Debates of August 23, 2007 (day 16)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, being the last day of our sitting of this Assembly, we’ve still got another week of work yet before the writ is dropped and the Ministers still have their caps on as Ministers until we get a new Cabinet sworn in in October. Mr. Speaker, I was thinking about things to say to the Ministers last night and I was tossing and turning. Gee, I had a hard time to sleep, tossing and turning about what to say to the Ministers.

---Laughter

So I go up and I read a book and, Mr. Speaker, in the book that I read there was a quote there by the author and the author said when you become a leader, you lose the right to think about yourself. I thought about that, what does the author say? I remember an elder in Tulita saying when you become an MLA, you speak for us. You use your talents, your gifts, your passion and you say things for us, not for yourself. If you say things for yourself, your words are weak; but if you say things for your people, your words are strong and can support you.

Hear! Hear!

So the Ministers, they represent all of us in the Northwest Territories.

Northwest Territories!

You speak for us in terms of national, territorial issues that benefit all of the people in the Northwest Territories. I want to say that when this quote came up that it made so much sense.

As Ministers, I want to thank you on behalf of the people in the Sahtu for coming into my region for making some difference, making some impacts and having some sense of where the people in the Sahtu are coming from when we come together in meetings, when you come to visit us at our homes. I know some Ministers came to some old people’s homes and sat beside some old grannies or grandpas and sat and had tea with them and looked at them and talked with them, even had translators. The Minister, you know, this morning I went to see an uncle of mine in the hospital right now -- he’s probably watching us -- and he said that the Minister made a good decision to support the moosehide tanning, he’s supporting it. You don’t know what type of decision you made for people in the Northwest Territories, for our culture.

Major.

It’s a major decision and it will pay off in the long run, Mr. Bell.

---Applause

I want to say that Mr. Roland…Mr. Speaker, I’d like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, honourable colleagues. I wanted to say to Minister Roland, Minister McLeod and Minister Krutko, and the other Ministers, you have made a difference in my people. I know there’s some tough decisions and there’s policies, but there’s also heart. I wanted to thank you for looking in there and making those tough decisions sometimes. Our people really appreciate that.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I wanted to say to Mr. Handley, I really appreciated his statement yesterday saying I think we have to stop acting like little grandchildren of the Department of Indian Affairs and the federal government, and start being like a government and make our decisions. I think, Mr. Handley, that that’s a voice that I’ve wanted to hear so long that we, as people of the Northwest Territories, have to stand up, like Mr. Miltenberger said, recognize that we are a government, we’re up here and we’re going to do things in the northern way, made in the Northwest Territories and stop getting treated like a little orphan of the federal government. We are people, we need to be free. Set our people free, Mr. Harper. Thank you.

---Laughter

---Applause