Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was very pleased to hear the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation announce a freeze on the evictions for public housing tenants who have arrears. I wanted to ask the Minister when will this policy come into effect and what steps will the people who have arrears have to take to address them between now and April 2012.

I want to thank the Minister and this government for a good Christmas present for the people in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This afternoon I was going to do a Member’s statement on the school in Colville Lake and the health centre with their honey bucket system that they have there – it doesn’t smell too good – but I want to change that to what I just heard from the Minister of the Housing Corporation talk about: the moratorium on the arrears with the people in the Northwest Territories.

I think the Minister made a good statement. It’s Christmas and maybe that’s a gift to the people in the public housing units, that they have a huge present from the Government of the Northwest Territories for...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Minister has presented us, I guess, an eye opener in terms of what our needs are in the Northwest Territories and what type of funding we are going to look at for the next year. We understand that our needs are higher than the revenue that’s coming into the Northwest Territories. We are very happy that the federal government is contributing to the Mackenzie Valley Highway, through their recent announcement of working on a portion north of Inuvik and they already started the Tuk to Inuvik road. We, as government, are supporting this process through allocating $1...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS Their Excellencies the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, and Mrs. Sharon Johnston, as part of their first trip to the Northwest Territories, will be visiting the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, December 8, 2011, and have expressed an interest in addressing the Assembly;

AND WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories has the authority to waive any of its rules, procedures, customs or precedents;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that notwithstanding any rules or usual practice of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just for clarification, I’m asking about our own staffing, I’m not asking about the federal staffing. That is the post-evolution and post-impact agreement. I’m asking about our people, how we’re going to get our people here working with us as an independent office, or an office that we could use in Ottawa.

Certainly, I hope that the Cabinet or the Premier is looking at some guidelines, because that’s how the system works.

I know when I was the chief negotiator, again, that the Treasury Board gave us a guideline and this is the amount, this is the agreement, you reach it and when you get there, you go to your people and ask if you want to accept the deal or not. The other part of it goes into implementation.

Would the Premier look at, with the Aboriginal governments, a timeline. I heard it from your other Cabinet Ministers that the amount of money that’s leaving the Northwest Territories, there’s...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My line of questioning is with the Aboriginal government that we had this historic meeting last Friday, and also that the biggest issue, I guess, on the people’s minds is the working relationship and the Devolution and Resource Revenue Sharing Agreement that was signed in the 16th, and the time frame to conclude that agreement with the federal government.

This territorial government indicated that Members had talked about the amount of dollars that are leaving the North. They talked about the control being yet in Ottawa, with some still staying in the Northwest...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when the House adjourns on October 28, 2011, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, December 7, 2011;

AND FURTHER, that any time prior to December 7, 2011, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Extended adjournment of the House to December 7, 2011. I give notice that on Monday, October 31, 2011, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when the House adjourns on October 28, 2011, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, December 7, 2011;

And further, that any time prior to December 7, 2011, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier...

That’s something we can talk about. The Premier has put up some very good arguments, but realistically you go to Yellowknife and how long are you here? You can go around any block. You can go to small communities, visit. We have to get realistic here. It’s really good to see Cabinet Ministers when they come into my region. You visit me. I really appreciate that. We’ve had some good meetings with the previous government here. It’s realistic. Sometimes you may not want to travel to our communities because of the weather and other functions, but when they can do it, they can do it. You can go to...