Norman Yakeleya

Mr. Chair, this motion talks about taking $114,000 from this activity and saying we will buy it ourselves within government. Take it from this pot and we’ll take it from the Right from the Start pot. Because of our philosophical and political issues, we say we don’t want to say to the corporate world thank you but we’ll fund it ourselves, we have enough money. Mahsi, but that’s okay. That’s what it’s saying, because of the philosophical issues of how we see the corporate social responsibility what they’re doing and because we need some more discussions as to government has always been...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Blake, for seconding the motion. I want to leave this motion to my colleagues to give their views on. This motion deals with the compensation of people who travel as escorts financially, emotionally, socially. Travel into our small communities is quite stressful and hectic. Travelling out of our communities is also stressful, especially on medical travel.

So, I wanted to give support to people who take patients to the hospitals in this type of situation when they travel for medical treatment. From the time I’ve known these escorts who volunteer, family...

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister inform the House… I would like to ask him if he would talk to the Minister of Justice on this issue here, because it does have some mental and health issues associated with families in our small communities who have children who have not returned back to the communities. It has caused mental anguish, some suffering to the parents and the families. That’s part of the legacy of residential school issues that we’re faced with.

Can the Minister meet with the Department of Justice and see how this issue is being dealt with by the Government of the Northwest Territories?

Mr. Speaker, during my statement I mentioned the Edmonton mayor’s plan to educate city workers about the history and impact of residential schools. The purpose is to deliver service in a more culturally sensitive manner to the city’s Aboriginal population. I think it’s a great idea.

Here at home we have incredible resources available to us: the residential curriculum produced by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. My idea is to use the curriculum in all child and family services training. Child protection workers and the supervisors should know about this history.

Can the...

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to acknowledge Mr. George Cleary, originally from Deline. Today George received a 2014 Education Hall of Fame Award.

George began his career as an educator in his early years of life. Although he moved to other professions, George continues to support educating his people in leadership roles and the importance of self-reliance and self-responsibilities.

Congratulations to George and his family on this worthwhile award.

Also along with Ms. Bisaro’s comments, I guess you’re looking at a situation where the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. Even though they’re doing the same service, even in the accountability framework, who do you report to? Who are you accountable to? We didn’t know this until the Auditor General did the audit. They brought up all these issues. So some of the issues we’ve raised with the Minister, the government. People are telling us stuff in the communities who have to deal with child apprehension or dealing with Social Services. They are telling us real stuff, things...

In fact, in a recent report in the House, the Auditor General said that child and family services are failing Aboriginal families in the Northwest Territories, so the government has a major task ahead to change the welfare system.

During oral questions I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

From the action plan and the communication plan, I’m hoping that the Minister would look at all forms of communication and methods out there, CKLB or radio, not just a website. When you look at some of the stats in the Sahtu region, not all households in the communities are hooked up to the Internet. So, we don’t have everybody going to the website and English is not always their first language. There’s a high percentage of our people. So I guess in that sense, the target area, it’s the older people, then it has to be done in Dene Kede and do it in English there. So the communication plan...

Just a comment there. Again, it goes back to the measurements of the reporting and how these are crucial in the small communities with the appropriate organizations. The Auditor General has made a scathing report on this section here, also, in terms of his findings. It’s so needed when you have children involved in the small communities. Of the thousands of children that are apprehended in the Northwest Territories, 95 percent are Aboriginal. I look, I guess, to see how these four indicators are going to improve the system in the communities with the people who are doing the work and see how...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to also comment on the type of work that the family preservations are providing and that this is something that’s been asked maybe in a different language, different forms, different concepts, but this is what I know I’ve been hearing from around the Sahtu, specifically when I met one of the community members in one of my communities that talked about having people in the community itself do its work and not be caught up in the bureaucracy of degrees or credits to education. It requires somebody to do a job.

This is the type of work that is basic, it’s simple...