of rent...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand there is a review of the Income Security Program. I'm not talking about the program itself, I'm talking about this rent scale policy that we have developed for the LHOs to enforce upon public housing clients. That rent scale is outdated and it's out to lunch, and the guidelines that encompass that specific policy are also outdated and they are a disincentive to people in the communities. People don't work for money or for a cheque anymore, they'll work under the table because they don't want to bring in any documentation so they don't get charged the...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My question today is to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment just dealing with some more of the income verification rent scale policy that this government doesn't seem to want to change.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member’s statement. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also have to express my dismay at what happened yesterday here in the House. I know everything here spoke in this room is public and any gestures that are made in this House are made to the public also and not just to Members sitting here today. Just on that point, Mr. Speaker, if something like that takes place in this House, which is obviously not allowable, what kind of message is that going to send to the public when people that actually have concerns with government operations, government programs and the delivery of services, when they write a Minister a...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It is good to see that there is actually some initiative being taken to reduce all of these waiting times, especially with the X-ray stuff. Mr. Speaker, I went in there to get an X-ray which took five minutes. I waited in there for five and a half hours for that X-ray, Mr. Speaker. I kind of thought that was really…I had to have a nap and everything just to wait for my X-ray. With this consolidated clinic, what is the plan? When are the doors going to open on this consolidated clinic that is going to take over all of this diagnostic imaging, X-ray and all of these...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It is good to see that there is actually some initiative being taken to reduce all of these waiting times, especially with the X-ray stuff. Mr. Speaker, I went in there to get an X-ray which took five minutes. I waited in there for five and a half hours for that X-ray, Mr. Speaker. I kind of thought that was really…I had to have a nap and everything just to wait for my X-ray. With this consolidated clinic, what is the plan? When are the doors going to open on this consolidated clinic that is going to take over all of this diagnostic imaging, X-ray and all of these...