Sahtu

Statements in Debates

Debates of , (day 15)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister, the Premier, had indicated to us the next six to 12 months are very critical for us, the people of the Northwest Territories. Survival, I said in my Member’s statement, of a nation and of a people is critical in terms of the issue that we’re talking about here today. I’d like to ask the Premier if he would call an emergency meeting of all people, of all leaders in the Northwest Territories, to deal with this issue once and for all. Strike a plan that would see the benefits stop leaving the Northwest Territories and stay in the Northwest...

Debates of , (day 15)

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

Debates of , (day 15)

Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my Member’s statement will focus on the need to rise up as a nation of northern people and to ask ourselves a serious question: Are we going to die or are we going to wither away or are we going to survive as a nation, one North, one nation, in the face of the federal government by reaping our resources right under our land?

Mr. Speaker, I read a book titled “The Genius of Sitting Bull.” Sitting Bull used his leadership tactics to save his nation, his movement, his ways to get a goal done. Mr. Speaker, this tactic has been used today in multi-national corporations to...

Debates of , (day 15)

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Minister, and I sure appreciate the strong commitment to the people in Tulita in terms of instructing his staff to come into Tulita and talk about the freezer issue. Would the Minister commit to the people in Tulita that within a certain time frame, let's say next week, maybe on October 31st, on Halloween night, trick or treat, in terms of having this issue settled once and for all in the community of Tulita and in terms of getting them a freezer? I hope it's a treat, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Debates of , (day 15)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A promise made, a promise kept. Mr. Speaker, promises where it's going to be he said, she said, they said. You know, it's going to get into this craziness. So I would ask the Minister if he would instruct his staff to come to Tulita, talk to the people who heard and who acknowledge that a promise was made in terms of having community freezers in Tulita. I would ask the Minister if he could do that within the next week or so. Go to Tulita and talk to the people there in terms of what type of promises were made in terms of providing them with some form of freezer....

Debates of , (day 15)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've been handed a note by the president of the Renewable Resource Council in Tulita in terms of community freezers. I want to ask the honourable Brendan Bell if he has any idea as to my question here in terms of the community has been promised, similar to Paulatuk, community freezers for individuals or families that need it. So I want to ask the Minister if he's aware of such a promise, maybe by the previous government or the previous administration, in terms of community freezers for the community members in Tulita.

Debates of , (day 15)

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Premier what is his position from the government in terms of Imperial Oil or if the federal government ever decides to sell their share of the oilfield. What are the chances of the Government of the Northwest Territories to have some ownership in an oilfield, because if the Norman Wells oilfield is being sold by Imperial Oil, the first agreement says in here under the Norman Wells Imperial Oil Agreement, Imperial Oil shall give the U.S. government the option to buy half of the recoverable reserves in the proven area. So I want to ask the position of this...

Debates of , (day 15)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given that the federal government has some ownership in the Norman Wells oilfield along with some pure oil, in 1920 they struck a deal, so I don’t think they really want to give up their golden pot here to say we are going to share with our own people in the Northwest Territories. So that position, I am not too sure how strong our argument is, Mr. Premier, in terms of how we negotiate something like that. I think it is over 86 years that they have been retracting royalties from the Norman Wells oilfield. I think they own a considerable amount of dollars. I want to...

Debates of , (day 15)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly support Mr. Premier’s invitation to have Mr. Minister sit in the middle of all of our leaders so they could talk to him. Mr. Speaker, shortly after the November 9th meeting, how soon can the leaders from the Northwest Territories settle our unsettled land claims, come together and have some real discussions as to how we save this nation in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Debates of , (day 15)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, thank you very much for the comments from the Members. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to conclude, saying that when you look at this motion Mr. Premier is right; it is a strong recommendation to his government to look at working with the aboriginal governments, working with business, working with other strong leaders is the North to bring home a deal that would benefit all of us in the Northwest Territories. So we're not quite home yet in our own home here, so I'd ask the Premier to really seriously consider our recommendation from this motion.

I will ask...