Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, stand here in favour of the motion that my colleague Mr. Yakeleya has presented before us. Language is the foundation of our traditions and cultures. It’s the starting point where we start moving forward, and to continue to keep our traditions and cultures thriving and growing in our communities.
Right now the data shows that our languages are depleting, near extinction for some of the languages, and those need to be addressed. Furthermore, there are other languages that are on the borderline. Those are the ones that we need to take notice of now, before they come into those areas of concern, which we don’t want to happen.
I’m in favour of this motion, and I hope that government proceeds and we can start taking action so that, like I said, one day some of the Members in here can do a Member’s statement in their own language, and same with the Ministers.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of this motion as well. I support diversity in all its ways, and one of the biggest ways that we are really strong in, particularly in the Northwest Territories, is our diversity of cultures and languages. There is so much knowledge and ways of seeing the world that we need that are wrapped up in languages, that we need to do whatever we can to help these languages survive and thrive. I back up my colleague from the Deh Cho, noting that there’s a big role for families, and parents and elders in this role.
There’s no doubt now, based on the new science, that the potential for learning language is most strongly developed within the few months before birth and 12 months after birth. There’s a clearer indication of the need to focus on early childhood opportunities, and I know the department is working, the government is working in some ways there in terms of the Language Nests to function on young people, but it really needs to happen in the home and the community itself. I think this motion will move us in that direction, and on that basis I support the motion and thank my colleagues for bringing it forward.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Merci, M. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
…for bringing forward today what I think is an important motion, which I’ll be voting in favour. I started off in my native tongue of French, and not because I feel confident that I have a secretariat in French, but moreover that I know there’s security in my language moving forward. I think, in essence, this is what this motion is looking at, is security.
Not to reiterate what we’ve heard today from some of the Members here, we talked about the importance from the justice system, the medical system, which I think is utterly important. We talked about culture. I want to just hone in on that culture piece a little bit. We need to preserve our Aboriginal languages. They are unique and irreplaceable. They are, in essence, part of our global heritage that we have to maintain. Aboriginal identities are tied to their languages, and without language we are putting cultures at risk, not just language.
We are identified as Northerners by our languages. We should be proud of that uniqueness on a global scale. Our Aboriginal languages are every bit part of our nationalism that need to be preserved. We need to preserve this language of our people. We need to keep these languages alive and useful; otherwise, our own identity as Northerners could be lost forever. When they’re lost forever, they will not come back.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
I would just like to say thank you to the Members on this motion. This initiative is already in the works with my Department of Education, Culture and Employment. We’re already proceeding with this. A proposal for the creation of the Aboriginal languages secretariat will be brought forward for consideration in 2012-2013 business planning session. We will continue our efforts to seek increased funding from the federal government through the negotiation of a multi-year Language Funding Agreement. I look forward to continuing to work with the Members on establishment of the Aboriginal languages secretariat, and thank them for their support in our consistent lobbying of the federal government to increase funding in this important area.
As this is a recommendation to the government, Cabinet will abstain from voting.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. I’ll allow closing comments to Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like I said at the beginning of this motion here, this motion is to support, to nudge the government on the establishment. It talks about some of the things that we think can be looked at when you start developing this secretariat. Not just two people, maybe 15 people or so. Give you some ideas.
I know you’re going to come back in the future on this secretariat. We don’t know when. Monies are introduced and monies sometimes disappear. We want to put this on the radar for the government, that this is an important enough issue here that it stays within the books with the finances. It’s not something we can willy and dilly and take it out. This motion here is so serious that we have to bring up a motion to say keep going, keep doing what you have to do, put the proper resources in there.
When my mother was alive, she worked with the community health representative for over 30 years. She was translating for somebody in the hospital, after 30 years of working in the health centre, and she said that she didn’t understand how to translate certain internal organs of a patient. She had a tough time. This is after 30 years, growing up in the bush, coming off and speaking the language really well. The doctor came in, made the assumption, assumed you know what I’m talking about. My mom said, you know what? I’ve been here over 30 years, the doctor said this and he just expected I do this. How dare he did that to my mother. But my mom said, that’s my job. She tried to explain to the elder what the doctor wanted to know about that part in his body. She couldn’t get it.
The story here is that my Mom phoned a dear friend in Fort Simpson, Albertine Rowe, and said, how do you translate this in South Slavey? The doctor wants to know. How do I translate that to the elder? Albertine said – God bless her heart – well, look at it like when we skin a moose and take the moose apart. We have words for the inside organs for moose, just like a human being. If you tell that to the hunter, the old man, because he’s skinned so many moose in his life, he would know what you’re talking about and that’s the part you’re talking about inside his body. My mom said, okay. So that’s what she did.
