Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS, the people of the Northwest Territories desire a self-reliant future within the Canadian federation to enjoy the same freedoms as other Canadians in determining their own affairs and priorities;

AND WHEREAS the people of the Northwest Territories desire to have a prosperous future for ourselves and our children, based on the wise management and sharing of the wealth of our lands and waters, and the hard work and the resourcefulness of our people;

AND WHEREAS the anticipated royalties and taxes resulting from current and prosperous mineral and hydrocarbon resource...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to also recognize the honourable Member from Newfoundland/Labrador for visiting us. Also the hard-working nurse who also takes care of the Sahtu patients at the Stanton hospital, Susan MacInnis. I also recognize that today is the birthplace of ice hockey in Deline.

---Laughter

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Friday, October 27, 2006, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that this Legislative Assembly strongly recommend that the Government of Canada, the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Northwest Territories aboriginal governments reach a fair and equitable agreement-in-principle before the next federal budget; and further, that, for the sake of the future generations of northerners, all northern leaders set aside their differences and work together to achieve an agreement that will...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if we had resource revenue sharing we could give everybody two freezers in the whole Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would ask if the Minister would continue on with this commitment to look into this issue and come back to the people in Tulita in terms of looking at the options of what they were promised. People in the community knew and had asked me. They said there was a promise made and to date nothing has ever come about in terms of our community freezers. Maybe something where they have chest freezers, I believe they're called. So they're waiting for a promise to be fulfilled by this government.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree with Mr. Premier that it should be ours, rightfully ours. When does this government give anything away for free? The U.S. government said they were addicted to oil, so I don't think they're going to give anything away either. Again, Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Premier in terms of the Norman Wells oilfield in terms of the issue of staying on the table. Would the transfers and the resource royalties coming from that field, would the Premier again sit down with the negotiators, sit down with the leaders and get us the oilfields back and not have it back...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of the Norman Wells oilfield is an issue where the federal government has their cake and they're eating it too, and they're just throwing us the crumbs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to continue on with my questions to the Premier in terms of the human resource revenue sharing and devolution agreements. I want to talk about some of the outstanding issues that are still on the table. I want to specifically make reference to the Norman Wells oilfield revenue and the position of this government that is given to our negotiators in terms of what is the status and what is our position in regards to the Norman Wells oilfield. Thank you.

We must join together, as the elders have said. We must join together like the arrow, and the arrowhead being us leaders and the stem of the arrow being our people. We shoot with the support that we have from them. And the bow being our elders to support us for what we're going to do for our people, and to guide us and to know who to work with. And our children being the people, as little as they are, but as innocent and honest as they are, shooting the arrow for us. They're a gift from God and I believe in miracles. I think miracles can happen. Look at your own children. They're...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I certainly support the Premier’s comments in terms of all northerners have a stake in this nation here. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Premier if he would invite the regional director, Mr. Bobby Overvold, also to this very important meeting, because he is a key person in this whole issue of devolution and resource revenue sharing. He can give us insight as to how Ottawa is behaving towards the Northwest Territories and explain why this craziness in terms of why we are not having a devolution and resource revenue sharing deal in the North today....