Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to target my questions to the Minister of ECC.
Mr. Speaker, not just recently but repeatedly I've been told by tourism operators how embarrassed they are to take international tourists to the museum area, park in front of where the encampment is, where we showcase our northern history, culture, our best of our best, Mr. Speaker. Given that, that there's spaces and openings and opportunities in the current shelter network, what is ECC finally doing to clean up those spaces, those public spaces? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of ECC.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the spaces that the Member is referring to is Commissioner's land, and under the Commissioner's Land Act, there's nothing preventing people from camping on Commissioner's land. Having said that, we've been working very closely with housing and other organizations within the city of Yellowknife to go do inspections, identify if there are safety concerns, and assist with other enforcement agencies to address those. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I mean, that's a great answer for this person's fault and that person's fault, and no one seems to be taking responsibility other than pointing to someone else. Mr. Speaker, given that we had a terrible fire there, we have garbage, we have theft, we have a whole lot of other types of problems, Mr. Speaker, citizens are retrieving their personal properties there, Mr. Speaker. That said, what would it take for ECC to finally step up and address this particular problem, especially because we have spaces in our shelters that can facilitate these folks? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the folks involved are camping on Commissioner's land. Under the Commissioner's Land Act, residents of the Northwest Territories have the ability to camp on Commissioner's land. We do not have the authority to remove those people from that land if they choose to camp there. I am very happy to continue to work with the department of health and the department of housing to try and encourage people to take advantage of the opportunities that we have created. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Planning. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Mr. Speaker, maybe the Minister has a different definition of camping. Mr. Speaker, could the Minister enlighten this House the difference between encampments with big stovepipes and tents and all those kinds of things versus the traditional camping that most of us understand. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the difference in the definition would be between a permanent and a non-permanent structure. So a tent is not considered a permanent structure under the definition. I think that as you look at whether it's a canvas tent with a stove or it's a pup tent with a fly, a tent is a tent. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Oral questions. Member from the Sahtu.
