Norman Yakeleya

This is where I’ll see it when I believe it. It’s been a commitment by this government, the past government, through all the governments and the Ministers to get palliative care beds in that community. I just don’t know what’s going on over there to get the beds that they need over there.

So I want to ask the Minister again, can he assure this House and assure the elder up there, assure the people in Deline that we’re going to go beyond just saying we’re going to get it, we’re actually going to put palliative care beds in the community, because from this side here it’s quite frustrating to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the need for palliative care beds in Deline. I’ve been working with three Ministers so far and we’re trying to figure out why it’s such a struggle to get palliative care beds in that community so that loved ones can live out their dying days amongst their people. Why is it taking so long?

Mr. Speaker, I once again rise to recognize a wise elder, Mr. Andrew John Kenny from the Deline First Nation government.

I appreciate the Minister’s willingness to look at school boards and school jurisdictions, but he’s the Minister of Culture and I’m talking about culture in a general sense. Of all the Ministers here and the departments they hold, all government employees need to know. I’m looking at the focal point of the Minister of Culture to look at all this within our region, within our communities and within our culture. All employees should know about the protocol. When something like this, a respected elder has passed or something has happened in our community, all employees should know. This is not...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. In my Member’s statement I talked about a community that has to deal with grief and loss.

I want to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment how many of our GNWT employees in our regions know about the protocol when there’s an elder, a respective loved one or someone in our communities has passed away.

Do our employees know what is to be expected when something terrible like this has happened in our communities?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to pay respect to the Sahtu people who have lost their loved ones and offer our sincere condolences. To lose one is a painful experience one goes through. Often our elders tell us that life is precious and we don’t know when the Creator wants us back home in his kingdom. After all, we are his children in the end.

Life and death are two great mysteries that we wonder about in life. Where did we come from and where are we going in between these two spectrums we call life, God’s gift to us?

When someone we love with all our heart passes on, it brings all kinds...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly would endorse the Minister’s commitment to bring this back to the region.

Would the Minister consider a strong cultural elders advisory group in the region to help our employees, help our people understand the reasons why we have these certain protocols and reasons why we do different ceremonies such as the grieving ceremony? It’s a very powerful one. If we don’t understand it, we become ignorant about it.

Would the Minister consider, through the department of culture, formulating an elders council in our region, like the Sahtu, to guide us in our daily work...

Then I would ask the Minister if he would do a survey, conduct a test to see how well our employees respect our culture such as this type of situation, because I beg to differ from the Minister’s experience or opinion as to how our employees are respecting our culture when something like this has happened in our communities.

I want to ask the Minister if he’s willing to look at that in his department with all government employees, because I do not see that picture as the Minister has painted in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Andrew John Kenny from the Deline Got’ine Government. Andrew John has been an elder and a guide for me for the last 12 years in the Legislative Assembly, and I’d like to recognize his commitment and dedication to the Sahtu people.

Mr. Chair, if they could do it sooner, we’d appreciate it.

---Laughter