Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a few comments. I’m honoured to be a part of this process. The community has worked very hard over the years. I would like to congratulate the community, the negotiators and leadership as you have negotiated from a common goal and as you begin down a new path of self-sufficiency.

Many times over the years I’ve been to a number of meetings and that’s what our people want is to be self-sufficient, and today you begin down that path. Also, taking over the programs in your community and making changes where you see fit. Many times our programs are not structured around...

Thank you. Was that a yes that he’ll increase it to $45 or $50? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a few questions for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Growing up, my grandparents used to tell me stories of when people were limited to the amount of beaver they could harvest in a year, and it was just a handful. The game wardens, as they called them at the time, would go around and keep an eye out on people’s axes as they used them to chop open beaver houses. But since then we’ve had an explosion in the population of the species of beaver, also foxes and mink, but the fur advance doesn’t match that. It’s a minimum of a $25 advance for these...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a number of comments here. It’s not all negative. I know there are a lot of challenges in the department. I would just like to start out by saying, under the Aboriginal languages, I think our teachers are doing a very good job in the communities, in the riding I represent anyway. I can’t speak for any others, but it’s really encouraging to see young children, five or six years old, singing away in their traditional languages. I know the Gwich’in and Inuvialuit languages are at risk, but it’s really promising to see this take place in our communities. I would just...

As I mentioned, the regional boards, including the Gwich’in Land and Water Board, were scheduled for elimination as of April 1st.

I’d like to ask the Premier, how will the board’s effective operations be maintained and supported while the court case is being decided?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We know that the Northwest Territories three regional land and water boards as well as the Mackenzie Valley superboard have been prominent in the news these past three days.

Just this past Friday, on February 27th, the NWT Supreme Court granted an injunction requested by the Tlicho Government. This injunction effectively stops, for now, the elimination of the Wek’eezhii Land and Water Board and the launch of the new superboard, which is supposed to take place effective April 1st.

What catches my attention is that the court’s decision doesn’t only affect the Wek’eezhii...

Can the Premier confirm which board members will be able to continue their work and how will any empty spots be addressed to ensure smooth operations? For example, with the Gwich’in, we don’t have a chair at the moment, so how will that position be filled?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just in follow-up from my Member’s statement, I have a few questions for the honourable Premier. I’d like to ask the Premier, as stated with this latest injunction that effectively has put on hold the superboards, can the Premier confirm that the Gwich’in Land and Water Board will be maintained like the Wek’eezhii Board until the related court cases are decided?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I spoke of the need for a new arena in Fort McPherson. As we have a public administrator in the community for the next three years, I can see this project being held back for up to five years.

Will the Minister direct the public administrator to begin consultation with the community to design a new arena that will meet the needs of the community? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

With the process, it needs to be known that if it’s the wish of the community, they can make adjustments to the capital budget in that process.

Once the new arena is developed, will the Minister ensure that the next step of construction is underway?