Norman Yakeleya

Would the Minister work with his department and the government to see if there is a way to look at a compassionate policy that would handle situations such as this and this nature to help out the people in our communities?

Thank you, Madam Chair. If they were there before and they weren’t being established, so now we want to capture them with the interim appropriation for next year. I think I’m getting a little bit confused here. Maybe if the Minister could clarify this for me again.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When we look at on-the-land treatment programs, we look at it from an Aboriginal perspective through a holistic view, and that means looking at the whole four parts of the human being: the mental, the emotional, the physical and the spiritual. The Minister is on track on this process right here. I want to ask the Minister, has he looked at other types of programs that we’re talking about today that could be used as the model in the Northwest Territories, across Canada where people, Aboriginal people, all people can use this type of model for healing their addictions?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services when the people in my communities are asking for support and help in dealing with the drug and alcohol programs, can the Minister tell this House and the people in the Sahtu when can they expect to see such types of programs being implemented in my regions that will support my people’s wishes and that possibly could work for them instead of looking at buildings that other regions have. When can the Minister put something concrete in this House to support my people?

I want to ask the Minister, if he’s good with lyrics maybe he could write the song “How Do You Mend a Broken Heart.” I want to ask the Minister, in his estimation, working with this Cabinet on this existing liquor law, can we look at something maybe by, for example, the May/June session that we could look at contemplating a new Liquor Act that would seek the support of the Members, of course, and also for the Sahtu communities.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to talk to the Minister of Finance on the liquor restriction that the Town of Norman Wells had a vote and it was lifted. It’s in effect. I want to ask the Minister if he’s willing to look at the regional approach to deal with opening this piece of legislation so that the communities within the Sahtu can have a say into the operations of the Norman Wells liquor store through the Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to raise the issue of the Norman Wells liquor store restrictions that were lifted on February 1st. This is a life and death issue for my people in the Sahtu. Historically, when we lifted the restriction in the 1970s, several people in the Sahtu communities died because of the outcomes of alcohol. In addition to the other causes we know about, more violence and more crimes in the homes in the communities, suicides, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, liver problems and other alcohol-related deaths and injuries due to drinking.

We had people who couldn’t get jobs, who...

Thank you, Minister, for the clarification. This then poses another question. If they were there in 2008, today is 2012. Four years later we’re finally capturing them? Shouldn’t they have been captured in 2009-2010 or 2010-2011? I guess that’s why I raise the question. I understand what the Minister is saying. Are we just a little slow in government here in capturing some of these positions? That’s just a comment for the officials in approving budgets like this. For me it seems like we’re slipping it in. That’s my comment here. We’re about four years catching up on some stuff that maybe should...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to ask the Minister of this department here, I notice we had a position added there that is in the interim appropriation here and that the added senior department, I could say ADM, why is it in here, then? Rather than go through the normal channels as we usually see it and why is it here in the interim appropriation bill?

The Minister said yesterday that the Nats'ejee K'eh treatment facility has about a 49 percent occupancy rate. Can the Minister look at that treatment program? I know the Deh Cho health services board operates that. Can he look at that as a way to increase the on-the-land treatment programs with the money that they’re not using in the other regions where the communities like Colville Lake say we want on-the-land treatment programs for the people? This is the people’s land and this is where they want to heal. Can the Minister look at that?