Richard Edjericon

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And some of the programs that was provided back in the early days was programs like the homeownership assistance program, the home improvement -- the homeownership improvement program, the senior citizens home repair program, emergency repair program, and they also provided public housing. And so, Mr. Speaker, and it would be -- will the Premier advocate for restoring and reinstating these programs in partnership with the federal Government of Canada and ensure the use of that -- these funds for the delivery is directed to regional Indigenous governments? Thank you...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to also recognize the former sergeant-at-arms Mr. Floyd Powder. I want to say mahsi and good to see you here. I also would like to recognize Irene Roth, Marie Douglas, Tanya McCauley, Sholto Douglas, North Douglas, and I have an elder there; I just don't know their name. But I just want to say welcome to the House. And Sholto, you look like a politician. So welcome. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, the Akaitcho region, this year we got funding to do homeownership inspections in our region, and thank you to the -- sorry, I want to say mahsi to the Minister of housing for helping out.

My question to the Premier, though, is that once -- this report is going to be done by this fall, and the chiefs from the Akaitcho would like to work together with the Premier to bring this report to the Prime Minister and ask for further funding for homeownership repairs in our region. Thank you. So my question to the Premier, can he help us out with Indigenous...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you know, some of the policies that are in place in government now sometimes don't really meet some of the community needs. So, Mr. Speaker, with CMHC funding set to expire with Housing NWT by 2038, there's an urgent need to build capacity with Indigenous governments immediately so they can deliver and manage their own housing.

Will the Premier work to ensure that the annual federal public housing funding, along with the operational maintenance support from CMHC, is directed to regional Indigenous governments so they can begin building and maintaining their own public...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, prior to 1993, the Government of Canada provided funding to CMHC on an annual basis so that they could provide funding to the GNWT through the NWT Housing Corporation where they built at least 600 homes per year up to 1993 from approximately 1988 or so.

Anyway, Mr. Speaker, with Prime Minister Carney coming into power now, he's asking to build 5 -- sorry, he made a commitment to build 500,000 homes per year. My question will be to the Premier.

Will the Premier seek a commitment from the Prime Minister to ensure federal housing funds flow directly to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my constituents of Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh following the spring federal election with great anticipation, a sediment echoed throughout this Assembly. For some time, there has been serious uncertainty about how outcomes of the federal election could affect our efforts to tackle the many challenges facing our territory, in particular the ongoing housing crisis.

The result is not clear. Mr. Carney and the Liberal party have returned to office promising a new government agency dedicated to building 500,000 new homes a year across the country. While this plan is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I too do have a problem with the GNWT affirmative action policy. It was created back when we were part of Nunavut and at the time it was done in a way that it catered to everybody that's working here in the Northwest Territories - P1, P2, P3. But my concern, Mr. Speaker, is that when this announcement came out when Cabinet made a decision, I was surprised to hear it as well that decision came from Cabinet. I got calls from my leaders, my community members, and members from different ridings of the Northwest Territories expressing their concerns about how...

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize Canadian Space Agency astronaut Colonel Jeremy Hansen; Annie Belanger from Canadian Space Agency; Anne Burrow and Dave Sharpe from Bear Claw Strategy. Also, Ted Tsetta, the former chief of YKDFN; Liza Peiper-Charlo, band councillor from YKDFN. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will be voting against the budget today when I cast my vote. It's not against the working relationship we built in this Assembly or against our hardworking civil servants. It is for my constituents. They need a budget that truly supports them and a government that listens. The people of Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh tell me -- people, every day, that the government is not working for them, and I agree. I cannot stand by while my communities lose their young people to addictions and mental illness and why elders are forced to leave their home community due to lack of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my beautiful darling wife Elina Edjericon and children for putting up with me while she takes care of the homestead. Also I wanted to recognize my constituents in Dettah, N'dilo, Lutselk'e, and Fort Resolution. Also I want to recognize my constituent assistant Taylor Pagotto and Warren Delorme for all their hard work. And I want to thank my colleagues and ledge staff and cooks and technical people. And finally, I want to recognize Maro Rose Sundberg, Jonas Lafferty, Dennis Drygeese, and the interpreters. Without you, this would never be...