Tom Beaulieu

I’d like to recognize Agatha Laboucan and Elizabeth Ann McKay from the local housing organizations in Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution.

I encourage the Minister to put that provision in the contracts. I think it’s very important. There are a small percentage of people in the communities that could use those materials and assist their own housing needs even though they may not be eligible for the regular programs. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, there is a lot of work being done in the public housing area in the area of replacements and retrofit and possibly, well, replacement is new public housing units. I recognize that retrofits are just maintaining the same units and retrofitting them if they’re within economical repair, and the ones that are being replaced, my assumption is that they’re beyond economical repair. Is there any possibility that those units could be put essentially on the market for individuals that perhaps could do some renovations to the unit and keep the unit or the corporation assisting maybe this...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker...[English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about aboriginal language programs in Akaitcho, which Tu Nedhe is a part of, and the need to increase support for these programs.

Mr. Speaker, in the riding of Tu Nedhe there is a combined aboriginal population of around 95 percent. However, the actual number of Chipewyan-speaking residents is becoming less and less every year. Mr. Speaker, speaking the language is important for keeping the culture alive. Speaking the language allows elders to pass on important traditional practices...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the past there was some funding for the communities that were used for training translators, interpreters and so on. Will the Minister commit to returning money to the communities for training for aboriginal languages by increasing the necessary core funding to support training in the communities as opposed to at more of a territorial level? Thank you.

I’d like to thank the Minister for that response. Mr. Speaker, does the Minister recognize that the sum of $17,000 funding allocated to each Akaitcho community is insufficient to do what the communities need to do with an aboriginal language program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Snookie Catholique, former resident of Lutselk’e.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I, too, felt it was quite an experience to review the act because of the nature of the work that we did as a committee to go through and review the act and talk to the communities about how the act has impacted on the lives of some of the community members that came out and spoke at our meetings. I agree with the comments made by the two previous committee members and the people that supported us in our review.

Also, in addition to what they said, I’d like to thank the people that we worked with in Alberta. It was a good way to start to see what works down there. With...

Mr. Speaker, although the 10-year Akaitcho Aboriginal Languages Plan was fully implemented, they received less than 3.5 percent increase in funding over that 10-year span. This is not enough. Will the Minister commit to increasing the base funding for this program that’s run in Akaitcho? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I talked about the need to provide more funding for aboriginal programs in the Akaitcho. I have questions for the Minister responsible for aboriginal languages, the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Jackson Lafferty.

Does the Minister recognize that keeping the regional languages committee alive is a vital part of preserving the aboriginal languages?