Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I just want to share a few comments as well. The media said that was an all-encompassing budget. We all worked hard on it and we are to be commended to try to capture all the goals and wants and needs of all the regions and all the different interest groups, as well as bearing in mind, of course, the climate change and the green initiatives that in the long term should save us money.

Those are the same needs that I share for my constituency. We have grassroots organizations that are interested in green alternatives from geothermal to biomass initiatives, and I’m...

As I indicated, the aboriginal students in our smaller communities are missing 41 days of school per year with the equivalence up to about two years of schooling by the time they reach grade 9. I know that the Education department and our school boards consider this very seriously and I think they coupled some of the monitoring stats, like the Alberta Achievement Test, which shows that our use of English is being impacted because they’re missing a lot of that. So what kind of projects are being undertaken this fiscal year and planned for the next year, in terms of addressing this concern?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to follow up on the CBC special report this morning about the test results that show reading and math levels are still low in the NWT communities. I’d like to ask the Minister of Education some questions on the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative that we have going. I know that it started last year. So if he could tell me just a bit about the program and what initiatives are slated for this coming year, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Yesterday I spoke about an opportunity for consultation at the meetings in Fort Simpson. There was missed opportunity. Has the Minister met with the impacted First Nations’ groups this week at all, or does he plan to meet with them at all to discuss the very, very important issue of treaty rights and subsistence harvesting for our aboriginal people? Because this ban, this law will put our aboriginal people in jail and that’s not what we’re looking for, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great honour to recognize Chief Isadore Simon from Jean Marie, who is here in the gallery today and watching the proceedings and the budget today. Mahsi cho.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask you to recall the story of Robin Hood, who lived in Nottingwood.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to go to item 7, recognition of visitors in the gallery, on the orders. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted.

Does the Minister plan to meet with the Yellowknives or any of the impacted First Nations’ groups in the near future, today or tomorrow or the weekends coming, like, as soon as possible? Because this is a very controversial issue and impacts not only those First Nations but the precedent that it sets for all First Nations across our Territory. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement. I indicated my support for treaty rights to be recognized by our government in terms of hunting caribou in the banned zone and the Bathurst herd. I don’t think anybody wants to see a return to the levels of harvest that had happened, but there is a question of subsistence hunting. I would like to ask the Minister about that. Will he consider subsistence hunting? I’m not talking about lifting the entire ban in this hunting zone, but allowing subsistence harvesting to our treaty people in those areas. Thank you.

Sorry; Nottingham -- thank you very much -- ruled by Prince John. This was a time when you could not hunt without then the consent of the Prince, or face penalties or even jail. This is what our aboriginal chiefs and our aboriginal people face with this temporary ban on hunting the Bathurst herd in the protected zone.

It occurred to me, Mr. Speaker, that what we are talking about is penalizing and even jailing our aboriginal people for doing what they have always done: hunt for food, subsistence living, a way of life; in short, the single biggest definition of aboriginal culture. Regretfully...