Norman Yakeleya

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, November 7, 2013, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Tabled Document 4-17(5), Northwest Territories Electoral Boundaries Commission 2013 Final Report, be referred to Committee of the Whole for consideration today.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to stand down the rules pertaining to our orders and proceed directly to item 14, tabling of documents.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Chair, the motion here is one that seems to be the simplest or logical to come to a decision to deal with this issue here. That, for me, is not right. We are looking at rejigging the line within the Yellowknife riding. It will be an issue, as the Member already talked about it, and it’s not going to resolve an issue for the Monfwi people. They’re still at plus 39, so rest assured that there’s a high possibility of a court challenge coming from the Tlicho people of their representation in the Legislative Assembly.

I believe this motion has a disregard for the people, the culture, the land...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The comments in the House here are well put, well presented by the speakers. The commission went throughout the Northwest Territories and talked to the people. I want to thank them for their continuous support to do what’s right for the people of the Northwest Territories with the mandate they had. It’s because of us here in the Assembly that’s given the mandate to the commission.

I want to say that the report that came back certainly poses a lot of questions to us as legislators and that the numbers and recommendations that came to us certainly challenges our opinions and...

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 44 and proceed with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 44 and proceed with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the Northwest Territories Electoral Boundaries Commission 2013 Final Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I also agree with the last two speakers in that we need to take some breathing room out of this discussion right now. I thoroughly enjoyed the debate on the recommendations from the Electoral Boundaries Commission, and I certainly agree with the comment that the MLAs here need to be the final ones to put the stamp on something important as this, and we need to sit back and look at how we see our jobs as we put our names on the ballot box so that the people vote for us to make decisions, and this one here just needs to take some backroom breathing room and look at it and...

Thank you, Madam Chair. This motion here speaks to reviewing this whole issue again. This is a very important motion. The work done by the Boundaries Commission is very important. I feel the commission is just doing the numbers. It isn’t looking at the essence and importance of culture, language and boundaries of the land. When they make suggestions like moving two nations of people together, which don’t come to agree on a riding, that’s not good. That’s too constrictive, too limited. They should be really looking at the importance of the language and culture.

Madam Chair, we even heard last...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just on the point of the TB case I made reference to is because I looked at the factors. One of the factors is the condition or suitability of the house and the high number in Colville Lake, where the percentage is 97 percent with housing problems. That could be a leading factor to the TB case that we had in Colville Lake.

Are there any types of initiatives where the people could challenge the people in the Sahtu, in the Northwest Territories, to look at how we can put more houses in the communities such as something that is a very well program run? They have a program...