Norman Yakeleya

Can the Minister examine a strategy as to the type of lobbying tactics we can do with the Aboriginal governments, with partnerships, to begin looking at how the department then can take every opportunity with the partnerships to go down to Ottawa or have the opportunity to speak to the federal Ministers or their counterparts?

The Tuktoyaktuk committee did a fantastic job. They got $150 million. We need that type of strategy also within the Sahtu or any other portion of the Gwich’in and a little part of the Nahendeh. We need to follow into the Inuvik Beaufort-Delta area. It may take years. We...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was listening to the honourable Member for Nahendeh talk about Highway No. 7 and I was just envious of him because he’s talking about a highway that I hope someday the Sahtu people can have that opportunity to join among their fellow colleagues when they talk about highways. We want a highway.

My question to the Minister of Transportation is: Once the project description reports are completed… We’re waiting for two more and then they will go into one package to the federal regulators or the regulators who are responsible for the issuing out these permits and the other...

Thank you, Minister, for the explanation. With some of these future expenditures, are the regions also being upgraded in their computer capacity to be in line with the ePerformance or eRecruitment? I think that’s pretty well, but a lot of the communities also do not, and I appreciate the sensitivity. A lot of our communities also of Members do not use their computers or operate on their computers. Sometimes, for some odd reason, they still prefer the good old post a notice on a billboard and read it from there. But sometimes this hasn’t always been the case here. I just want to ask the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to ask the Minister, in the proposed infrastructure for this purpose, the department now is going into an electronic era of doing their business and they are going to be shortly going through phasing out the existing manuals or manual for the government department. Just like us in the Legislative Assembly, we have these iPads now, not so many of these big 4 or 5 inch binders.

I want to ask the Minister just for a very backup to the security. You know, sometimes our satellite system, our electronic system is not as reliable as we hope it would be. You know, there’s...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, December 12, 2011, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that the Speaker be authorized to set such sitting days and hours as the Speaker, after consultation, deems fit to assist with the business before the House.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister when will his department work with the board that’s responsible for the Aven Manor Centre to look at the change of policies where the communities now can bring in traditional caribou food and moose, traditional meat into that centre. I have five elders or so that are just dying to eat their traditional foods. The policy right now says no, you can’t. I know they’re willing to help. When can we get that done so I can tell people you can send fish to this long-term care facility? Our people want to eat it right now. They are just dying to eat...

I spoke to some elders in Tulita, Fort Good Hope and Colville Lake. The elders are afraid. They are afraid of the government’s policies because it violates their requirement or criteria to receive help from their family members. They are living alone. Some of them are old, they’re ill, they’re in their 70s and 80s. They’re saying if they have a family member live with them, they’re going to get punished because they’re not going to be eligible for some programs. That is so wrong. That is so against our culture, and our beliefs and upbringing. That’s what I’m asking the Minister.

Would he meet...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Part of the infrastructure is the Bear River Bridge. Is the Minister hoping to look at other options on how to fund the crucial infrastructure on the highway?

As I said, there is close to $600 million that is going to be spent in the Sahtu on oil and gas exploration. Can the Minister entertain suggestions/proposals as to how we get this crucial piece of infrastructure built in the Sahtu that would serve the people in the Sahtu and the oil companies, but also it will help the federal government? They are taking out millions, hundreds of millions from the Norman Wells...

I know the people in the Tulita district were very happy to see Mr. Ramsay in Norman Wells to receive the project description report that they completed and they’re looking forward to the couple of other ones that need to be completed.

I want to ask Mr. Ramsay what we need to do to start now getting the attention of the federal government. They’ve given the Government of the Northwest Territories $150 million to start to work on the northern portion of the highway, Inuvik to Tuk. What do we need to do now to start banging on the doors, to tell Mr. Harper, the Prime Minister, that we need to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was in the Sahtu region last year and last week and did a tour up in Fort Good Hope and Colville Lake. I missed the Wells because of the weather conditions. When I was in the Sahtu, the local contractors were getting busy and people were getting excited because they were starting to open up the all-weather winter roads into the rest of the communities and connections to the south.

I was very happy to hear Mr. Ramsay’s statement here about the progress of the Mackenzie Valley Highway and the support the 17th here has given this construction. My people are looking...