Tom Beaulieu

Mr. Speaker, I felt one option for getting this government and the communities off on the right foot to start looking at youth issues in the communities is to look at a community based youth strategy specific to this particular community or that particular community of Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution.

I would like to follow up on this by asking the Minister if he will give me a time frame on when he can get started with the community based youth strategy.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I talked about the need for this government to look at helping smaller communities with their youth programs. I have questions for the Minister of MACA.

Mr. Speaker, last week I asked the Minister about increasing youth budgets for communities. His response was: if there’s an opportunity to increase funding for youth, that’s something he would look at. My question today is: will the Minister commit to taking action to ensure youth budgets are increased for 2009–2010?

Mahsi Cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Today I rise once again to talk about our youth. On numerous occasions I have taken this opportunity to bring attention to our youth concerns. I have talked about the need to assist communities so they can deliver community based programming. I’ve talked about youth projects. I’ve talked about the need to put youth related facilities in smaller communities. This is very important.

Mr. Speaker, I talked about the importance of hiring qualified youth workers. Hiring is the first step, and being able to keep these individuals is a critical...

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Minister for those responses. I also spoke about the Aboriginal Sport Circle and how they deliver programs in many small communities, including Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution. I’d like to ask the Minister if he could commit to increasing the Aboriginal Sport Circle budget to be in line with other territorial sporting organizations.

Mr. Speaker, I also asked about a review of the youth budgets and how they’re allocated to my communities in Tu Nedhe. I got a commitment from the Minister that he will do this.

I would like to follow up today by asking the Minister if he would give me a time frame as to when this review can be completed, keeping in mind that I’m talking about Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e.

I would like to recognize my C.A., Joe Bailey, and his brother Greg Hopf.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, will be supporting the motion. I would like to thank Mr. Bromley. I think it’s important to put good healthy food on the table, and I consider milk to be very healthy. As people in the House know, I support the youth strongly, and I’m happy to see that they will be getting a good start with milk and so on. So I, too, will support the motion. Perhaps at some point this milk subsidy can be expanded to formula and start with infants right up to 12 years old.

Will the Minister and the department agree to do a mechanical assessment of all heavy equipment in Tu Nedhe to determine what needs to be done to assist the communities to reduce capital expenditures in this area?

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I talked about the maintenance of heavy equipment assets in Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e and the need for the department to provide assistance to the communities. I’d like to follow up on my statement with questions for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Will the department work with the communities in developing much needed maintenance programs for the heavy equipment assets in both Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e?

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Today I’d like to talk about replacing heavy equipment in Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e. It has been brought to my attention that heavy equipment in Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e are being replaced much earlier than they should be due to improper maintenance. This causes communities to use their budgets to replace expensive pieces of equipment well before the equipment should be replaced.

Under the ideal situation — I’m no expert — I believe that heavy equipment should last roughly 20 years. However, due to a lack of maintenance some of...