Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the Christmas holidays the community of Tulita celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary of a truly respected couple, George and Celine Campbell. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell made their vows to each other on December 29, 1961, in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, and the rest, as they say, is history.

I’m proud to say that our community was part of that history when the celebration took place to honour George and Celine. I want to recognize them today for their commitment to their vows and for keeping each other in their hearts. Spending half a century in love with one...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a parent and a community member, I am disturbed by the bullying that I see going on in our society. When I hear about something that’s happening at our school, I ask myself whether it’s just a mirror of the rest of the world that we live in. Where are the kids getting the idea that it’s okay to push each other around or to say mean things to each other or to try to get power over others?

Bullying isn’t just happening in our schools; it’s happening at Aurora Colleges, it’s happening in workplaces, it’s happening in homes, it’s happening on sports teams. Some leaders...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank Mr. Bromley and his seconder for putting some thought to this motion and bringing it to the floor so we can have some discussion. What I understand from this motion is that Mr. Bromley is asking this government for some formula for success for our people. There is a formula out there. He is asking the Assembly as a whole. We are asking our leaders that we elected for Cabinet to investigate, look at the possibilities of a successful program, look at success for people in our communities, look for success in our children and to look at and come back to us...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Three points I want to speak on in my opening address. It has to do with the motion that the Sahtu Secretariat passed at their meeting. The Sahtu Secretariat asked if the Aboriginal governments and the First Nations governments and the Government of the Northwest Territories talk about a process where they can sit down together and start discussing constitutional development. It’s imperative that the Sahtu people want to have this discussion to continue to protect the dignity and culture of the Sahtu people, more so now that they have a land claim. They want to know how...

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...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the bullying and how it is not part of the culture that I grew up in. It was more respect for the people and the culture. I want to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment if the Education department is looking at how to include more Aboriginal teaching or mentoring programs that can be introduced into our education system that would look at more of respecting each other, respecting the environment and to prevent bullying.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize the young people in our gallery this afternoon. I’d also like to recognize the former MLA for Range Lake, Sandy Lee. Also I’d like to recognize a former leader, still a leader, Charlie Furlong from the Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the mover of this motion, for bringing this issue to the Legislature today, and also for Ms. Bisaro’s enthusiasm and support to get everybody here to talk about this issue.

It not only affects students in Yellowknife. It affects students right across the Northwest Territories, in homes and communities. Like I said, it not only affects students, it affects leaders, families and everybody.

I want to thank the Member for the motion here. In the motion it talks about some recommendations that this government could do to denounce bullying. Mr. Speaker, in my...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister look at programs within the school, like I mentioned to my spouse, that maybe some type of organized program could be there to help the students develop into some wonderful athletes and look at their own self-esteem such as sport and recreation programs that could be used throughout the year?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. After the long deliberation yesterday of the supplementary infrastructure budget, I went home, I didn’t have any supper, I sat down on my couch, all alone in the dark.

---Laughter

However, Mr. Speaker, sitting there I thought about the rich resources that we have in the Sahtu region and the need for young people to start getting the proper education and training for the development that possibly could happen in the next four, five, or 10 more years.

We have a high population of young people. A couple of years ago, 45 percent of the entire Sahtu population was under 24...