I guess that’s what we’re asking about: specific terminology for our people. That’s what our people want through the secretariat. Give them the dignity of first peoples on this land. This is their land and their language is their culture and it’s their heart. That’s who they are. If we do it no less than that, we’re doing a disservice to our people. That’s what I’m saying. Our people’s voices are strong and powerful. So strong. Very, very strong. We don’t have this secretariat to help the government, us, honour their language and we’re not doing any service to them. We’ve got to put it back in. That’s why we wanted to nudge the government with this secretariat. Let’s do that. Let’s honour and recognize the culture of the Aboriginal people, or the French people, as my friend has talked about. Let’s be equals amongst us here. Our language is our future.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Member has asked for a recorded vote. All those in favour, please stand.
Mr. Yakeleya, Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Blake, Mr. Dolynny, Ms. Bisaro, Mr. Nadli, Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Menicoche, Mr. Moses, Mr. Bromley.
All those opposed, please stand. All those abstaining, please stand.
Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Abernethy, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. McLeod – Yellowknife South, Mr. Lafferty, Mr. Ramsay, Mr. McLeod – Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Jacobson – no.
---Laughter
No problem. The recorded vote: all those in favour, 10; all those opposed, zero; abstentions, seven.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that Bill 3, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2011-2012, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Bill 3 has had first reading.
BILL 4:
SUPPLEMENTARY APPROPRIATION ACT
(INFRASTRUCTURE EXPENDITURES),
NO. 3, 2011-2012
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that Bill 4, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2011-2012, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Bill 4 has had first reading.
---Carried
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that Bill 3, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2011-2012, be read for the second time.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. To the principle of the bill.
Question.
Question has been called. Bill 3 has had second reading.
Mr. Miltenberger.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that Bill 4, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2011-2012, be read for the second time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill makes supplementary appropriations for infrastructure expenditures for the Government of the Northwest Territories for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. To the principle of the bill.
Question.
Question has been called. Bill 4 has had second reading.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that Bill 3, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2011-2012, be read for the third time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Bill 3 has had third reading.
Mr. Miltenberger.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that Bill 4, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2011-2012, be read for the third time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Bill 4 has had third reading.
Colleagues, today we will conclude the Second Session of the 17th Legislative Assembly. Although this has been a fairly short sitting, it’s been jam packed with meetings, briefings, legislation and your constituency work. I see that you have met over breakfast, lunch and a few dinners, putting in very long days to get the job done.
I know our constituents don’t often see that side of our work as Members here at the Legislative Assembly. For those of us from outside of Yellowknife, our time here is filled with work related to the Assembly agenda. We have to take advantage of the time that we are here, and that means we have very busy and long days as Members.
I want to thank all the Pages who have helped us during this session. They make our jobs easier and I hope they enjoy their experiences here at the Assembly as much as we enjoy having them here.
I’d also like to take the opportunity, on behalf of all Members, to say good luck to those competing in the Arctic Winter Games which are taking place in Whitehorse, Yukon, this coming March. The Arctic Winter Games is a special celebration of sport and cultural values in northern regions around the world.
To the NWT athletes who are participating: You are all winners in our eyes! Good luck and enjoy your experience.
I don’t want to forget all the volunteers who trained and supported our athletes here in the Northwest Territories. Support from folks like that makes our games so successful. Thank you all for your efforts that you do for our youth.
By the time we meet again, colleagues, when this House returns in May, it will certainly be spring and that’s goose hunting, usually, for us back home, but we’ll be here. It will certainly be spring. Already the days are longer and the sun is stronger. As you return to your homes and families, I hope you are able to take some time and enjoy them, enjoy our northern spring. Get out and hunt and fish, or just get out on the land and put your work here in this Legislative Assembly into perspective and who we work for.
I wish you all safe travels. As you leave today, I look forward to seeing you back in the Chamber in May. Safe travels to all your families. If you have any problems, call me.
Mr. Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, good afternoon.
I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the recent passing of three prominent Northerners. I acknowledge the passing of a former Member of this Legislative Assembly, a former scholar, activist and politician, Robert Williamson, who passed away at the age of 80 on Sunday, February 12, 2012. Mr. Williamson was the first elected Member for the then newly formed Keewatin riding, later known as the Central Arctic riding, and was a Member of the 5th and 6th Assemblies of the Northwest Territories Council from 1966 to 1970.
I will also acknowledge Bishop John Sperry and Ken Look, a friend and former colleague from my time as a CBC broadcaster.
These three fine gentlemen were well respected and each contributed so much to the development and to the social fabric of the North. On behalf of the people of the Northwest Territories, I extend our sincere condolences to the families of Bishop Sperry, Mr. Look and Mr. Williamson.
This year is the Diamond Jubilee for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada. Our celebrations of this special anniversary will include public events to be planned throughout the year, as well as taking part in the national Diamond Jubilee Medal program.
We have information about how to nominate someone for the Diamond Jubilee Medal program, photos and jubilee activities across the territory. You will find all of this on the GNWT’s website; just click on the Queen’s jubilee banner. For those of you without access to a computer, please contact my office.
