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 1134-20(1): Local Consultation
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 86)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can't confirm at this moment because I don't know if it's absolutely true or not, So I can't stand here and say I can't confirm. But as the Minister and as working with the president and working with Housing NWT, we are strong believers in collaboration and partnership and that means at the local housing level. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 1133-20(1): Safety in Public Housing Units
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 86)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what we've begun with is we found that Hay River is hit with a lot of illegal activities. Considering the situation, the geographical location and the highway system, Hay River is hit with a lot of legal activities. We see a lot of illegal activities within our public housing. So we began with Hay River. We've reached out to Fort Smith to begin the work there. Again, a highway system. We're having discussions with another community. We haven't finalized that community yet, Mr. Speaker. We were thinking perhaps Fort Resolution. We have to do more discussions...

Question 1133-20(1): Safety in Public Housing Units
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 86)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Member for the question. Safe growth training is going to be instrumental in this territory over the next number of years. We've begun with three communities and three communities that are facing a lot of illegal activities within their community. So we pulled in safe growth to work with our LHOs as partners within the community with the RCMP, with the local housing organization, with the municipality, with Housing NWT and the district office, to work together on identifying issues within that community and how we can prevent that or how we can look at...

Question 1104-20(1): Housing in Inuvik
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 85)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're happy to report that housing has been in discussions with Canada, CMHC, on future opportunities for Inuvik, and we look forward to having an announcement shortly that will include more units for Inuvik and the Blueberry Patch. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister's Statement 187-20(1): Auditor General of Canada Progress Update
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 85)

Mr. Speaker, last fall, the auditor general released its report on housing in the Northwest Territories. This was a call to action, and we are answering it. Staff and leadership remain committed to transparency and view the audit findings as an opportunity to improve the suitability, accessibility, and affordability of housing across the territory.

The audit highlighted opportunities to strengthen our programs and services, our partnerships with the local housing organizations, and our capacity to equitably serve residents. It also reinforced areas that we knew required attention and where, in...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 85)

I am not sure if this mic is working here, but I think the efforts to understand NGO needs -- and this is something that the Premier and EIA are working on. But as the Minister for Status of Women, having these conversations with the Native Women's Association, with the YWCA, with all our NGOs that work with gender-based violence or supportive living components, it's important to understand these needs and have these conversations and also have the face-to-face meetings and visiting their facilities. It's really important that we continue to do that. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 85)

Thank you, Madam Chair. The family information liaison unit through Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women is one full-time position, and there's an additional position that's a coordinator position, two full-time positions. And with this unit itself, it travels throughout the Northwest Territories and it talks to families, especially those affected by missing family members or those that have been murdered through gender-based violence or any other circumstances. So there's a lot of work that the family information liaison unit does and a lot of travel it conducts, and we commonly call it FILU...

Tabled Document 480-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 29-20(1): Report on Committee Project: Housing as a Human Right
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 85)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 29-20(1), Report on Committee Project: Housing as a Human Right. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 1104-20(1): Housing in Inuvik
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 85)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As part of the $150 million contribution, $30 million of that fund went towards modernization and improvements and also deferred maintenance. And for Inuvik, what we've done to date is $728,000 in completed major repairs on seven housing units, $454,000 in completed deferred maintenance, $117,000 in minor repairs. These are repairs beyond what the LHO had in terms of a budget. And for this 2026-2027 budget, we have $454,000 in complete deferred maintenance and $955,000 in minor repairs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 1104-20(1): Housing in Inuvik
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 85)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Member for the question. It's important to update this House on the development of the $150 million allocation for the Northwest Territories. Housing NWT is advancing public housing development in Inuvik. Currently, this includes a 20-unit modular development on the Blueberry Patch site. These 20 units will be configured as five four-plexes for singles. A design-build contract has been awarded to ARCAN Construction with modular production by Metcan Building Solutions in Hay River. Site development activities will begin this summer, and site services...