Henry Zoe

North Slave

Statements in Debates

Debates of , (day 4)

I rise on a Point of Privilege, Madam Speaker.

Debates of , (day 4)

Thank you. Madam Speaker, I rise today on a matter of personal privilege to inform the House and my constituents that it has been my honour and privilege to have been chosen by the people of North Slave to serve in three legislative assemblies. I have not taken this responsibility lightly. I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank my constituents for their support and confidence in me during the time I have been their representative in this House. I want to let them know that I have always had their best interests at heart.

Madam Speaker, spring is now in the air throughout the...

Debates of , (day 1)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a number of students who are here from Chief Jimmy Bruneau School. They are a class of Grade 10 with their teachers, Patti Turner and Chris Harrison. I would also like to recognize chief negotiator for the Tlicho Nation, John B. Zoe. Thank you.

---Applause

Debates of , (day 53)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be supporting the motion brought forward. This bill is a very sensitive issue and, as my colleague has indicated, I think we should go back to our aboriginal and municipal governments, get their input, and from the general public again. It doesn’t hurt to wait three months and get reintroduced…

Debates of , (day 53)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Although my previous comments said maybe we should wait until the next sitting in May to discuss this, I just was thinking about the process. This gives the government direction. If we give them direction, then hopefully they will start working on developing the required legislation or make amendments to the various legislation. That’s just a first step. Then once the bill is developed, it will go through the process, go back to committee and they will have public hearings. At that time, if they want the date to be changed, we will have a good, healthy debate and...

Debates of , (day 53)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, will be in support of this motion. I did experience calls from my constituents pertaining to WCB. It is very difficult, Mr. Speaker, just to try to get information, especially for MLAs to try to get information on a specific client. I had an opportunity -- I even tried to go through the Minister’s office, Mr. Speaker -- to try to get details as to where this client was or how he was being treated.

I just needed general information. I listen to both sides, this is the WCB’s rationale and the client and what he has to say, and then I determine how I should...

Debates of , (day 53)

Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, what kind of message does this send to the NWT residents, to the Sahtu people, to the Gwich’in people and the Tlicho people, not to mention the groups out there who are still negotiating?

I don’t know what to think anymore, Mr. Speaker. With the ratification of the Tlicho agreement and the recent progress on devolution talks, I was feeling very optimistic about our future. Finally, it seems like we are getting somewhere in our struggle to take back control of our lands and resources, and then the federal government comes out with this colonialism action...

Debates of , (day 53)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. (English not provided)

Mr. Speaker, after my previous statements and statements by my colleagues over the past few days, it was with great disappointment that we heard on the 5:30 news last night that the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs has gone ahead and named a British Columbia resident who was not nominated by board members as the new chair of the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board.

Mr. Speaker, the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act says very clearly that the Minister shall appoint the board chairs from among persons nominated by the board members...

Debates of , (day 53)

…in our May sitting. On that same issue, I wonder if the government also would consider having their Members having a free vote on this. Thank you.

Debates of , (day 53)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I concur with my colleague from Nahendeh and the comments that Mrs. Groenewegen has made also. I believe that the process that’s been outlined by Mr. Yakeleya. I just want to make a couple other points. Although Ms. Lee has indicated that they follow the normal routine and follow a process of putting advertisements out so they can have general public input, I don’t think they’ve gone far enough, particularly on such a sensitive issue as this particular bill is. I think they should have gone a little bit more in consultation with aboriginal and municipal governments...