David Krutko

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Premier, exactly are we looking at federal funding to help us implement our needs by way of infrastructure needs to push the road to the Arctic and also have an Arctic institute in the Beaufort Sea?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe it is critical that we, as government, do have a position going forward but, more importantly, realize the importance our communities play and the residents, especially in the Beaufort Sea and Mackenzie Delta have played in regards to the Arctic sovereignty. The threat that we have in the Arctic is coming from Russia in regards to submarine traffic and also in regards to air transport flights over the Arctic. I think it is important that we, as government, do a better job by way of ensuring that the federal government commits to infrastructure...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, also I would like to encourage the Premier to build partnerships outside of governments, outside of communities and also with aboriginal governments. I know the aboriginal community is interested in different projects to assist their communities. I would like to ask the Premier if he would like to consider the possibility of getting by aboriginal governments, corporations, development corporations, so that they can move on some of these projects.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, I touched on the community access road program. We do have federal dollars now that we are plugging into in regards to $33 million of capacity funding. Is there a possibility that the Premier and his Cabinet could look at the possibility of expanding the community access road program to expand the amount of money that is allocated to the community access program? Right now it is $50,000 per year. Maybe we can take some of that federal funding, put it into this program, increase the allowances that are allowed for that program so that we really...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I heard the Minister mention that we don’t have an obligation under the land claim agreements. I believe we do, as someone who negotiated that agreement. There’s an economic measure which clearly identifies governments as an identity where they have to include aboriginal groups looking at the economic policies and procedures of this government and, more importantly, ensuring that we have access to economic opportunities. So I’d like to ask the Minister, are you open to going to the negotiating table and look at the land claim obligations in light of the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in regards to the evaluation of the MOU, they’re looking at five general areas. One is looking at meeting the MOU poses obligations. Two was meeting the MOU targets. Three is building Gwich’in business capacity. Four, providing benefits to Gwich’in beneficiaries. Five, meeting stakeholders’ expectations. I’d just like to ask the Minister, is it possible that we also include a sixth item to look at the recommendations by the Auditor General of Canada to see what are we doing as government to meet obligations under those land claims in light of the Auditor...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my statement today is in regard to, from my understanding, an agreement that is in place between this government and the Gwich’in Tribal Council and a similar agreement in the Sahtu. Mr. Speaker, there was a meeting over a week and a half ago in regard to the review of the MOU between this government and the Gwich’in Tribal Council’s community leaders and business community. But yet, Mr. Speaker, there was very poor attendance by Ministers on the opposite side, deputy ministers and, more importantly, sending no senior staff to partake in those...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to also thank the Minister for continuing to look into this matter, but I believe it’s severe enough, I hate to call for a public inquiry into this, but I think it does include other agencies: the Department of Health, Justice, and also in regard to the RCMP. So I think it’s important that we do it right, we look at this. So I’d like to ask the Minister if he could also include the Minister of Health in regards to the health side of this situation where it included the health centre in Fort McPherson. So I’d like to ask the Minister if he could...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in regards to the military side, the Beaufort has played a role in regard to the DEW Line sites, the Inuvik army presence that they had during the 1970s and into the 1980s. I would like to ask the Premier, have we looked at the possibility of a military presence in the Arctic and where they are going to be located? I know there have been a lot of announcements in the Eastern Arctic but very little on the western side. So I would like to ask the Premier, has he also had discussions on military presence in the Arctic and where they are going to be located...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe that by building a road to the Beaufort Sea is one way that we, as Canada, can show that we do have control of sea to sea to sea, which includes all the portions around Canada, but also developing an Arctic institute by way of either the Inuvik region or…