Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I was in Fort Good Hope, the elder Thomas Manuel asked about the conditions of our fish and our food, and he wanted me to ask the Minister of ENR if there is anything in the plans that would see a laboratory in the Sahtu region because of the recent increase of the exploration and the development and new laws coming through Ottawa. Any types of plans in place for a laboratory that would check on the fish or the animals that we’re eating since the scare of the XL Foods that has happened down south? He wanted me to ask the Minister that question.

Thank you. Is the Minister aware that in Alberta people from the Northwest Territories with Indian status are eligible under the post-secondary funding program and that they are eligible for grants for an undergraduate degree, a master’s degree and a PhD degree for a combined maximum of 80 months, or eight years of financing? I repeat, this is eight years of grants, not loans.

Would the Minister see this as an opportunity for us to improve our education funding for students under grants?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. On March 12, 2009, I challenged the department and the Minister of ECE to review the SFA in terms of years of eligibility. I said that I believed that the program of our southern neighbour in Alberta was stronger than ours. I challenged the Minister to see if he would do a general overview and come back with what he found out. I also challenged him to see if he could strengthen the SFA in terms of six years of eligibility. The Minister said, “Certainly we can provide more research with our...

Thank you, colleagues. We bring again another motion in regard to this issue. We had two other motions in the 16th. So these motions we bring forward as MLAs because this is a very powerful issue that we’re dealing with.

When we all sat down 13 months ago as MLAs, we talked about our priorities. Our priorities talked about this very issue about having healthy people, independent people and healthy families, and addiction was one of the biggest issues that we talked about. So this motion speaks to our priorities of the 17th Assembly.

This motion talks about recognizing gaps – and the government...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, 28 percent of our general population binge drink. Binge drinking is not normal and it’s not normal for us. Growing up in our communities we have seen that. We thought that was normal. We thought that was okay.

Can the Minister outline any type of plan to work with us to tell the communities and show the communities that binge drinking in our communities in the North is not normal? What kind of campaign does he have in place for us to work with them?

I look forward to the information the Minister is going to send over to the House in regard to the cost factor. It’s about dollars and cents. Again, I go back to the point Mrs. Groenewegen made earlier that it’s not normal in our communities to see people drinking on the roads, fighting, swearing. It’s just not normal.

I want to ask the Minister, there’s an elder in Fort Good Hope that said there’s a miracle standing right before you. He said, I haven’t drank in 10 months. It’s a miracle that I’m not drinking. He said, it’s just common sense to take our people out onto the land.

If it costs...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise, also, to join my colleagues in talking about an issue that’s been on my agenda for the last nine years of being an MLA and even before that. We have all the resources in our communities to help somebody who wants to help themselves. It takes a lot of commitment from the person to say enough is enough. Mrs. Groenewegen hit it right on the head. She said, this is not normal.

Growing up we didn’t know about alcohol in our communities. We saw it, we felt it, but we didn’t know about what was happening in our communities when there were parties going on. People were...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank my colleagues for their comments. I know the Cabinet is listening. I know people in our communities are listening, and I want to let my colleagues know that this issue has been a long-standing issue in our small communities, no different than the larger centres. They have the same issues in the regional centres and in the small communities.

I think if each Member stands up who has been affected in one way or another by an alcohol or drug issue, we’d all be standing up. We know family and friends, and this motion talks about believing in people. What do we believe...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS investing in prevention, education and awareness, and enhancing addictions treatment programs are priorities of the 17th Legislative Assembly;

AND WHEREAS the Department of Health and Social Services has recently released its Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan 2012-2015, which identifies service gaps including needs for a medical detoxification program, more on-the-land programs, more community follow-up and aftercare following residential treatment, supported independent living programs for individuals with chronic mental illness, stronger integrated...

I had some research done and it said that 42 percent of all our youth aged between 15 and 24 binge drink. Binge drinking is five or more drinks that they’re taking at one time. We have a serious problem. It’s coming in the next five, 10, 15 or 20 years from now.

I want to ask the Minister, would he look at Nats'ejee K'eh, only having a 46 percent occupancy rate, would he look at Nats’ejee K’eh being designated within the life of this government, or sooner, as a youth alcohol and drug treatment centre.