Kevin A. Menicoche

Mr. Speaker, the Minister is acting on an Order-in-Council in 1960, Mr. Speaker. That is archaic. That is the middle of the last century, Mr. Speaker. How can he do that? The whole issue is that aboriginal court cases today in the current day here, Mr. Speaker, do recognize subsistence harvesting even if there are low populations in terms of the cod fishing in the east and the west coast. Once again, I would like to ask the Minister, I’m not questioning his ability to ban caribou, but I am questioning his authority to ban aboriginal people from subsistence harvesting. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

I would like to speak about aboriginal language funding. Last year, as chair of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and with my fellow Members, I was involved in the review of the Official Languages Act. Our research showed that many aboriginal languages are getting near to or at risk of disappearing.

When we visited communities, people expressed concern. One of the recommendations we made to the Legislative Assembly was to confirm government’s responsibility to support language communities in using, maintaining, revitalizing...

Mr. Speaker, I am still not clear on the powers that he does have to limit aboriginal subsistence hunting. He references an Order-in-Council from 1960 which also references muskox, polar bear and woodland bison which we do hunt, Mr. Speaker, so how can he pick one over the other? I think the case has to be made that the process in his decision-making is about protecting extinct animals, threatened species or endangered species, but he has never given the case to this House or anybody that that is what he is doing. He is only saying low numbers, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister on...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I led off last week talking about a caribou issue and I’d like to continue with my support for the aboriginal communities and leadership with regard to that. I just wanted to ask the Minister of ENR about how he came to exert his authority over aboriginal treaty rights.

I’ve got in front of me here, Mr. Speaker, a portion of our Northwest Territories Act, which is actually federal legislation under subsection 18. The Commissioner in Council -- which references our Executive Council -- can make ordinances with respect to preservation of game, and as well as the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is with regard to the line item, of course, aboriginal translation services. There was, it looks like, $5,000 allocated previously in 2008-09, nothing in 2009-10, nothing in 2010-11. Can the Minister explain why that is not there, especially given the length that this Legislative Assembly has been working with regard to aboriginal languages? Thank you.

I would be pleased to work with the Minister and the Department of Health and Social Services and the Deh Cho Health and Social Services, as well as get the young lady involved that had contacted my office in getting the assessment if there indeed is a root cause in Fort Liard. As I said, we had done it in other communities, especially when… It’s not yet been determined if H. Pylori has been the root cause, but the concern is if this is the case, then we should examine it. I’d like to get the Minister’s commitment, for the record one more time, that this serious concern will be examined. Thank...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement to the Minister of Health and Social Services. A resident of Fort Liard detailed her concern about stomach cancer and the rates of it in Fort Liard. As well, we have examined other communities in the past when they have similar concerns, especially just her cursory research, Mr. Speaker, talked about H. Pylori, which was a concern in other communities as well. So I’d like to know what processes are in place in the Department of Health that such an in-depth examination for environmental causes which may cause...

Mr. Chairman, if the Minister can point out what page number that is on, I will have a look at it then.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m glad that the Minister is well aware of the process that occurred in the community of Aklavik. If the Minister can give that to me as well, about how to begin that process is the concern and is something that I, of course, support, and to see how much in-depth examination of the environmental and of maybe pollution concerns in Fort Liard can be determined, and if there is indeed a relation to the increase of stomach cancers in Fort Liard. Thank you.

I think the stats and the Minister’s department should have those. I think that’s a baseline to start from. I think, of course, there are many, many types of cancer, and she’s not a professional, but her initial assessment and talking with family and friends in the community is that a lot of it is indeed stomach-type cancer and that’s the concern. So that’s what she would like examined, and I support her that we examine that. I would like to ask the Minister again what process do we have in place that we can initiate such an examination of this concern in Fort Liard. Thank you.