Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The former mayor and council in Fort McPherson were in the process of planning for a new arena for the community. Since then, a public administrator has been put in place to administer the services for the next three years. I am concerned that this major piece of infrastructure will be put on hold during this time.

A new arena is much needed in Fort McPherson, and I would like to propose that the public administrator begin consultation with the community to design a new arena for Fort McPherson.

I will have questions for the Minister later today.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just briefly, I know in the past it was a huge issue of solid waste but also waste soil and other materials like this in all the communities in the Beaufort-Delta. I know that the communities, at one point, were looking at cost-effective ways to find a way, whether they all pitch in, to bring the costs down to get a lot of this waste soil and everything out of the communities. I know in some communities we have anywhere from 50 to 100 forty-five-gallon barrels of waste oil and other materials like this. If we don’t do anything with this, eventually it is going to leak...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just briefly, I just wanted to touch on the way the department deals with the communities. As I said with the capital projects, it is up to the communities now to develop their own capital plans. From past experience, I really appreciate the way they operate now. I always say I’m glad the New Deal is moving forward. I hope we continue this practice. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since 2007 we have not had a suppression crew in the community of Tsiigehtchic. I brought this up yesterday in Committee of the Whole, but for the record I’d like to ask the Minister, will he work with the community of Tsiigehtchic to enter into an agreement to have a suppression crew in the community this coming summer? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That was about the only comment I had there. I’m glad to hear that we are planning to continue this practice and I look forward to the future projects the communities have.

Will the Minister ensure that we have this agreement in place so that we can have a crew in the community early in the season, like June? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank all those who are working together to battle bullying, to the parents, the teachers, the volunteers and the students, also the RCMP and leaders throughout Canada.

The issue of bullying has come to light for a few years, but in many cases bullying has been going on for many years. As we work together, eventually we will put a stop to bullying. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Under community protection research, last year one of the communities wanted to do some fire protection in the community and put a fireguard around the community, which is Fort McPherson, but because the season got so busy here, they never did get around to that work. Also, Tsiigehtchic is really at risk because we live right close to the forest there. If we ever had a large fire in these areas with a big south wind, these communities would be at risk.

I’d like to know if the department is going to be working with these communities here over the spring to make sure we have...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just really briefly under the timber permits and licences. I know it’s starting to be a concern here in my riding with people having to go to their renewable resource officers for timber permits for driftwood. I recall when this item came to the RRCs quite a while back here, that it was supposed to be just on a volunteer basis, but now it seems they’re turning this over to mandatory. You know, it’s more or less to see what volume of driftwood was taken just for needs was what they were telling us at the time. It’s starting to be an issue that now it’s mandatory for people...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too stand here in support of the Deline Got’ine people.

Back in 2008 as I worked with the Gwich’in on their self-government agreement, I recall the negotiators saying that the Deline people have decided to have a stand-alone agreement. That is the first agreement in this territory, much like the people in the Yukon who have this style of community government. It is working in the Yukon. I see a great opportunity for the Deline people.

I believe that this process that they have set up was the right decision for their community and I look forward to the progress that...