Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, along with my honourable colleague Mr. Menicoche, mentioned to the Department of Transportation and I also want to ask the Minister, once you’ve finished your discussions in Nahendeh, if they could bring their plans and their hardhats and their monies up to the Sahtu. Oh yes, we still need to build a highway in the Sahtu, so we would like to join that discussion one day down the road.

The first highway in the North was built in 1943-44 from Norman Wells to the Yukon border, famously known as the Canol Road. It was built by 30,000 men and women in 13 months. Although...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I also want to just weigh in on the issue here. We’re talking about a small sum of money versus a whole budget here and that these iPads will benefit, as Mr. Menicoche mentioned, the parents and families, so far that we can go into disciplining children in terms of how to use these iPads.

Branding has always been a marketing ploy of whatever company you have in this world. McDonald’s has a brand, Coca-Cola, you know, ever since I was growing up, Snap, Crackle and Pop, Rice Krispies. I still remember that, that’s a branding. Yes, it has always been in the industry...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have two more motions. I do apologize if you don’t have the information in front of you.

The motion certainly speaks to the procedures manual and the delivery of services to children and their families and key requirements that should be met as per the Auditor General in this part of their findings. I certainly would support that.

Again, this motion is very straightforward in regards to the type of tools that we want to develop to ensure that long-term risk to children is formally assessed properly and determine the safety of our children. It was noted in the Auditor General’s report that there were some deficiencies in this area. So, again, I look forward to the department’s work. There is a demand on here for front-line workers within the current fiscal year and that this process be expedited by other jurisdictions. I want to have the same thing as we’re asking for. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I fully support this motion. It’s very clear, as stated here, that the goal is to have our Aboriginal students in our communities in the North here take advantage of this opportunity and that there’s a support system set in place so that we support them going through the education programs, such as the Aurora College Social Work Program, and that other options also be considered to support our young students here. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the leadership certainly, again, wanted to show its appreciation to Premier McLeod and the Cabinet Ministers for making themselves available to talk about some of these important issues.

The Inuvik region companies have a big role in the design and the construction of the Inuvik-Tuk highway and local residents and businesses are benefiting a lot from the construction.

Does the Minister support a similar approach for the Mackenzie Valley Highway to make sure that local companies and residents benefit from the future construction of this Mackenzie Valley Highway?

Mr. Speaker, I certainly appreciate the update from the Minister. My constituents have duly noted the importance of the Mackenzie Valley Highway coming into the Sahtu. They want to know what’s been done. They’ve been having their meetings and have been making suggestions to the Minister. They want to know what’s been done to keep the momentum going with the Mackenzie Valley Highway so that they can start the construction on this road.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The issue here is a comment that was made by an elder in Fort Good Hope that was hoping that sometime in the future I would make a request here that the department considers looking at setting up a lab in the Sahtu, given the issues that we’re faced with today and the environmental, especially with the water issue just recently with Imperial Oil. So, Imperial Oil seeking a water licence in the amount of reusable water that’s going back into the Mackenzie River and that the elder in Fort Good Hope strongly commented to me how we would like to see a laboratory in the Sahtu...

In our region, Norman Wells has the highest rate of employment and the lowest rate of unemployment because they’re working. We have a high rate in the other communities of unemployment. Income assistance is showing that we’re spending millions of dollars to support people in subsidy programs. Businesses are ready. We have now 28 Aboriginal businesses compared to 60 in 2006.

Building infrastructure in the Northwest Territories is key. We have unprecedented industrial interest in the Sahtu region. As Mr. Ramsay said, two to three billion barrels of oil is ready to be taken out. Communities want...