Lucy Kuptana

Member Nunakput

Minister Responsible for Housing Northwest Territories
Minister Responsible for the Status of Women

Lucy Kuptana was elected to the 20th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in November 2023 to represent the constituency of Nunakput, which includes the communities of Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, Tuktoyaktuk, and Ulukhaktok. A member of the Executive Council, she is the Minister Responsible for Housing Northwest Territories and the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women.

Prior to her election, Mrs. Kuptana was the Senior Administrative Officer for the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk. She was also a director with the Tuktoyaktuk District Education Authority.

For 22 years previous, Mrs. Kuptana was the Director of Operations, Communications, and Culture with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC). In a volunteer capacity, she has served as a director of the Inuvik Homeless Shelter Society, trustee of the Arctic Inspiration Prize, president of the Inuvialuit Communications Society, director of the Inuvialuit Investment Corporation, director of the Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik Community Corporations, and a committee member for the 2023 Northern Youth Games “Inuvialuit Piuyausiat” in Tuktoyaktuk.

Originally from Aklavik and raised at her family’s bush camp in the Mackenzie Delta, Mrs. Kuptana obtained a Level II and Level III Certificate in Community Administration from Aurora College in the early 1990s and returned to graduate with a Diploma in Business Administration and Management in 2013. Mrs. Kuptana is currently enrolled with Yukon University, where she is working towards accreditation in the school’s First Nations Governance and Public Administration program.

Despite a successful career spanning decades, Mrs. Kuptana credits her husband and family in supporting her. She says she owes much of her success to those who have fought – and continue to fight – for Indigenous and Inuvialuit rights.

Mrs. Kuptana’s guiding principle is to lead with respect, empathy, knowledge, and the willingness to work hard for the constituents she represents and all residents of the Northwest Territories.

Nunakput Electoral District

Committees

Public Accounts
Lucy Kuptana
Nunakput
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Lucy_Kuptana@ntassembly.ca
Phone
(867) 767-9143(link is a phone number)
Minister
Email
Lucy_Kuptana@gov.nt.ca
Minister Responsible for Housing Northwest Territories, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women

Statements in Debates

Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 46)

Madam Chair, for that information, I'll ask President Kelly to speak on it.

Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 46)

Thank you, Madam Chair. We are planning, and we have to plan, but we have to continue to look for federal funding for this plan. Reached out to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Canada to talk about funding through the FERN* pot that was announced last year by the federal government. We continue to advocate for these funds through either PT meetings or FPT meetings, and I have a meeting coming up tomorrow, an FPT meeting. But in terms of finding the funds, these, we plan, but we, again, need to find the funds for this. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 46)

Thank you, Madam Chair. With the 130 vacant housing units throughout the Northwest Territories, there's more vacant units but many of them, we don't have the funding for to modernize or improve those units. So with 130 units that are outlined, these are in the works of being updated or upgraded but it depends on funding. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 46)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Incremental plan meaning that we were looking at units across the Northwest Territories based on age of the housing units and also the need, utilizing the preliminary results of our territorial housing needs assessment. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 46)

Thank you, Madam Chair. As outlined in December with committee, $38 million of net financial assets was provided in an internal resources document, and it outlined year 1, year 2, year 3 besides the $10 million that we keep aside for Housing NWT's operating costs. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 46)

Thank you, Madam Chair. The president Dr. Erin Kelly is going to provide a response to that.

Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 46)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, I'll just reiterate to the Member that we are doing our best with the money that we have. We do have a plan in place. We're rolling out different capital projects across the Northwest Territories. There's no holding back of nothing besides our operating dollars that we need to maintain within housing to meet payroll, our contractors' costs. We are asking that housing look at all builds, look at operations and maintenance, look at modernization and improvements, and advance those. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 46)

Madam Chair, if I can get clarification, the units that we lease?

Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 46)

Thank you, Madam Chair. For that detail, I'll just ask President Kelly to provide that information to the Member. Thank you.

Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 46)

Madam Chair, to my right is the president of Housing NWT, Dr. Erin Kelly, and to my left is the vice-president of finance and infrastructure, Mr. Jim Martin.