Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Chief Phillip Blake of Tsiigehtchic. Yesterday the community was busy with the election, with a total of four people running for chief. As for the council, they were all acclaimed, with an all-ladies council made up of Julie-Ann Andre, Charlene Blake, Jamie Benoit-Cardinal, Cindy McDonald, and Shelly Vanloon.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with Chief Phillip Blake and his council throughout the rest of our term and wish them all the best throughout their term, as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like many of my colleagues, I also reached out to my land claim group, the Gwich'in, but what the Gwich'in council was concerned about was that our Gwich'in Renewable Resources Board was saying that they were not being consulted or involved in co-drafting. The Gwich'in Tribal Council wrote a letter to the environment and natural resources Minister, and he sent a response that there would be more engagement after the second reading. The Gwich'in certainly want to maintain our good relationship with the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, some of my...

The Minister does not sound too enthusiastic here. The community of Tsiigehtchic, for example, a couple years back we had an exercise with the 1 CRPG here in Yellowknife. Actually, the military came to the community, and they had a whole bunch of outhouses around the community, and they actually gave them to the community. So, you know, we have the facilities that are needed. It's just a matter of setting them up on each side of the rivers and just a matter of going there every day or two, just at the same time they do the ferry camps anyway, so it would not be much of an added cost. So will...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a few questions for the Minister of Infrastructure. I brought this issue up a while back but, you know, it tends to take the government a while to act on things. The issue that I'd like to bring up, I'm sure the Minister has had his share of questions on washrooms this week, but I'll do mine anyway. During the summer at ferry landings on the Mackenzie and the Peel, at times we have the ferry closing due to weather. As the Minister recalls, we've had people who were stranded on the south side of the Peel River for up to two to three days, and a lot of those people...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are making a little progress with the Minister here. Will the Minister give direction to the department to ensure that they work with the communities? I am sure the Minister may be even travelling up there this summer and have to use those washrooms instead of running into the willows, like most of our residents have to do. Mr. Speaker, it's just common sense. I am sure when they had the ferry in Providence we had these facilities there, so will the Minister give direction to the department to budget probably a few thousand dollars to have these up this summer? We...

I will save the Minister some trouble. His response is basically no. You know, you have to be compassionate in situations like this, if people are stranded for two to three days, most times with limited food. We are very fortunate the people of Fort McPherson actually went there and had a cook-out for people who were stranded, but I think the department has a little responsibility here to provide outhouses, a place where people could use washrooms, especially during the summer. So will the Minister make sure they budget it? It wouldn't cost a lot, Mr. Speaker. We shouldn't be thinking cost in...

It is good that the communities took on this responsibility, but we are talking in the neighbourhood of $200,000, for example, to do a community the size of Fort McPherson. That is competing with capital projects. What is ENR's estimate of the cost to cut firebreaks around the three communities in the Mackenzie Delta?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a few questions for the Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources. I would like to ask the Minister: what is the department doing to make sure that communities can implement and fund their Wildland Fire Protection Plans? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This leaves communities scrambling for dollars through funding proposals to various outside governments. This is a haphazard, high-risk approach to protecting lives and property, Mr. Speaker, and I will have questions for the Minister later today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Seeing as how the Minister is also the money man in the House, fire smarting can save lives and very valuable property, and the cost of doing it is a lot less than many projects that our government routinely delivers. Will the Minister identify funds that communities can use to implement their Wildland Fire Protection Plans by cost-sharing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.