Tom Beaulieu

Could I get a quick explanation of what the process is to determine lease versus build?

Mr. Speaker, I’m glad the Minister is prepared to review this policy. The high price of gas is having an immediate impact on our harvesters. We have mineral exploration resource development, hydro expansion, tourism; even global warming has an impact on wildlife. My Tu Nedhe riding is being hit from all sides. I would like to ask the Minister if he will commit during the review to help develop a traditional harvester strategy for Tu Nedhe communities.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On October 8 I talked about the importance of traditional foods and how the high cost of living is impacting the practice of harvesting traditional foods. I would like to follow up my statement today with questions for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell this House what programs, if any, this department currently has in place to assist subsistence hunters, not trappers, with traditional harvesting activities?

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise this House if he’s willing to look at an allocation model that is based on percentage of need, and not on the number of people who need housing, community by community — in effect, allocating to communities most in need?

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today in my Member’s statement I talked about Housing Corporation programs. I have questions for the Minister.

Can the Minister advise this House if he is willing to create or revitalize programs that are more congruent to smaller, non-market communities?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. It seems that my riding is a low priority when compared to other communities. I have a highway that is below standard. I have dust problems in both communities, drainage problems and much needed chipsealing in both communities and much, much more.

In this respect the government is failing my communities. The goal is simple, Mr. Speaker: to increase infrastructure dollars in the Tu Nedhe riding. The solution is a cooperative approach with the Minister, the communities and myself to develop a new infrastructure plan for each community. Later today I...

Will the Minister commit to reviewing the situation and working with other Ministers to see what can be done as far as the whole deferred maintenance for community infrastructure?

I’d like to recognize the two pages from Fort Resolution: TJ Fordy and Morgan Unka.

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

Mr. Speaker, since being elected MLA for Tu Nedhe in October of last year, I have worked with numerous Ministers and both communities to get a clear picture of the infrastructure needs of Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e. After learning that no project has been allocated to Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e over the next three years, or the balance of this 16th Assembly, I’m now pursuing a mandate to increase infrastructure dollars in my riding.

According to the plan, the community of Fort Resolution will receive zero dollars, while Lutselk’e...

Mr. Speaker, will the Minister conduct a meeting with me and each of the communities to discuss the development of the new community specific infrastructure strategy? There seems to be a vast difference between the smaller and the larger communities as far as community infrastructure goes. If the Minister could commit to that.