Norman Yakeleya

It would have made a difference this year if they had sewage tanks going into the Colville Lake School. I am telling you right now, if the Minister and staff went to Colville Lake, they have the sewer truck there. It is pumping out sewer in the bed and breakfast and pumping out of the band office and it is being used. For the Minister’s statement that it wouldn’t matter, I think that is a real kind of attitude to say to our community in Colville Lake it wouldn’t matter. It would have mattered, because the sewer truck now is being used in Colville Lake. They have a garage and they are using it...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to ask the Minister under the department if he could provide to me a briefing. It could be in a document, or I know I heard Mr. Guy talk about it earlier, on the situation in Colville Lake with their honey bucket matter there at the school and also at the health centre. I know the kids, 53 of them have to wait another year to use a facility that has running water in there. I’m really disappointed that it will take another year for this department to put in a proper facility in the school, and also they can look at that at the health centre too.

There is a sewer...

I just about choked in here. I didn’t know what to say. The Minister said yes right away.

I want to ask the Minister how soon he can work with us to get a research institution into Fort Good Hope to start the process of elimination of the types of cancer that are causing so much grief in the community of Radili Ko?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The people in Fort Good Hope have asked me why they have to yell so loud for help. Recognizing there are a lot of cancer deaths in the Northwest Territories, my people in Fort Good Hope in the last month have three more who have been diagnosed with cancer. That’s three more families that are affected right now. They are asking for help. Why do they have to yell so loud to this government to say bring somebody in? Let them work with the families. Let them work with the young ones. Let them understand what death and dying is all about and how hard it’s going to be for...

There’s an author that’s renowned for her work with death and cancer, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, and she talks about dealing with grief, and the general normal grief process takes about two years for the person to go through the whole grief cycle. Of course, with our Aboriginal people we have our own cultural grief ceremonies.

I wanted to ask the Minister, because there are so many deaths in Fort Good Hope, is there any way that his department can find a dedicated person to come to Fort Good Hope, stay in Fort Good Hope, and deal with the hundreds of people that are affected by one cancer death or...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to add my comments to Mr. Bromley’s to recognize Patrick. Whenever we get to Ulukhaktok, he has always been there. Welcome to the kids from Ulukhaktok. You have a very beautiful community.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree with the mover, the Member from Yellowknife, Ms. Bisaro, talking about the importance of the federal government here in the Northwest Territories on the impact of this crime bill in the Northwest Territories and the realities that it will have on us in the North here.

Looking at this crime bill, the scary part is that the bottom line is that it means people who offend will have longer times in correctional institutions and more people will stay in there. Little will be done to educate them, work with them on rehabilitation into society. It is taking them away...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

How many people in public housing units have been served with eviction notices in the last three years?

How many tenants are affected by the recent announcement on the moratorium regarding public housing arrears?

Will the Minister provide me with detailed plans, processes and procedures to assist people who have arrears, to start paying their housing debts?

My colleague from Mackenzie Delta talked about increasing the home care workers in his communities, which I support. I think we also have a solution to help the Minister help this government saying if you can allow family members to live with their elders and take care of them, some of them are fragile – some of my own relatives – allow their family members to take care of them. That’s the way my culture has based its foundation on taking care of its elders. If not, they’re going to live alone, like somebody said in Colville Lake. There was an old man who died by himself. That put a lot of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister responsible for Seniors. In our Aboriginal culture and beliefs it is a well-known fact that we take care of elders. Elders take care of the community, kind of watch over the community so that the community stays within the respect of the land, and the water and the animals. Over the years that role of elders has diminished somewhat. The basic fact is that elders are still being respected; they still need to be looked after. Over the years the policies of the GNWT have removed our elders and now they are in need of help.

I want to ask the...