Norman Yakeleya

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

Can the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs provide the following information on the progress and tracking of the implementation process of the Sahtu Dene and Metis comprehensive land claim (1993), specifically the chapter on economic measures?

Has the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs conducted any reviews of the economic measures chapters of other settled land claims in the Northwest Territories?

What, if any, report did the ministry have that provided a "report card" for the GNWT’s role in implementing their...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I understand the importance of the drug and alcohol and mental health workers as I was one of those people who were in that field. In terms of initiating a new program -- and I applaud the Minister for taking on this initiative and providing some level of comfort for the drug and alcohol and mental health workers -- March 31st is just around the corner, in terms of them securing some level of comfort in terms of them opting into the new initiative. I would like to ask the Minister what level of comfort can he give the mental health workers, the social...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and Social Services. In light of the new initiative this government is doing in terms of having the mental health and the alcohol workers in the communities and regions come under the wing of the health programs, can the Minister inform this House on the status of these initiatives in terms of how many agencies or people have been adopted into this program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my Member’s statement is on the Gameti spiritual healing workshop. During our visit to the Sahtu region early in February, Mr. Henry Zoe and myself had the opportunity to speak with the Deline people who at that time were talking about a cultural exchange trip on the land to Gameti. The Deline coordinator spoke on the Dene history, the passing down of knowledge to the younger generation and the essential movement to keep the traditions alive by embarking on this trip. By fundraising and seeking support from this government and other organizations, the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Will this be in the mains next year, the business cycle?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Also, would this show up next year in our business planning?

Thank you, Madam Chair. As my honourable colleague Mr. Hawkins said, we just got elected into the government in November and we took the onus to skip the business plan to deal with the budget here. Being new to the House and the system and learning as we go, I think one of the things that I’d like to say is that we have something in front of us, let’s deal with it. Good or bad, right or wrong, we have to deal with it. I knew that this government was going to be into a debt wall when I was running for Sahtu MLA and they told me about the debt wall and how would you deal with it. I never really...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my statement today, I spoke about the tremendous oil and gas development in the Sahtu. I explained how much our people need help in negotiating with the oil and gas companies in forming joint ventures and assessing and creating opportunities so that we can build that pipeline and get all the benefits we can from exploration and development. Will our Minister commit to working with the organizations in the Sahtu to determine what assistance they need in negotiations and how the department can assist them and when? Minister of RWED.

My questions are for the Minister of RWED.

In their budget, the federal government has put $75 million for northern oil and gas development. There is also another $10 million for 2004-2005 in the northern economic development strategy. Can the Minister please provide the details that explain the following?

What this funding is for?

Who can access this funding

How you can access this funding?

When this funding will be available?

What other programs does the Government of the Northwest Territories have to help the Sahtu take advantage of oil and gas development and what is the best way for...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Mr. Premier. In light of the Bear River hydro potential for power in the Sahtu, and the rest of the Northwest Territories, between now and whenever that project comes to reality, what can we tell the people in Colville Lake and other communities like Colville Lake in terms of how to reduce the cost of power in their communities? I understand that the Bear River could be a significant benefit to a lot of people in the Northwest Territories, but between now and then I would like to know what type of plans the NWTPC has in terms of reducing the cost of...