Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I guess, in all fairness, we all have 10 minutes to speak and so does the Minister Premier. I guess I could speak for a few minutes on the main topic that I would like to cover in this area, and that is the lands and resource negotiations. I see that there are extra, additional resources that the Premier has spoken of, of $595,000 to the aim of finalizing lands and resources and selfgovernment agreements.

I just want to talk a bit about what I am seeing as I guess you would call it a bit of a deficiency in the process. The first one is the land use...

Marsi cho, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I want to speak on the items that appear to be most important to the communities that I represent. I have had many discussions over the years with various groups about all departments, and these are the items that were very specific to education.

The Indigenous language broadcasting, it is not an item here that I have an issue with the budget on. They have over a million dollars in Indigenous language broadcasting. It is the way in which more of the broadcasting can be spread throughout the NWT and how money could do a lot to support the communities where...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the Minister of Finance's budget speech, he mentioned there will be child and youth counsellors in the communities. I think that is an excellent initiative. I would like to ask the Minister of Health if those counsellors will be versed in addiction treatment. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Chair of Committee of the Whole leave his chair and report progress. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I speak today about the passing of Elder Violet H. Beaulieu of Fort Resolution. Violet was raised in a mission school, where she lived until she married Jonas on January 12, 1953. Violet was a very loving, dedicated woman who raised a family of nine. She also was involved in various community-focused and youth-oriented initiatives, and she worked on both committees and councils in Fort Resolution.

Violet was born in Old Fort Rae on April 5, 1932, and, sadly, passed away on October 20, 2017, at age 85. Violet was a very healthy elder, but, unfortunately, she...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Minister for that. Financial support, I think, is something that the families need. It appears as though, when individuals are on income support or if they are having trouble with the justice system, that is not quite enough money to be able to provide all of the things you need to provide for children. At the end of the day, one thing leads to another. I don't think it is coincidental that the poorest people are the ones who have their children apprehended. That is not always the case, but that is often the case. I am wondering if...

I am sort of hearing that the Department of Health and Social Services is sharing information with other social departments. I would like the minister to confirm that. Are the social departments, Housing, Justice, and the Department of Education, sharing information with Health and Social Services on the clients? Those specific clients I am referring to are people who have children in care or children in foster care.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am seeking unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Justina Black, Tyler Smith-Tsetta and Catherine Lafferty from the Dechinta University. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I move that the chair of Committee of the Whole leave the chair and report progress. Thank you, Mr. Chair.