Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to continue on with the Member’s statement I presented yesterday to the House in terms of working with the elders in the Sahtu region.

I have reviewed some of my correspondence to previous governments, previous responses by Ministers and previous Member’s statements I made in regard to having this government own up and step up the plate in terms of helping their elders. I do want to say thank you to the Minister I heard today in terms of the increase to the fuel subsidy. That certainly goes a long way with our elders. However, I believe there is more to do for our...

Mr. Speaker, I would focus on page 2 of the Minister’s statement. The Minister has talked about the goals of the 16th Assembly as “a strong and independent North built on partnerships.” That’s what I’m asking the Minister here. Are we looking at really meaningful partnerships with these 200 or so participants from all the aboriginal businesses of the Northwest Territories and saying, “Yes, we can build the Mackenzie Valley Highway if we have to or we could”? That’s something that I’d like to look at.

We’re the North, strong and free. Would the Minister have some discussion in terms of how we’d...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of ITI regarding his Minister’s statement today. In terms of the 2008 NWT Aboriginal Business Conference and Trade Show next week in Yellowknife by the Denendeh Development Corporation, my question to the Minister is: will the GNWT be making a presentation in terms of the forum to the small businesses that are going to be participating in the conference?

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister commit to a time and date as to when we can expect some discussion paper so we could have some input before it circulates through the various committees and to Cabinet for some type of recommendation?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister responsible for Seniors. In terms of the question to the former Minister responsible for Seniors in July 2007, what I was asking for is a one stop shop for seniors where they would have a place to go to be helped by the government in terms of all the services and programs they are eligible for.

I want to ask the Minister again: in terms of her role, in terms of her working with the NWT Seniors Society and seniors at large and the vision for seniors, could she see her way in terms of helping find a coordinated approach? The need is for...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I take this as a very good opportunity for this government to participate in this conference put on by the Denendeh Development Corporation and have major businesspeople coming to Yellowknife to talk about their businesses and share their success stories.

I’d like to know: will the report from this conference come back from the Minister of this government and say, “This is what we learned, this is what we wanted from it, and this is why we want to introduce it into our policies after some discussion”? I think this is key, and you certainly have my support. Would we get a...

Mr. Speaker, the key words that the Minister used are “working together.” If it was working together, I wouldn’t be raising this issue.

I just came out of the Sahtu. These are the issues at Norman Wells. There’s a seniors’ house in Fort Good Hope where the floors totally need replacing. The seniors are going to be living with it through the winter if it doesn’t get replaced.

So I’m asking the Minister, in terms of having some discussion with her Cabinet through the avenues that are available, to work with them and come up with a plan that would have the seniors’ sector reorganized. Mr. Premier...

The NWT Seniors’ Society certainly does a lot of good work in the Northwest Territories. They involve the regional seniors in their meetings.

I’d like to ask the Minister if there are any discussions in the upcoming business plan, any type of discussion on the new initiatives that are initiated by this government in terms of looking at the possibility of putting together a discussion paper on the seniors’ secretariat, because that will benefit the people in the region in terms of how to work with the seniors at a more respectful level.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the weekend I had the opportunity to host three elders from the Sahtu who were in Yellowknife for the Roman Catholic district celebration for the bishop.

In the time I spent with the elders and my family here, I had the opportunity to talk with the elders about living in the small communities. From time to time people come to Yellowknife and go back to the communities. They see the opportunities they have here in Yellowknife. They couldn’t believe the prices they pay at the OK Economy or the Co-op, or the gas, or the opportunities they have here.

They provided my...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table two documents. The first document is Taking Care of the Land in the Sahtu Region, August 7 to 9, 2007. The second document is Finding Balance: Strength from the Past, Strength from the Future.

Document 97-16(2), Taking Care of the Land in the Sahtu Region, tabled.

Document 98-16(2), Finding Balance: Strength from the Past; Strength from the Future, tabled.