Kevin A. Menicoche

It’s curious to note that the letter was signed by the Minister saying there is no money in his department for aboriginal language proposals such as this unique one from Fort Simpson. So who is lapsing the money then, Mr. Speaker? Is it the Department of Education, Culture and Employment? Is it our divisional council? Who is lapsing the money? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased, once again, to see the eagerness of the Minister to assist the community of Trout Lake. Like I said, the whole community is behind this initiative. I’d like to ask the Minister once again if he will commit to begin the process of identifying a school for Trout Lake in the long term. Thank you.

I’m glad to hear the Minister’s positive response to a long-term plan of creating a new school for the community of Trout Lake. In fact, the government had promised in the past that they would actually build them a new school when the old Charles Tetcho burnt down.

Also, can I ask the Minister, in the long-term capital plan, to ensure that a gymnasium is attached to this school, because I like to think… My colleague Mr. Krutko showed me a letter that indicates that Trout Lake is one of the two communities in the North that does not have a gymnasium. Can this capital planning include a gymnasium...

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Mr. Speaker, I was in Trout Lake before Christmas and the community leadership and members have great value for our education system and for their children. They want a real school.

Presently, classes for students from K to 10 are held in the community recreation complex in a one-room area. This area is being retrofitted and it is not the same as a stand-alone school. Also, once plans begin for a new school, I also ask that a gymnasium be considered, as Trout Lake is one of the two communities in the North that does not have a gymnasium.

Trout Lake is...

I’m still not convinced that we will not lapse any money in this coming fiscal year and I’m not too sure what mechanisms the Minister speaks about ensuring that it doesn’t happen in the future. Of course, the amount of emphasis and efforts and concern that we as MLAs have with regard to our aboriginal languages is something that we have to ensure that we’re doing our best to get those resources out to the communities. At the same time, my concern is that we’re saying no to grassroots proposals that are out there saying all the money is spent, but I’m still not convinced that’s the case. I don...

I’m pleased to see the amount of resources that are going towards the John Tsetso Memorial Library. However, the fact remains that I’ve been asking about additional resources. The issue is the lack of suitable space to have the storage of library books, et cetera. I’d just like to know what current efforts to date has the department been working towards resolving this issue in Fort Simpson in assisting it to re-establish a library. Earlier I spoke about one of the ways that I saw to fully resource that library was, of course, to declare it a regional library. In all fairness, it is a region...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is a very good opportunity to comment on some of the current directions of Education, Culture and Employment at this time when we are reviewing line-by-line budget items. Perhaps I will just follow up on my Member’s statement earlier today on aboriginal language dollars being lapsed in 2007-08 and 2008-09. I know we are in the 2009-10 fiscal year. We are debating 2010-11, but my concern is that I do not wish to see this happen again for this coming fiscal year. I know that some departments strive very hard at the end of the fiscal year to spend their budgeting but...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I, of course, support this motion. I believe that we didn’t have to be here today. I still stand firm in the belief that had our leadership, our Premier, our Minister of ENR, attended the Dene national leadership meeting in Fort Simpson, we would have come a long way to resolving this issue. But because of the attention, or by the inattention of our government, we have to give it attention, Mr. Speaker.

For me it has always been critical, the fact that aboriginal people are not allowed to hunt. I respect the need for preservation and conservation, but, at the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to ask a couple of questions on the current strategy for homelessness as well as emergency shelters. Of course, I am from a riding that has many small communities and these issues are raised, they are just as serious as the larger communities. I think I saw something in the Foundation for Change documents, something about addressing homelessness, even emergency shelters in the communities. Perhaps the Minister can fill me in on some of the details on how they are going to address these in the regions. Thank you.

Thank you very much. If the Minister is creating the law or regulation that charges aboriginal people for hunting and getting them thrown in jail, then he is restricting our inherent right to hunt and fish and trap. So, once again, where does he get that authority that’s based on the definition of a herd being extinct? What is the Minister’s definition of this Bathurst herd being extinct? Thank you.