David Krutko

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier in light of my Member’s statement.

Everybody realizes we have a major problem all around the world in regard to energy costs and problems with food shortages. As a government we realize that one of our biggest expenditures is dealing with generating power, heating our facilities and maintaining public infrastructure.

I’d like to ask the Premier: is this government tracking exactly where these increases are going and what the impact of this government’s going to be, knowing we have an area of about $45 million in forced growth already and we...

I’d like to ask the Premier: how soon is the committee that he mentioned going to be able to meet with Regular Members and ensure that Regular Members have input into this process, realizing that this is probably one of the biggest issues we’ll deal with during the term of the 16th Assembly? That is, just dealing with the outside pressures to sustain our communities in the Northwest Territories.

I’m talking about the communities who have high dependency on diesel fuel. It’s going to be several years before this government gets around to seeing any of the energy initiatives that can change that. Yet we’re stuck with a scenario where we have diesel generators, we have community rates that are very high, and we have the high cost to operate and maintain public infrastructure.

I’d like to ask the Minister if they are doing anything to look at diesel communities in light of energy prices and in light of the cost of diesel fuel to run our public infrastructures. Communities in the Delta were...

Mr. Speaker, from the food you eat to providing for your family to heating your homes, the impact will be felt all over the Northwest Territories but more visibly in small, isolated communities where there are already high costs of living. It will also affect our ability to even deal with our capacity to have fuels delivered in our communities.

The Inuvik region this winter had fuel shortages in which they had to ration fuel and gas to our communities. It’s already happened in the Northwest Territories. In regard to the food we receive and the transportation we depend on to deliver that food...

Mr. Speaker, it’s not only the crisis with the doctors. We also have shortages with nurses in communities where our health centres are being closed or put on emergency notice.

Can the Minister tell me exactly how many health care centres in the Inuvik region are on emergency notice, where they can only deal with emergency cases?

Presently there’s a health crisis going on in the Inuvik region. It has to do with providing medical services to the whole Mackenzie Delta and Beaufort Sea communities and Inuvik itself. Right now we’re short some five doctors in Inuvik; we’re down to four doctors when we should have nine. Clinic tours to our communities have been cancelled because of the shortage of doctors. In regard to the collective negotiation that’s going on, they seem to have no problem filling the Yellowknife Stanton hospital, which has some 27 positions. Out of that, 26 are filled.

Yet, Mr. Speaker, this health crisis...

In regard to the aboriginal organizations, I know we had a process in regard to the Aboriginal Summit, which no longer exists. There are some major issues happening in the Northwest Territories.

We could touch on the Deh Cho Bridge, but I think we’re talking about the Tetlit’Zheh expansion; we’re talking about other big projects in the Northwest Territories. The pipeline decisions still have to come down.

I’d like to ask the Premier what exactly we are doing as a government differently from what we did with the Aboriginal Summit. Is there going to be such a forum, or a committee or a makeup of...

Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Premier and also to the Minister responsible for Aboriginal Affairs. In regard to my Member’s statement on consultation, I read out different sections of the agreement. It’s very clear the government has an obligation to consult on specific matters, especially on economic measures, the subsurface rights section and also deal with forestry and other elements.

But again, the idea of consultation is not simply sending off a letter, and then if you don’t get a response in two weeks, that’s consultation. I think because of the issue of consultation, it’s critical...

Mr. Speaker, going on to the subsurface section of the agreement again, section 21.1.6:

“The Government of the Northwest Territories shall involve the Gwich’in in the development and implementation of any Northern Accord on oil and gas development in the Northwest Territories which is negotiated pursuant to the enabling agreement, dated September 5, 1988, between Canada and Government of the Northwest Territories.”

Mr. Speaker, 21.1.7:

“Government agrees to consult the Gwichi’in Tribal Council in relation to any proposed legislation which affects only the Northwest Territories or only Yukon and...

Mr. Speaker, it’s an honour to second this motion, knowing the threat of residential schools and also that First Nations people in Canada have suffered under these long-held policies of past governments.

Yet, it’s still originates in our communities, from the suicides that we see, the alcoholism, the physical abuse — it’s still there today.

Mr. Speaker, I was amazed to find out that in my home community, Fort McPherson, there was a residential school operated by the church in 1895. That’s how far back you can go to recognize how this was implemented in Canada. We’ve had residential schools in...