Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister also commit to working with other Cabinet colleagues in terms of how they could probably put together sort of a training package, if that makes more sense in terms of the Department of Education or Aurora College, in terms of looking at a home like this in the Sahtu or any of the other communities in the North that makes sense?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just on the Bear River bridge, has the department given any consideration to ask the federal government, the Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation or the Minister of Finance within the federal government if there was a project somewhere in Canada that somehow didn’t make it or had some cancellation, can this bridge be considered as a possibility for funding, seeing if this bridge could get some support from the feds?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister is correct; there was some log construction homes done in the past and, certainly, we learned some valuable lessons in there. I think there are some companies out there now that can design certain log homes and certain people could have certain ideas as to how to build.

I would ask more specifically in terms of Colville Lake, in terms of the trappers, in terms of a similar house that they could have a very basic home that when they want to go out to the trapline, they can close down their houses and come back when they open up. Something very simple, very basic...

The one concern, that I know the department has been in discussions with the leadership in Deline is the realignment of the road from the mouth of Great Bear Lake and Bennett Field, specifically at the mouth of Great Bear Lake where there is a burial site and the department has been talking with the community in terms of moving the road off the area where the burial site is. I know the Minister has had his staff go to Deline and are going to do work.

My understanding is there was some discussion as to how soon this can get done. My previous discussion with some of the officials is that they...

Mr. Speaker, my Member’s statement today is in regards to helping the people in the Sahtu, especially the people in Colville Lake who have asked me on numerous occasions if they can build their own home, simple homes in the communities where these young families, older people that could build a simple log home, simple home in the communities that would help the GNWT with these resources. The benefits of these people in my communities in the Sahtu, again Colville Lake, is to harvest the logs and have some skill capacity development going on in the community, get people working. This would...

Thank you Mr. Chairman. I want to ask the Minister in terms of safety on the winter roads. There is 800 kilometres of winter roads between Wrigley and Colville Lake and the Minister, in the past, has indicated that safety measures were being done on the winter road by placing safety signage posts along the road. I witnessed this last winter, the contractors being out. Still there continues to need to be more signage on the roads, grade improvements on the roads, widening and realignment of the roads and I would ask the Minister that this work continue on for several more years in terms of...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to say to the Minister and the department that, certainly, there’s always huge interest in terms of infrastructure in our smaller communities, especially the ones that seem to need it more in terms of bringing down the cost of living or just have accessibility to other things similar to where communities have all-season roads. I’m just talking about the access into the Sahtu and into other communities that have roads into their communities. I just wanted to say to the Minister that we certainly appreciate the infrastructure dollars coming into our region and how it...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The comments I have would be on the projects that we have ongoing in terms of the long-term investment this department here is having in the Northwest Territories and the amount of work that is going to be carried out in different parts of the Northwest Territories and the challenges that we have with the projects that are before us. I want to ask the Minister in terms of these projects being done on time. There are certain unforeseeable incidents or circumstances that delay some of the projects. That is part of the nature of doing business in the Northwest Territories...

Mr. Speaker, I guess I am really unclear in terms of the Minister not supporting the aboriginal traditional medicine in terms of encouraging some people who would want to use this. I think it’s a view as to what is best for the people. I truly believe that what she is saying, this is the way to go; however, she hasn’t given enough evidence in terms of showing me that traditional medicine is next best to the vaccine shots that people are going to get. I guess I want to hear more encouraging words from the Minister in terms of saying to the aboriginal people and elders, yes, you can take your...

Mr. Speaker, some of the people I talked to, in my previous meetings with them, are somewhat sceptical as to the vaccine, because there were so many different reports on it and studies on it. Is the department also going to be advising the elders if they do not want to take the vaccine, that they are encouraged to use the traditional medicines -- that’s one way also -- to see if this is an acceptable method by the health centres? I am not sure if that will be a message that this Minister wants to give. I want to make sure the elders are given this opportunity to see if they would also take...