Kevin A. Menicoche

Then, in the Yukon, the First Nations health programs promote the provision of quality culturally sensitive holistic health care to Aboriginal people by providing social and spiritual support as well as access to traditional food, medicine and healing practices.

I am pleased to hear that the Department of Health and Social Services is supportive of the concept and has identified and set aside land at the Stanton Territorial Hospital. Regretfully, an Aboriginal wellness centre was never included in the Stanton Renewal Project. But with political will, no army can stop us from including it in the...

It shows that the department is willing to entertain and move forward with this. I would like to know how well the department continues to endorse and support this very worthwhile initiative. The Stanton Renewal Project is to be completed in five years. We do have an opportunity to include this as part of the completion in five years.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier in the day when I did my Member’s statement, I was speaking about the Stanton Renewal Project and the need to include an Aboriginal wellness centre. So I’d like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services – I know he had discussions with the elders, the Stanton Elders Council on this matter – how supportive is he of such a project? Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Stanton Territorial Hospital Renewal Project must include a wellness centre that beats for the hearts of all Aboriginal people and culture. Our territorial hospital, when renovated, has to incorporate the Aboriginal identity that over 50 percent of our population has. “There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come,” said Victor Hugo, the famous writer. I believe it’s true in this case.

Colonialism and, consequently, the residential school system for Aboriginal peoples in Canada has resulted in the loss of...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I too would like to express my congratulations to Deline, and congratulations from my constituency and my communities. Which, of course, means that I’ll be supporting the bill that’s before us, Madam Chair.

You know, in our Aboriginal communities, as we grow up, we’ve got chartered governments like hamlets and villages, and we always wonder why. It’s because, of course, it’s a government that isn’t Aboriginal that instituted these institutions. But I see that with the Deline bill here is that they amalgamate, they rightfully take back the community that is...

Well, the Minister clarified exactly what process. Where the air terminal building is, there is none. So he’s got to actually request another one and that’s too bad. As well, like I indicated, the capital planning process is upon us and will be starting soon.

What steps will the Minister be taking to ensure that the community of Trout Lake gets a new airport snow blower for the new and larger airport as well? Thank you.

Thank you very much. Just following up on my Member’s statement I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation about the planned air terminal building that wasn’t completed in the capital plan this year. When will the community of Trout Lake be getting their air terminal building? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Hopefully they do a proper and thorough investigation, because using the old community grader, they’re doing a much larger surface area than they did with the smaller airport. You have 3,500 feet of runway, you’ve got a large apron, so I just don’t believe the speed is there and the ability to clear the snow quickly. I would like to ask the Minister one more time for proper evaluation. I know there are some communities out there that have a snow blower, but they rarely use it so they also have to evaluate how snow blowers are distributed throughout the...

Thank you very much. They couldn’t complete it this winter. So the Minister is saying it will be delivered on the winter road in December of 2015 or January of 2016. I didn’t hear a clear answer there. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The community of Trout Lake is proud of their new airport, which was fully commissioned and went into service in November of 2014. There is limited equipment in the community to take care of the 3,500-foot runway and the much larger apron. I was pleased that the Honourable Tom Beaulieu and the honourable Premier of the NWT viewed the new airport as we toured the Nahendeh communities in December.

I was also pleased that it was blowing cold as we waited outside as there was no air terminal building.

---Laughter

The Department of Transportation had wanted an...