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
Email
Phone
(867) 767-9143
Minister
Email
Email
Minister Responsible for Housing Northwest Territories, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women

Statements in Debates

Question 892-20(1): 2025 Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly - Housing in the Northwest Territories
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 71)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Member for the question. I believe that housing has a lot of work to do. And I've mentioned this during the press conference and several interviews with media over the last couple of days. In terms of what are we going to do better is we need to do a lot more -- we need to do more follow-up. We need to do more quarterly reporting. We need to keep those decision-makers that are making decisions accountable for reporting and to getting things done, completed, especially around when we look at houses across the North, the unit condition rating is quite...

Question 900-20(1): Aspen Apartments Project Update
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 71)

Mr. Speaker, Yellowknife Housing Authority does have a tenant allocation process, and they'll review the tenant list. But looking at the list itself, we do have 36 units within Aspen Apartments. 30 of them are one-bedroom and then 6 of them are two-bedrooms, so we just have to be careful in terms of the allocation because many of them are one-bedroom units. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 900-20(1): Aspen Apartments Project Update
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 71)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Aspen Apartments has been one of the projects of the 20th Assembly. I am pleased to note that we look at completion of mid-November for tenants to move in early December. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 892-20(1): 2025 Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly - Housing in the Northwest Territories
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 71)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm confident with the team at Housing NWT, with the team we have at headquarters, and having these internal discussions over the last couple of days, we have to drive this. And we know that with this Legislative Assembly that housing is the number one priority. And I have made my expectations very clear to staff that we need to drive this and get this done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Motion 64-20(1): Naming of the 50th Street Affordable Housing Complex, Carried
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 71)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to begin by expressing my deepest respect for the late Tony Whitford. Though I did not have the privilege to know Tony personally, Mr. Whitford personally, I recognize and admire his lifelong dedication to the people of the Northwest Territories. He served this territory as a social worker, as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, as Speaker, as Commissioner, and a tireless community volunteer. Mr. Whitford was a true champion of people and community, and his legacy and contributions will continue to inspire us all.

Mr. Speaker, it is because of that legacy that I...

Minister’s Statement 161-20(1): Release of the Auditor General’s Peformance Audit
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 70)

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Auditor General of Canada released its report on the performance audit of Northwest Territories Housing. The auditor general's findings outline several areas where Housing NWT must improve how we provide residents most in need with equitable access to housing and supports through the public housing and homeownership programs.

Housing NWT accepts all recommendations outlined in the report. This is not just another audit, Mr. Speaker, this is a call to action. I acknowledge that action is required to address deficiencies identified in the report and am committed to...

Question 877-20(1): Public Housing in Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 70)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that's a tough one. First of all, the local housing organizations have a community housing services agreement with Housing NWT so local housing organizations are the ones that manage the stock, the housing stock, at the local level, and many times they have, and probably all times, they have a residency requirement. So transferring from community to community when there's no housing within community to transfer to is a tough one. So there's many barriers. We can have a conversation, but I would leave this at the local housing organization level because we...

Question 875-20(1): Homeownership and Transfer of Ownership of Market Rental Units to Tenants
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 70)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, again, a really important conversation that we're having at Housing NWT is how we're supporting small community, how we're supporting people to remain in their community and to live within their community and providing those supports, and I do commit to working with Housing NWT to provide a good, solid review of the homeownership program and how we can deliver positive results. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 875-20(1): Homeownership and Transfer of Ownership of Market Rental Units to Tenants
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 70)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the last year, Housing NWT has conducted a territorial housing needs assessment going into community to look at the quantitative portion but also the qualitative portion of housing units. We also follow the unit condition rating, and we do assess the market and public housing unit stock within community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 877-20(1): Public Housing in Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 70)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is the Indigenous advocate or the housing advocate -- because we need to be an advocate for all people in the Northwest Territories -- is something that was identified in the Office of the Auditor General report, and I've asked Housing NWT to provide me a response and a plan moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.