Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the department look at what type of programs are there for residential school survivors and the ones who are also affected by it?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Tomorrow, May 26th, is a very important day in the Northwest Territories. The last government recognized May 26th as National Residential School Reconciliation and Healing. The point that I want to raise this morning is that tomorrow is a day that this government is the only government in Canada that has recognized this day for residential school survivors.

In the Northwest Territories we affect over 10,000 students, and many communities in the Northwest Territories are feeling and healing on a recovery and healing through the residential schools. This is a chapter in...

Thank you, Madam Chair. My points I am going to be speaking on this afternoon are going to be around the way we do our operations as a government. As we’re well aware, the federal government gives the territorial government, the people of the Northwest Territories, about 75 percent of funding to do our own operations. We have not yet grown up enough for them. We need to do our own work to be fully accountable for our own spending and for the raising of our own money and operating as an independent, strong government. We still rely on the federal government for funds to operate our programs and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Town of Norman Wells feel very strongly that with the situation that happened in the town, the situation that was occurring that this government wasn’t there for them. They had to dig in their own bank account and take out the money and say, we will pay for the Hercules. We will pay for propane tanks. We will do this. The government did not come up and say, we will help you. To make insults worse, they said no, you are not eligible for extraordinary funding to help offset this here.

It’s a good thing they had strong financial planning that they were able to do this...

The government has supported the thinking with the Town of Norman Wells as how to best utilize their time, because Imperial Oil for 2013-14 will turn the gas off to the town, and the residents and businesses. We need to help them with their conversion of appliances. They are looking at options such as propane, diesel and biomass. It’s going to be a mixture. Hopefully one day they’ll have an easy conversion back to the natural gas situation.

I am asking this government, once the dust has settled, is this government going to be in their capacity to help the people and businesses to convert their...

Mr. Speaker, the policy of the genocide intentions by the federal government was to take the children away from the family and do that. We’re no different than doing this with this program here, taking people away and looking at treating them in this manner. I think what we’re looking for is a family treatment program. That’s the power and the strength of the people here. I ask the Minister, would he look at this as one possibility, one solution of family treatment programs on the land as a starting point where they start doing the true healing and reconciliation of the suffering that was done...

I do look forward to the Minister’s release of that document sometime in the near future and certainly give him support where it’s needed to be. I want to ask the Minister, we do have Nats’ejee K’eh Treatment Program at Hay River Dene Reserve. We have what Mrs. Groenewegen talked about, a facility also maybe being opened up in Hay River. We looked at Inuvik where they have possibly a facility, or even in Fort McPherson. So there are some facilities that are going to be available. I want to ask the Minister if there’s anywhere in that action on addiction or treatment programs, anywhere in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke about the government’s declaration of May 26th tomorrow for the residential school healing and reconciliation process and I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services if his department has been looking at what type of programs within the field of mental health and wellness counselling and other sorts of areas that could support residential school survivors to take…

---Interjection

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize my sister-in-law Cecile Deneyoua here. I’d also like to recognize my lovely sons, one of my sons, my youngest son, Chase. He’s also here. Of course I’d like to recognize my lovely wife. I love you, honey.

Can the Minister tell me when possibly his officials, his department or the Cabinet could look at some new direction for the Northwest Territories in light of what’s happening in the Sahtu? It’s going to be busy, busy, busy. So maybe the beehive businesses, that’s probably an inaccurate statement, but can he tell me when will he be able to share some documents with us saying yes this is how we are going to move in this area once he’s met with the Explorers Group and he has some indication that this is going to be a place that needs to be paid attention and that the Sahtu could look forward to...