Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A lot of the elders in the Sahtu region cannot afford this. Yesterday when I talked to one of the constituents, they said, what? What is this government thinking about? There are some seniors maybe in larger centres that could afford to pay a little bit of rent, but not in the Sahtu and maybe no other communities. They have a hard time and pretty soon they’re going to maybe get eviction notices if we continue down this path. I ask the Minister responsible for all seniors and elders, can he help us work with his Cabinet colleagues to look at what can we do to help the...

We have one representative on the Seniors’ Society and that representative doesn’t have any funds to go around to the five Sahtu communities and talk to all the seniors in their own language who are living in public housing units. Can the Minister responsible for Seniors look at coming in and having a meeting with the Sahtu elders and say, is this what you want? Is this what you agreed to? Come and hear the people who are struggling and who are poor and say, is this what you want? If not, we need to do it now.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly what I have heard from the Sahtu elders certainly didn’t relay that message to me. Really it was the younger people who were working that want to make sure the rent scale was adjusted. Our elders in the Sahtu certainly didn’t convey that to me, and I don’t think that’s an accurate picture that the Minister is saying, that some of the seniors want to pay their rent. So, Mr. Speaker, I know the government may not agree with me, but I cannot sit here and agree with this principle of charging the elders rent coming in July. It’s just unacceptable, Mr. Speaker. I...

Mr. Speaker, how many of these 700 seniors are in the Sahtu that there is going to be an impact by this announcement?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like I said at the beginning of this motion here, this motion is to support, to nudge the government on the establishment. It talks about some of the things that we think can be looked at when you start developing this secretariat. Not just two people, maybe 15 people or so. Give you some ideas.

I know you’re going to come back in the future on this secretariat. We don’t know when. Monies are introduced and monies sometimes disappear. We want to put this on the radar for the government, that this is an important enough issue here that it stays within the books with the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On January 26, 2012, the Canadian Rangers welcomed its 59th patrol to the Northern Canada Group. Based on their website, the Canadian Rangers are the military eyes and ears in the North, hence their motivation. They’re watchers. There are 163 patrols across Canada. Many are Aboriginal and speak a native language. I want to acknowledge those people who make this a reality in the Northwest Territories and those who encourage them.

The Canadian Rangers provide a vital service to our country. It is important their commitment and dedication is acknowledged by everyone.

Deline...

WHEREAS the Northwest Territories Official Languages Act recognizes nine Aboriginal languages as official languages, including: Chipewyan, Cree, Gwich’in, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, North Slavey, South Slavey and Tlicho, in addition to English and French;

AND WHEREAS Section 11 of the Northwest Territories Official Languages Act says, among other things, that any member of the public is entitled to communicate with and receive services from any regional or community Government of the Northwest Territories office in an Aboriginal language spoken in that region or community, where...

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to item 5.

---Unanimous consent granted

Some years ago they did a successful screening test in Aklavik. If it takes supplementary funding to get this going, this test will save lives in the Sahtu. Like I said, I heard somebody in Tulita is being treated for this specific cancer-causing bacteria right now. If it takes some money, then let’s get it done and let’s start saving some lives. Will the Minister vigorously investigate in the Sahtu, come back with some numbers and say, yes, we have some in Tulita, Deline or Good Hope or the Wells or Colville and this needs to be looked at? This is a sleeping giant that needs to be looked...

I was in Tulita when the students went out to do an on-the-land program, and the instructor said these students were just having fun and they were respecting each other because they depended on each other. But he said once they got back into the school system, they started to get a little more out of that respectable behaviour. I want to ask the Minister would he again look, with his colleagues, the boards, at whether we can put more of these types of programs more than just once or twice or three times a year, have these types of on-the-land programs that would be introduced into the...