Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS there are over $630 million in financial commitments attached to existing oil and gas exploration leases in the Canol shale formation;

AND WHEREAS oil and gas exploration activity has increased significantly in the Sahtu over the past two winter work seasons, and there are strong indications not only that exploration activity will continue to increase, but that a long-term production field employing hundreds and possibly thousands of workers will become a reality;

AND WHEREAS all levels of government stand to benefit from increased resource development in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In this project in this work in the Sahtu, ITI has taken the lead on oil and gas development and is coordinating with all the other departments. ITI is the boss here. I want to ask ITI, is he working with the other departments, with the Sahtu leadership, with the Aboriginal leadership to create the economic Oil and Gas Strategy for the Sahtu? Because this is a great potential that the oil companies are telling us that they have encouraging results that would make it one of the most powerful economic drivers in Canada.

I’ll have to check my schedule and get back to the Minister on that. I certainly would like to go with the Minister to the Bakken field.

I want to ask the Minister, with the government’s increased budget for programs and services, and that’s one of ITI’s mandates, I want to ask the Minister how his department coordinates activities with other departments since the oil companies said the oil plays in the Sahtu are encouraging and they want to further develop those areas.

Just quick comments also. Thank you, Minister, for your opening comments. I, along with Mr. Bouchard, probably are going to ask some of the questions on deferred maintenance costs, because that ties into one of our goals for having safe and reliable facilities that are available to support the delivery of government programs and protected $290 million. That is by the end of this government here.

We have a lot of assets in our communities that certainly need taking care of and need some tender loving care. I guess it’s pretty tough, with the funding that we have right now, in determining which...

There is great potential for the Sahtu in the Northwest Territories. We need to act wisely and make the best use of our time now. We have a chance to strike a balance and get things done now. In the words of Johnny Cash again, when he’s saying I walk the line, I also keep my eyes open all the time.

Just before we leave the community services, the Minister may be aware of the increase of oil and gas activities and the justice stats. They have been increasing. Clearly, that is going to happen.

I want to ask the Minister what type of response he is going to plan for the Sahtu in terms of the alcohol use, possibly family violence, that show the Minister the increase in the crime stats related to alcohol. It’s going up in all the five communities. I want to know how we are going to support our health centres, our nurses. We do need additional staff, as the other Ministers have identified...

That gives me some hope that we’re working towards some of the wishes of the community. I want to ask the Minister, in regard to the Sahtu, because I know some of the communities were quite keen, and I’m not too sure if they’re going to get stung once, and I don’t know if they want to get stung twice. Those are…(inaudible)…in those communities, because that’s what we told them when we went there and now they’re kind of figuring out if we should really trust the government on this issue here. I’m going to ask the Minister to, again, put together this piece of work that would see the Child and...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just to follow up on Mr. Bromley’s questions on the child and family services committee and the response back from the committee’s recommendations on social programs from Minister Miltenberger, they talked about the communities wishing to play a role in the Child and Family Services Act. However, the current structure of the committee doesn’t support that. Is that still the case today, in regard to removing this barrier, so that communities can set up their child and family services committees? I know that was a really good initiative when the Minister and I went in there...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a motion. I move that this committee strongly recommends the government take immediate action to supplement funding that is currently identified for youth addiction education and prevention programs. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to say a few words on this motion here. I thank the honourable Member for Nahendeh for seconding it and Members for allowing me to feed it through the P and P and to bring it to the floor where it is today.

Over the last couple of weeks, we have been hearing from different Members and different Ministers on the Sahtu recent oil and gas exploration activity that’s going on up there. Norman Wells is the oldest oil-producing wells in Canada. It started in 1920 or 1921. In 1943 the Canol pipeline was built right from Norman Wells into the Yukon Territory in regard to...