Norman Yakeleya

Mr. Chair, I would like to continue this dialogue with the Minister on the issue of wood chips. We come from hard, strong working families in our communities. It may be a little different today; however, the Minister raises some points. I would like to have further discussion. I also look at the opportunity. Do not dismiss the concept of a wood chips because of what the Minister says. We have always come over some difficulties and hardships in the Sahtu.

Look at the Norman Wells community that had to deal with the running out of gas and other issues in the area. I want to ask the Minister to...

Mr. Chair, I want to ask the Minister in regard to biomass business opportunities in the Sahtu for the Sahtu people. We have communities that could be involved. We have businesspeople that could be involved. Where are these pellets going to be coming from? Are they going to be made in the Sahtu? Do we have an opportunity, giving our native organizations or businesspeople an opportunity to say we want to participate? Or is it all going to come from La Crete, Alberta?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The motion speaks to a new initiative for something that we want to push on this side. The people from my region will certainly welcome a motion like this, and welcome more so that the government looks to reduce the high cost of living in the Sahtu.

We’d like to see an initiative like that that would cut down the cost for some of our people in our communities. The unemployment rate in Deline or Colville or Fort Good Hope is quite high, in the thirties to 42 percent, and the cost of living is quite high with the cost of fuel, especially diesel going into our communities. So...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I table the Sahtu Exploration Readiness Session Report.

I want to say thank you to the Minister of MACA because of the sports and recreation and the good job they are doing with the Elders in Motion program and working with the Department of Health and Social Services. These seniors don’t want to idle any more, Mr. Speaker. They want to go full throttle and they are asking the Minister to help them on some of these issues. One thing that really bothers them a lot, having to do with the municipality, has to do with loose dogs. I just don’t know how the Minister can help, the Minister of MACA, to have dogs tied up. That’s an issue that I want to ask...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the Elders in Motion. In the Northwest Territories there are 4,342 elders who are 60 years and over. In the Sahtu there are 256 elders. We are all going to get old, Mr. Speaker. Some of us are going to be called to be an elder. I think in this House here, there are some seniors already here. I think there are four of them.

I went over to the Baker Centre and I saw some really dedicated people working on issues and helping the Elders in Motion. I want to ask the Minister responsible for Seniors, in working with his colleagues, is...

Mr. Chair, I certainly look forward to that northern supplier at Enterprise. I would like to also keep the door open for an opportunity for the Sahtu people, to have that opportunity, should an opportunity come forward, that we could produce and look at our own wood pellet industry. We look forward in the future to that type of discussion. I know what the Minister is saying, that there is a mass of pellets that could be done in the South Slave. That’s in Enterprise. I certainly encourage those gentlemen to continue that work, but I want to make sure that the door does not get shut on the Sahtu...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to ask the Minister on the biomass energy initiatives for the Sahtu specifically, the Minister mentioned Norman Wells school and the airport. I want to ask the Minister if he had some discussions regarding the new health and long-term care facility that’s going to be built in Norman Wells. Also, what opportunities for the people in the surrounding communities of the Sahtu to look at biomass supplies/opportunities with the Aboriginal groups, businesspeople, what discussions have happened with the people of the Sahtu regarding this new wholesale supplies of biomass...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Department of ENR is going to be challenged with some significant changes in the Northwest Territories if some of the proven resources in the Sahtu come to fruition. As indicated in his opening statement, they’re preparing for the increased oil and gas exploration development in the Sahtu, and one of our greatest resources that sustains us today is the water. The Minister indicated they are completing a transboundary negotiation water agreement with Alberta and, of course, Alberta is also ramping up and they’re looking at using water for hydroelectric energy, and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated in my Member’s statement, I went to the Baker Centre and I heard the Sahtu people talk about the Elders in Motion program in our region and a number of issues our elders have to face. I want to ask the Minister, would he be committed to come back, within a period of time, and make some improvements to some of their recommendations. Some of them I talked about in this House. Will the Minister come back this fall so we can have some discussions about some of the things we talked about to make it easier for the elders to keep in motion?