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, 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...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Can the Minister tell me exactly how soon these doctors’ positions can be filled in the Inuvik region so that the residents of the Beaufort-Delta Region will have some comfort, knowing that those positions will be filled?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The whole health care system is dependent on four doctors to provide services to eight communities in the Beaufort-Delta Region. It’s not realistic to ask these doctors to provide that service and also ensure that we will have a stable health care system.

Also, the Minister stated that nurses….

As a government we’re still doing work in regard to the devolution process — the Northern Accord, as it was better known in the past.

I’d like to ask the Premier: under the land-claim agreements it’s clear, I stated, that the government shall involve these aboriginal groups in those processes. I’d like to ask the Premier exactly how you are going to include those groups who have land-claim obligations for this government to involve them through the process of consulting or devolution.

Mr. Speaker, the reason I was asked to raise this question is because there are things happening within this government by way of policy changes and program changes. But they are not going to the First Nations organizations who have land claims, who have specific rights with regard to modern-day treaties. The right to consult is also spelled out in a lot of court cases.

Mr. Speaker, there have been changes by way of policy changes, such as contracts in regard to time limits, which have basically been shortened. Again, that change, under the land-claim agreement — an obligation to consult is...