Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s been estimated that 85 percent of crimes in the Northwest Territories are alcohol and/or drug related, and 90 percent of offenders in the Northwest Territories correctional facilities have addiction issues. A high percentage of these offenders and people in the correctional institutes are Aboriginal people.

What Aboriginal context, what type of Aboriginal programs do you have that are operating now in the correctional institutes that we can also possibly offer on-the-land programs?

In the latest numbers that I have received from the department, it costs the Government of the Northwest Territories about $107,000 a year per inmate to keep them at one of our correctional centres here. I want to ask the Minister what it costs to have an on-the-land program. Do they have one yet in the Territories? What does it cost for having people on the land at that type of program?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will break that record by recognizing Mr. Jim Antoine, a good friend of mine, also to Mr. Whitford and all his accomplishments. I’d also like to recognize the NWT Seniors’ Society group that my mother dearly loved to work with and she certainly spoke highly of them. I also, in closing, would like to recognize one of our staff members who is with one of the children up there.

Mr. Chair, we’re not talking to each other in the Sahtu region. The Minister has indicated that there is strong regional training, but we are still working in isolation. That’s why I’m asking for this.

I’ve gone back into the Sahtu. We are taking Aurora College programs, but the entry level is nothing, otherwise these students would have gone to Aurora College. There are a lot of students in Fort Smith. There are students here in business management and other programs in Yellowknife. Some of them may have gone to Inuvik. We need to bump up our level of training in the Sahtu. We are still...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to ask the Minister in regard to the Sahtu and the development that’s happening. Is there somewhere in the plans that the department is thinking about possibly looking at some infrastructure such as a Sahtu trades centre that would help with the work that is going to possibly be happening in the next couple of years to start preparing our people to take courses, enter into some long career job opportunities at the oil companies or the building up of the Sahtu that’s going to be required.

I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on February 28, 2013, it shall be adjourned until Monday, March 4, 2013;

AND FURTHER, that any time prior to March 4, 2013, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been...

I believe the Minister’s willingness. When I sat with him in Colville Lake, people and good old people, he wanted to do something different and do something that would make sense to the Aboriginals who have hurt our communities and their people. I want to ask the Minister if there’s a possibility of possibly having some time to invite the Social Justice Committee members to go to Kozo Lake and look at that project, talk to the contractor and possibly talk to some of the people who are doing time there right now and see the benefits of on-the-land treatment programs for people in the North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the need for people to go on the land who have done some pretty serious damages. The people and elders in our communities talk about that. I want to ask the Minister what the status is of the two communities who have made this request; Colville Lake for integrating people back into the communities and, of course, the community of Fort Good Hope, who wanted on-the-land treatment programs for people who are sent to our correctional institutes here.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The people in the Sahtu have always talked about going out on the land. Unfortunately, some of our people end up in correctional institutions. I’ve listened to Colville Lake people, people in Fort Good Hope and Tulita, Deline and Norman Wells. The older people talk about the power of going out on the land and getting healed and being taught.

Unfortunately, this government has only two, I think, on-the-land treatment programs or healing programs or correctional camps that are operating, if not maybe one. People in the Sahtu are saying that and the elders are saying that...

Thank you. My final question to the Minister. The Minister of MACA, myself, along with the leadership of Colville Lake have met recently and the issue was their newly installed water treatment plant. There have been problems with the installation and the piping had broken. We had a good meeting, it’s just that when we have companies coming into our small communities, there’s no type of guarantees. We try to say that this is the problem now, we have broken pipes that we can’t use the water treatment facility. It actually fills up, and some other issues there.

So I guess my question is twofold...