Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Premier, for clarifying that. I probably got mixed up between some of the issues. I just think that because we’re on the brink of forming a government-to-government relationship that some prudence would be given to some of the self-government organizations and self-governments. Maybe that’s something we have to talk about on a larger scale as to education, health, and having summer students or interns that are finished with degrees and could be of assistance to us as to our community or government. We can carry that on some other time. I just wanted to get a sense of where the...

Has the Minister had some type of an idea as to when we would know for sure that this project is going to begin some actual groundwork in that area?

We’ll just have to wait for that appeal decision to go through the process and see what comes out of it. I will leave it up to the good judges to decide on that on there. I’m not going to get too far on that one here. Certainly I know that we’ve been very fortunate with the Metis health benefits. I know when my mother was alive she was certainly happy to have these health benefits because it really helped her out a lot there. Of course, with the Sahtu Dene and Metis land claims we have hunting rights. I come from the same people. My grandfather was a true-blooded Dene and those are the rights...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the Mackenzie Valley Highway. I’m looking at two sections. The first one is the Inuvik-Tuk road and, of course, the other one the Minister and I personally had experience on from Fort Good Hope to Fort Simpson.

My question is directed to the Minister of Transportation. If the project is approved by both governments, do you think that we’ll be able to get the people in the region working right away? We want to see some action.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have two questions to the Premier regarding the intergovernmental affairs relationships engaging with the Metis groups in the North. My first question is: What is the GNWT’s policy or position when it comes to engaging with Metis groups and how long ago was that established?

Completing the highway and connecting Canada from coast to coast to coast will be a big boost to all Canadians in establishing a year-round transportation link to our Arctic coastline. It will also be a major step to protect our Canadian sovereignty. We think it will lead to further investments in other regions such as the Sahtu.

I am very pleased to be able to support this project. Truly, we stand here and say the North was built by Northerners and will continue to be built by our own people in the future. We have a dream.

I was notified, just saying that the bands were going to be, right across Canada get 10 percent. I didn’t really get into it until I got to Tulita and sat down with the chiefs and they started talking about some of the information, so I’m glad the Premier would be open to some discussion, if it does happen, with the chiefs and the councils and looking at the impacts of this funding that will be taking place here. It’s preliminary right now, just having an early discussion, and we’re not getting our feet dirty and our hands dirty on this issue here. I’m looking forward to the GNWT’s support to...

The Premier is correct on the partnerships and I guess he’s looking at the different aspects of the Gwich’in, Inuvialuit, Sahtu, and how to work with them. When in Rome do as the Roman’s do sort of concept. I’m looking at the GNWT and I guess that’s how it will be done. It has to happen with the Akaitcho or the Dehcho, even in Yellowknife – there’s a large population here – Hay River, I guess, looking at those types of support for communicating the Devolution Strategy. I look forward to the draft communications strategy and I’m pressing to him to say yes, okay, we can maybe look at something...

The point I want to draw to is, New Zealand has very good coroner policies with regard to taking Aboriginal cultures and traditions into their system. I wonder if the Minister has looked at the New Zealand experience to see if that makes any sense in the Northwest Territories. Most of our communities are Aboriginal people. Fifty percent of the population is Aboriginal people. We’re certainly well versed on the people who have this very important role in the communities. That’s all. I’ll make a comment there to the Minister and he can come back later on to this issue here.

My last point is that...

Mr. Speaker, once again I ask the Minister that, because of the occupancy rate is at 46 percent level at Nats’ejee K’eh, there are some dollars, I believe, left. Given that the report will be done some time next year, I think that the implementation of those recommendations that are rolled out later on, can the Minister look at communities down the Mackenzie Valley to say, yes, we have these additional dollars? We appreciate the money that is going into the Sahtu. We would like a little more to really help our people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.