Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Our community would like to see at least 20 more houses. As I said before, we have had these houses for over 30 years, and every five years, ten years, we renovate them. Just get rid of the old ones and build duplexes or something in the same place, because the lots there are pretty big and you could have two houses rather than just one.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  There was a trades program up in Tuktoyaktuk last fall. When I took that program, I passed the course. It was very successful. They built something like a hab house for the Tuk Housing Association. They only finished half of it, so they got another contractor to come in. What happened is that the trades program only went as far as the money allowed.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes. They were doing that through our Tuk community corporation and housing association. They were interacting with each other, and it was successful. Right now, they're doing renovations on houses over 30 years old. For 25% of the income, you're just putting makeup on a house, without the foundation even being levelled first.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Can I add something to Mr. Gaudet?

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  There's one other cost factor we have to go through. To take somebody like yourself out on the land, we have to get all our licences in order and buy a permit. And to cover the costs, it costs about $7,000 just to establish yourself or myself as an outfitter.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That's very hard to answer. It's hard for us to manage our own land with other people, with tourism. It's really tough. Even to take out a non-aboriginal like yourself, if I wanted to take you out, I'd be charged by ENR and DFO. When we go out on the land, it's mostly just the aboriginal people, sad to say.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes. The legholds are banned for marten. We have to use the quick-kill traps. I saw them when they first came out. I was out on the land with Billy Jacobson and my brother, James Pokiak, and they weren't quick-kill. So the change there was that they just wanted to improvise from the leghold.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  For the past few years now, we have been setting boundaries. When I was growing up, our elders always talked about no boundaries, making lines on land where we could go. It was 400 miles in each direction that they wanted to go to share with each community, even going as far as the Sahtu, if they had to.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  A lot of our elders have learned from government. To get to Dennis's point, it's vital and it's our way of life. When we get one or more caribou we'll share it with the community and the people who can't afford to go out. They might help with gas, and that's one way to help out to go out on the land.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  There's a program called Take a Kid Trapping, and it worked successfully last year. A couple of elders take at least five to six or ten kids, if they have the means, out for a week or two weeks. This shows them a little part of what they endured when they were younger, when they used to trap full-time.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Overflow is when you get too much snow before it really freezes. You have a thin layer of ice; you get too heavy packed powder. The weight of the snow will break up the water, so you're going over the land most of the time. When I used to trap, even before Christmas I wasn't allowed to go on the lakes, because it's up to your knees in some places.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, Pokiak.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm glad to be here. It was kind of short notice for me. I just got off the plane a little while ago, so I'm a bit jet-lagged, but I'm used to it. Mary hit the nose right on the button about the cost of living and the shortage of housing. I find 20 people in one house, sometimes.