David Krutko

Again, I think we have to realize as government that we do have some challenges in the Northwest Territories on program services. Again, it’s essential that these services in our communities aren’t clawed back, taken away, or deleted altogether. That’s the frustration of the community of Aklavik.

Joe Greenland Centre has been a level three facility for many years and served many people throughout the Northwest Territories. By simply deleting that program and putting in something that is simply a care program, I’d like to ask the Minister -- I know there’s a lot of people out there asking for...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services with regard to my Member’s statement on the delivery of programs and services. In most cases these are essential services, regardless if it’s a nurse or the Joe Greenland Centre care for elders.

I’d like to ask the Minister, there have been petitions filed in this House, there have been motions passed in this House. You realize that some 500 people signed petitions that were tabled in this House requesting that we save the Joe Greenland Centre. I’d like to ask the Minister what the government is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I know Joe Greenland is a unique problem, but I think that problem appears all through the Northwest Territories. A lot of our communities, like McPherson where we have 120-something elders over the age of 60 -- that’s a large portion of our population -- need these type of programs. I’d like to ask the Minister what he’s doing to expand the respite care program, the care programs for elders throughout the Northwest Territories, especially in a lot of our rural and remote communities.

Mr. Chair, again, we’re spending $2.8 million for a negotiating process that’s not fair, it’s not inclusive, but more importantly, it will have a long-term political effect on people in the Northwest Territories and especially those areas, those groups that have not signed on. I’d like to know again from this government exactly what are we going to do to ensure that those groups have land claims or land claim settlement areas be excluded from this process.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. In regard to the devolution process, what happens if an Aboriginal group does not want the devolution negotiations to apply to their settlement regions? In regard to the Gwich’in, or the Sahtu, or the Tlicho, make the unilateral decision at an assembly this summer saying that devolution negotiations will not apply to their settlement regions and you only negotiate the devolution agreements in those areas that the individuals that signed on have to negotiate for those resources in those settlement regions, the Inuvialuit or wherever the Metis settlement region is. I’d like...

Again, Mr. Chair, I have to disagree with that notion. I believe that this is a land grab by the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Inuvialuit and the Metis for lands throughout the Northwest Territories on the backs of Dene people and Dene treaties and land claim agreements that clearly stipulate that there are settlement regions in the Northwest Territories. There are regions in the Northwest Territories which are clearly defined in regards to maps, Treaty 8, Treaty 11, which have our historical treaties. But yet, as a government, we seem to be railroading ourselves into a...

Is committee agreed?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister if he’s willing to share the information that his department has, especially the list of items that were recommended for amendments to the Mackenzie Valley Resources Act. Also to share that with Members of this House and the Standing Committee on Economic Development so that we can also have input and get a better understanding of what’s been suggested and what is being suggested for amendments.

Again I’ll try to get back to my question. Hopefully I can get an answer. I’d like to ask the Minister if there was a list of amendments being proposed to the Government of the Northwest Territories. My understanding is there is a working group that was established between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the federal government. I’d like to know what those items are on that list of amendments that they’d like to be made, and can we see that since the Government of the Northwest Territories is part of that working group.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It has come to our attention that the amendments to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act concludes the consultative process tomorrow, which again shows the lack of respect for the Aboriginal claimant groups in the Northwest Territories for the land claims and the people of the Northwest Territories to have the decision-making process in the Northwest Territories for the people of the Northwest Territories, and simply leaving the decision-making process up to the governments, whether it’s the federal government or a panel of so-called specialists. We’ve been...