Jackson Lafferty

Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] Cell phones, Mr. Speaker. I spoke earlier in my Member's statement about the cell phone services between Behchoko and Yellowknife. We have no access to cell phone services between Behchoko and Yellowknife. Again, this is an ongoing issue because there have been some issues happening between Yellowknife and Behchoko. [End of translation]

[Microphone turned off] ...asked about safety when I asked about the summer students, so I will continue with the safety avenue on Highway No. 3. Is the Minister of Finance aware of the number of people or of cars and trucks...

Masi, Madam Chair. I certainly hope this is not one of those projects that has been deferred, because, on the left side, from the northern perspective, there have been some upgrades. I'm just wondering if the Minister is referring to that side, because I'm referring to the southern side, which has beautiful lake access. There can be further expansion in that area. If not, I certainly hope that the Minister will consider it down the road. I'm not talking immediately, but my community is growing and, with the tourism population growing, as well, there needs to be further expansion to the...

Masi, Madam Chair. Just to finish off, distribution. Obviously, each Member always has a keen interest in the funding going to our region, and more specifically I'm speaking about Gameti. My four communities, what was their contribution? If the Minister doesn't have that at their fingertips, then if they could provide that, it would be greatly appreciated. Masi.

Masi, Madam Chair. Definitely, I think this is an area of interest. If there could be some sort of a nominal increase, I think it would go a long way in the communities.

Madam Chair, just moving on to the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. This is highlighted as an agreement between the federal government and the Government of the Northwest Territories. As you've heard and noticed, the Gameti has been involved with growing their own vegetables, potatoes, and even animals there. They have done a lot to start off, but, at times, there were some struggles with getting funding through the GNWT. I...

Masi, Madam Chair. Similar to the Member for Thebacha, the breakdown in the regions. Obviously, I'm very interested in the breakdown to my communities. If the Minister doesn't have it, could that be provided, as well? Masi.

Masi, Mr. Speaker. It's great to invest $2 million, but that's for the whole territory. As you can imagine, there are 33 communities and various regions we have to deal with. When you do a calculation, just on the $200,000 per group, that's not enough. We're spending $2 or $3 million sending money elsewhere, out of the territory. It should be invested in the Northwest Territories. My final question, Mr. Speaker, is: in the past, we had Nechi training through Poundmaker's in the Tlicho region back in the early 1990s, and we've had upwards of 26 qualified counsellors graduate out of this program...

If the Minister can provide the detailed breakdown over the past 25 years, that would be great. The second question I have is: how much does the Minister's department spend annually to send Northerners out of the territory for residential addiction treatment programming? Mr. Speaker, the Minister has referred to four treatment program down south, treatment centres. How much do we spend on an annual basis?

Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Microphone turned off].

[Translation] Mr. Speaker, there has been success in the regions. I would like to say they have had on-the-land addictions programming in the past. One such program was held in Gameti at Faber Lake in the '90s. An elder ran the program for inmates, with a focus on both counselling and teaching survival skills.

Mr. Speaker, another project that was very successful was in the Sahtu region in the early 2000s. It was also operated by an elderly couple, with a focus on traditional skills and lifestyle. They did a lot of helping and healing. We know, in...

Masi, Madam Chair. Since this North Arm Park obviously is in the heart of the Tlicho land, as well, there will obviously be engagement with the Aboriginal leadership, the communities, to have their input. Usually, when there's a major expansion, there is public engagement of what they want to see, whether it be a tourism spot with a history of the Tlicho Nation, and so forth. So I'm assuming that those are discussions that will be undertaken. If there is, then engaging the general public of the nearby communities, such as Behchoko and Edzo. I understand the Minister is open to that, which is...

Masi, Madam Chair. [Translation] I'd like to speak on the North Arm area. When we look at it, it's just past Edzo, and that's where they have some gatherings over there. The Edzo people, the Behchoko people, and people travelling from the South also travel over there. It's not very big or huge, but we know that area gets really crowded, so this is why I want to ask the Minister [End of translation].

I'd like to inquire or ask questions about the North Arm Park just beyond Edzo. There have been some minor upgrades over the years, because my family has been going there, community members have...