Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services a question on the proposal by Fort Good Hope in terms of the proposal that they put forward on a prevention and health promotion worker in Fort Good Hope. The Minister and I had a visit to Fort Good Hope. The proposal was drafted and given to her and the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I want to ask the Minister what is the status in terms of that proposal.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to speak in support of a request from the community of Fort Good Hope that the government reinstates the position for prevention and health promotion worker in the community.

Chief Arthur Tobac, the chief of K’ahsho Got’ine Band, believes that the lack of programs and services to support parents and young people in Fort Good Hope is holding the students back. He was very appreciative of the leadership taken by the Culture and Education department Minister at the Minister’s forum on Aboriginal achievement and education and at the Department of Health...

Mr. Chair, I want to ask the Minister about the diabetic program and the community programs for the Sahtu and the funding that’s going into our communities for diabetic educational prevention, treatment programs. Is the department increasing their funding as diabetes is increasing in my region and would we see a Sahtu home-grown diabetic program in the years to come? Right now our program is offered, I believe or I think, in Yellowknife and Inuvik and they’re administrating this program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I’ve listened over the years and listened to a number of Members’ statements, listened to the government’s position on high school graduates in our small communities, especially in our small communities, Mr. Speaker. In 2009 the Northwest Territories-wide graduation rate was 53 percent. For smaller communities it was at 38 percent, Mr. Speaker.

Knowing these numbers, we are doing a disservice to our smallest communities, especially the students. Most of those who graduate, Mr. Speaker, too many of them have to go back to Aurora College...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I bring up one specific issue in Fort Good Hope; there are many in the Sahtu on helping the elders. Maybe in other communities they may be the same. I am asking the Minister if she is now looking at the 17th Assembly to look at this. Is there anything in the works that could bring this discussion? I know we are both hoping to do it right away. Can the Minister look at some type of paper or discussion as to how we could help the seniors on various issues?

That’s the point I want to make with the Minister. What mechanisms would make her familiar with some of the issues that the different departments have to deal with seniors? It seems like things are still not quite yet connected as the Minister responsible for Seniors, in terms of giving them a strong voice within the departments to tell the Housing go to Fort Good Hope, fix this senior’s house up. This senior’s wife is crippled. The senior was living on the land. The senior comes back and yet the house is not done. What is this Minister doing to make sure that there’s a strong voice for the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister in terms of the timelines. It is usually about springtime, I guess, and hoping that by then can I get a commitment from this Minister that we would have a person in Fort Good Hope that is hired and working in the community to help with the youth on their issues and work with the families.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister inform the House as to when the position will be recruited and hired for Fort Good Hope?

Thank you. I’d like to recognize a friend, Delores Lacorne.

The point I wanted to make, again, reflects to the many priorities within health care, many priorities within this specific budget item we’re talking about and that health care is not quite equal across the North here and they’re doing their best. I know that some of the health centres have the technology to hook up with some of the other larger hospitals to look at issues such as diabetes. My point is, I’m hoping that this Minister, within the life of this government, makes some strong recommendations to look at the seriousness of diabetes in our small communities and makes some strong...