Sahtu

Statements in Debates

Debates of , (day 39)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, want to say to the government not to take the cotton balls out of their ears, but take the acorns out of their ears. That’s what we are doing in the Sahtu in terms of the financial picture that Mr. Roland indicated we have. We have a wealthy territory here, Mr. Speaker. The roads that go into the Sahtu and small communities in terms of the amount of money that comes out of these regions. The picture that Mr. Roland painted for us in his budget address, we have a surplus in the small communities. I say again, some of these larger centres take the services for...

Debates of , (day 39)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the interim measures agreements forced the sandpits or something that the Yellowknives Dene want to have. There is a process in terms of resolving that within the interim measures agreement. Is that the process that this will take in terms of further interest by the Yellowknives Dene in terms of the sandpits? Thank you.

Debates of , (day 39)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, land within the municipalities such as the….We settled in the Sahtu. There was a lot of land within the hamlet boundaries that had a lot of interest and was claimed by our own people. These lands were distributed among the GNWT, the federal government and the aboriginal people. I would like to ask the Minister if he states that this interim measures agreement will stay in place until the settlement within the areas that haven’t yet been settled by the aboriginal people. Thank you.

Debates of , (day 39)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate Mr. Stephen Kakfwi on his recent appointment to the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, which was announced by the Prime Minister, Mr. Paul Martin.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, upon reading the mandate of the roundtable, Mr. Kakfwi's appointment is timely in that he has proven through his leadership ability that he will bring the northern issues to the roundtable as we expect of our other colleagues who are working on our behalf.

Mr. Speaker, we look forward to working with Mr. Kakfwi in this new role of taking our...

Debates of , (day 39)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to say to the Minister that a few weeks ago I was in Norman Wells. It was really nice to walk into the office of the Sahtu health board. It felt like a regional office that has finally come to the Sahtu region. A number of people are already staffed in that building. I want to say thank you to the Minister for working hard on the government’s behalf and the people’s behalf. I will be looking at more of the programs coming into our region for health and social services. It’s a comment, Mr. Chairman, to the Minister. Thank you.

Debates of , (day 39)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I look forward to seeing the information from the Minister regarding the usage of Telehealth. Again, I fully support this government implementing Telehealth.

The other point I wanted to mention is the electronic pilot project that the department has invested into Great Slave Medical House in Yellowknife. I think that’s a real good indication of good money going into a good project like that. I know because when I was back in Tulita, the nurses were asking for my medical records and they were all over the place. So this would go a long way in terms of the small...

Debates of , (day 39)

We have a Telehealth system and I fully support that. It should go into the smaller communities so they receive service like any other communities in the Northwest Territories that have doctors coming to see patients on a daily basis. I guess I am asking the Minister if he would make some strong suggestions to have Telehealth in these small communities. Get it off the ground and get it going. Thank you.

Debates of , (day 39)

Thank you, Madam Chair. The information that I guess I would be looking for from the Minister is regarding different physicians who come to smaller communities. We know that we wait five weeks to three months for some of the physicians to come into our communities. Sometimes people are out on the land or somewhere else and they don’t get to see that doctor that day or that week. Then they don’t see them for another three months. Mr. Chairman, is the department looking at putting some of the money towards Telehealth into our communities, which is a lot easier? I like the system. I know...

Debates of , (day 39)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my written question is for the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs.

Can the Minister outline the process for settling outstanding claims within the municipalities that don’t already have land claim settlements?

Debates of , (day 39)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to allude to the question on the access granted to the Yellowknives Dene in the municipality of the city of Yellowknife and that clarification. I would ask the Minister. This is only access to a certain parcel of land within the city. Is that correct? Thank you.