Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask some questions to the Premier in regard to the Sahtu Land Claim Agreement. In our agreements we have institutions, we have set up institutions that would bring some decision-making authority and control within the Sahtu. Now with devolution and Mr. Bromley’s questions on the environmental assessments and stuff like that, will our institutions still be restricted because of the institutions that we set up? We have set them up for a reason and for a purpose. Will these institutions still be in place or is it the GNWT’s intention to take over these...

In the Sahtu they are really excited and they hope they will hear the news tonight.

What are the next steps should the vote be a successful vote?

Many years ago great leaders in Deline knew of this time and now we are watching as it unfolds right in front of our eyes today. A nation is ready to be born. Through our land claims we negotiated the first step. The second step of our land claims chapter was to negotiate our own government. Bring it home.

Self-government is all about honouring our ancestors and their words. Today, people in Deline, make your mark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This motion is very unique. I’m not too sure if I’m going to support it, because I’m allergic to mushrooms.

---Laughter

But it’s very unique and I appreciate Mr. Nadli and the seconder, Mr. Hawkins, bringing this motion forward and rekindling some of the fond memories of Mr. Dolynny as a young picker of mushrooms.

Wild mushrooms in the Northwest Territories… I mean, we have a lot of forest fires and there is lots of opportunity in the Northwest Territories. Anything we can do to support communities and looking at some analysis to be done by the government to look to see if...

The youth that we had out there, about ages 14 to 20 years old from different regions, came to the Canol and we had private sponsors. Certainly, we appreciated the sponsors from this government to take the youth. I wanted to ask the Minister, would there be an opportunity for the young people… From the report I have, some of the recommendations for them to be on the trail for 25 miles, 70 miles, 50 miles, they saw a lot out there.

Can this department sit down with the youth and ask what they’ve learned, take their recommendations and where can we put some emergency shelters, some infrastructure...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to the Minister of ITI. About eight years ago I decided that I’d like to take a hike on the Canol Trail. At that time, Premier Joe Handley wanted to come along. Basically, the idea was to take some youth out because looking at the situation of our youth and that it might be a good opportunity to talk about the youth, give them some experience about being out on the land and talking with some of the older people and the leaders and what they want to do in life. Over the past eight years this hike has become an annual event.

Given that we know more than...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For the past eight years and hopefully this summer, in July, people will tell us to take a hike, and I say I’m glad to. I hike along the Canol Heritage Trail. I hike with the young people. We’ve been doing it for the last eight years. Why take the hike? Why go with them? I look at this and I say, well, what’s the experience? From this experience, what will help the youth today? We go out to the Canol Trail, someplace, maybe at Mile 15, maybe at Mile 70, maybe at Mile 222, but we take one of these locations and we go out with the youth and we give them the opportunity...

I just wanted to let the Minister know that, as Ms. Bisaro said, this is a really huge, complex information act and, like I’ve said to the Minister sometimes, it’s communication, communication, communication in our languages in our small communities and make sure that people like grannie from Nahanni can understand. When they walk into the health centre that they know that they’re not just still going there for aspirins but they’re also going to be bringing other information for them that she needs to know what it’s all about. The legislation is not coming into effect for a while, but that...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a few things to say. First of all, it’s quite the achievement to have the governments working. We’ve come a long way from the ’60 and the ‘70s to where we are today through the many forms of consultation with the parties on this bill Even in the ‘70s this would never be heard of, even the ‘80s, until recently. I think this is a good thing, a new partnership in our governments. Through the years of people who worked towards this type of vision of working with governments, we’re still, from our small communities, looking for bigger, giant steps and, hopefully, that...

Mr. Speaker, on part of the hike, we have rules of conduct when hiking out on the trail. One of the things we thought would be good as part of the recommendations would be to put up some signs at mile 25 on Carcajou River or Twitya or Little Keele to let people know to respect the trail. They are entering into Sahtu Dene/Metis lands and to respect the Canol Heritage Trail. That’s part of the rules of conduct we have amongst our young hikers. Don’t throw garbage on the ground, take what you need to take out of there, be respectful of the area.

Is that something the Minister could look at? Maybe...