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

Lucy Kuptana
Nunakput
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Minister
Email
Minister Responsible for Housing Northwest Territories, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 62)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize Mr. Terry Testart and his wife Maureen Marshall, former residents of the Nunakput riding and a mentor of mine with the hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk. Also recognizing all the fire department members, all the emergency responders, thank you for your service.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 62)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, Housing NWT, we cannot guarantee anything. This is a financial management board decision because we can't continue to take on debt. It reduces the borrowing capacity of the Government of the Northwest Territories. Internal discussions right now with the Community Services Corporation and Housing NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 62)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commend the high school graduates of 2025 in the Nunakput riding. These young people have persevered over the last 12 years to complete their high school curriculum. Although this is the end of high school, hopefully this is not the end of their educational journey as it is my hope, and the hope of many, that our people lead in all aspects of our communities, our organizations; whatever they dream to be - including nursing, teaching, local administration, and accounting. We also need tradespeople to build and maintain our homes and...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 62)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, thank you to the Member for the emphasis on how important this project is, especially for downtown Yellowknife, affordable housing, Aurora College students. This is really important that we provide a place, and the renovation project sounds like a great renovation project and some good work by the NWT Community Services Corporation.

We're looking at the community housing initiative funding and seeing if there's any opportunity to provide some funds through the community housing initiative fund to the NWT Community Services Corporation. So, again, these are...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 62)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. Yes, this is a great project, excited to hear all the good work that the NWT Community Services Corporation has done, and the exciting work around the rehabilitation of Northern United Place with the renovation project. Housing NWT at this time is still working on a response, Mr. Speaker, and I'm hoping to have something today or tomorrow with the response to the NWT Community Services Corporation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 62)

Mr. Speaker, ensuring the health and well-being of all residents in the Northwest Territories is an essential work of this government.

The NWT is falling behind other jurisdictions when it comes to implementing healthy safeguards to limit smoking. Yukon implemented a smoking ban in public and government housing in 2012, and Nunavut followed suit in 2023. Now, we must align with prevailing health advice and ensure safe, client-focused housing solutions.

There is extensive research on the negative impacts of smoking and second-hand smoke on health and social outcomes. Smoking rates in the...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's a difficult question because the seniors are encompassed in the entire public housing program, so the local housing organizations manage our public housing program through the community housing services agreement so that encompass all communities and all population, all ages, including seniors, so that's very important to highlight.

And in terms of seniors aging in place, again, like transitional housing, the question she asked earlier, this is something that is needed throughout the Northwest Territories because seniors are looking for proper accommodations to...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In this Cabinet, we are discussing housing all the time with the different departments, including justice and health and education, eulture and employment and infrastructure, and then with finance and our Premier involved, constantly. Housing is a priority of this government. We work towards that. How do we move ahead, that's important. So we need to have plans in place, including transitional housing in all communities. But how do we get there? We need to get the funding and supports working alongside Indigenous governments who are receiving distinction-based funding...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was waiting for you to -- that's okay. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question.

Transitional housing and wraparound supports, it's required all across the Northwest Territories. Looking at our waiting list, looking at Behchoko, we have over 130 families waiting for housing. In your Member's statement, you indicated some applicants may wait their entire lifetime for housing. So the work we do at housing, the money that this Legislative Assembly has approved over the next number of years, the federal engagement piece, the working with the...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, the seniors home repair program and the senior aging in place program, these are complementary programs that Housing NWT offers throughout the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.