Norman Yakeleya

Madam Chair, I wasn’t too involved with committee on this bill and my first question to the Minister would be on the Aboriginal rights, I guess, in these areas. I know there’s some discussion in some of the parks that we are establishing in the Sahtu and I know the fire restriction has to do with safety and precaution. People, when we go out on to the land, we like to make our fire and have some tea or whatever and sometimes these areas that we are protecting are used for public enjoyment. So I’m not too sure what provisions there are or how it’s being looked at in regard to having some of the...

Just a few comments, Madam Chair. Congratulations to the Minister and the team, and to the Tlicho. It’s quite something when you work it out on a government-to-government relationship, especially with the Tlicho people on a new path to governments in the Northwest Territories. Now, seeing this, would this also be similar to Deline, once they finish their community self-government. Would this type of process also be undertaken?

I look forward to the Minister’s proposal or discussion here. The emergency search and rescue needed some walkie-talkies, other equipment for ground search, water search, and that’s the type I’m looking for from this Minister. If he could work with his colleagues and look through his department and say, what can we commit to this emergency search and rescue kit that we have in any one of our communities in the Northwest Territories. Will the Minister look at that?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talk about emergency search and rescue effort in Tulita last summer and the help of many people across the Northwest Territories. I want to ask the Minister of MACA if his department has this type of initiative that they can go forward in helping communities like Tulita where people just got together and did the right thing and people later on joined helping out with funding and other sorts of things. We need some help in our small communities. Is the Minister willing to look at some of these kinds of concepts that the Tulita people are asking...

On page 7 it says to provide funding to reflect the impact of projected shortfall for costs of blood and plasma protein products. Do you know how many people in that that reflects on the cost here?

I would again ask if the whole town of Norman Wells, through this contribution to the Housing Corporation, will see all the units in the town of Norman Wells receive this type of support as we’re giving to Inuvik because of the conversion of natural gas to synthetic natural gas.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a quick question on the contribution to the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. Is that a similar type of support they are also receiving in Norman Wells because of the conversion of the natural gas, and what things they have to do to prepare for the conversion to other sources of energy?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We can use the scenario that the Northwest Territories is the birthplace of ice hockey in Canada. We’ve given birth to other provinces in the Northwest Territories. We have to remember that the Northwest Territories could become the next economic boom in Canada with the Norman Wells, and the road to Tuk and the mining. It could be a possibility that the people in Canada can say, yes. We’ve got our work cut out for us, but I think that’s something that we need to give to our people in the North. Devolution, fine. We’ll do the work, but we need to take the next step and...

That’s all fine. That’s what we do here through our budgets and that. I’m asking about the leader here, looking forward to the Northwest Territories. I think as leaders around here, we are to inspire people to look at what’s ahead. I have a son who is 11 years old and it’s something he would look forward to and look at. Is that something they can look at and say, yes, one day, in five or 10 years? Is that something that the Northwest Territories can look at to be part of the Confederation of Canada through the means of constitution?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On March 5, 2013, Sister Celeste of Tulita was honoured with the 2013 Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. She is truly an inspirational woman whose impact on families in the community of Tulita cannot be understated. She established the Fort Norman Child Development Centre in 1981 and in the 31 years since it has been open, she has given several generations of Dene and Metis community members a head start towards successful personal and working lives. A growing number of her former students are finishing up their high school and pursuing further education, and showing...