Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. At the appropriate time today, I will table our action plan, “A Shared Path Towards Wellness – Mental Health and Addictions, 2012-2015.”
The new action plan will help improve mental health and reduce addiction in the NWT. A Shared Path Towards Wellness will create a more efficient system that will allow residents to receive assessment, treatment and support services when and where they need them. The three-year action plan builds on the existing system and incorporates innovative ideas from our stakeholders to better coordinate and integrate our services.
The action plan has three key elements.
The first is community focus and engagement. Communities have said that they are in the best position to determine their own culturally appropriate solutions. This plan will let communities drive and guide community-based mental health and addiction programs with our support, not the other way around.
The second key element is collaborative partnerships with other departments and agencies. This plan ensures that departments and agencies will work collectively to address mental health and addiction issues. An example is ensuring that effective additcions programming is available for residents in our correctional facilities.
The third key element is to develop an integrated continuum of care. The action plan will be building upon our existing integrated services delivery model. Service will be integrated to ensure that
front-line service providers will work together. There will also be integration from community-level services through regional services to territorial services to create a seamless system. While every effort will be made to make services available at the community level, there will still be some specialized services that can be more efficiently delivered at the regional or territorial level.
Mr. Speaker, this action plan was developed by engaging key stakeholders in the addiction and mental health fields. It included health care professionals, social services professionals, GNWT departments, Aboriginal governments and community groups. We also talked to people from across the territory who have experienced mental health and addiction issues and have been clients in our system. I would like to thank everyone involved in the creation of this action plan.
This action plan sets out the direction we will be heading during the next three years. It already builds on work the department is doing to strengthen our service delivery by focusing on four goals:
promoting understanding, awareness and acceptance;
focusing on the person;
improving the availability of services; and
improving the effectiveness of services.
The strategy will lead us to expand culturally appropriate on-the-land healing programs delivered by communities. It will support offering more community-based addictions treatment programs like the Matrix program in Fort Smith. It will ensure that existing services like the Nats’ejee Keh Treatment Centre and detoxification services are effective.
We have heard from so many people that addictions is the key issue in the NWT. We know that addictions break families apart, destroy communities and rob individuals of a happy, productive life.
To better understand community issues and community solutions to addictions, I will be establishing a public forum. This forum will include experts in the addictions field and members of the public. I have asked MLAs to nominate individuals who they feel would be an asset to this forum.
We can accomplish a lot in the next three years to achieve this Assembly’s vision of strong individuals, families and communities. However, for this action plan to be successful, we will need to work together. Government departments, Aboriginal governments and community groups need to make a collective commitment to improving access to services and building strong communities for their people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The discovery of diamonds at Lac de Gras in 1991 marked the beginning of a new economic era for the Northwest Territories. Since then, the mining industry has become the backbone of our economy, creating over 2,600 direct jobs and an annual economic impact of over $750 million. However, we have not had a comprehensive plan in place to ensure we make the most of our mineral resources. Today I would like to talk to you about this government’s plan to develop a mineral development strategy.
First, I would like to mention that this is NWT Mining Week. We celebrate the substantial contribution this industry makes to our territory. On behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories, I would like to thank the people whose efforts ensure the continued success of the mining industry and encourage everyone to take part in Mining Week activities put on by the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines.
Mineral exploration and development has driven our NWT economy and offered unprecedented opportunities for investment, employment and business development. This has been especially true for our northern Aboriginal community. Our approach, to date, has been to maximize the benefits of our resource development by building business capacity in our communities, corporations and businesses.
We are also investing in the education and skill development of our youth who will eventually empower and guide its growth. We have had success in these areas, but there needs to be a long-term plan. Our vision is to realize, responsibly and sustainably, the full potential of our rich resource base and use it to ensure lasting prosperity for NWT residents and their communities.
A mineral development strategy will allow us to do this and will guide decision-making for development of this resource into the future.
This mineral initiative complements our work on a comprehensive sustainable economic development strategy. And, like the work we are completing on that project, this strategy will be a collaborative effort. We will work in partnership with the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada to develop this strategy, with the GNWT as the lead.
The next step towards realizing this mineral development strategy is the development of a discussion paper and project charter that will set the stage for full regional and stakeholder engagement.
Throughout the process, we will be seeking input from Members of this Legislative Assembly. The collaborative approach that we have identified will also incorporate input from Aboriginal governments, communities, industry, small businesses and NWT residents to ensure its long-term success.
This extensive engagement process will ensure that all voices are heard and will result in a strategy and action plan that reflects the needs and potential of all regions of our territory, one that is responsive as economic circumstances change and which meets the standards set by the GNWT’s sustainable development policies.
Through the comprehensive communications plan that will accompany our work, we will increase awareness of the value and importance of mineral development in the NWT and greater understanding and support for effective, planned and responsible mineral development projects.
Moreover, the development of a mineral development strategy will send a clear signal of the value we place on our mining sector. It will demonstrate certainty and stability during this time of devolution negotiations and transition, and it will serve to increase industry confidence as well as exploration expenditures in our region.
The mineral development sector employs hundreds of NWT residents and results in more than half a billion dollars in annual purchases from NWT businesses. The work that we are doing to create this mineral development strategy will build on this success.
It will ensure that mineral exploration and mining industries have the opportunity to provide sustainable economic investment, activity and employment in the NWT for many years to come. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Abernethy.
Mr. Speaker, June 10 to 16, 2012, has been designated National Public Service Week. This week provides the opportunity for Canadians to celebrate the work, accomplishments and contributions of public service employees. This year’s theme is “Celebrating our Commitments!”
Everyone in this Chamber has witnessed the remarkable dedication of public service employees and can attest to their commitment to serving the people of the Northwest Territories and to implementing our vision of Believing in People and Building on the Strengths of Northerners. On Wednesday the Premier’s Awards for Excellence will be presented in our Great Hall to recognize public service employees who have demonstrated excellence in their work. Congratulations to all those who have been nominated.
Recently members of the public service had an opportunity to hear the president of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada address the career challenges and opportunities in the public sector. This group promotes good practices and innovations in the public sector and helps to educate citizens about public administration matters and issues. The launch of our new regional chapter is welcome news and I am looking forward to seeing the development of this association dedicated to excellence in the public service.
Recruitment and retention of resourceful, dedicated staff is essential in building a professional public service. We are fortunate in the North to have employees of high calibre, who consistently display commitment, innovation and creativity. As you are aware, the GNWT is currently recruiting summer students who represent the next generation of public servants and who bring new energy to the workplace. I am pleased to advise that as of yesterday, 241 summer students have been hired by our departments, boards and agencies; 52 percent are indigenous Aboriginal students and 46 percent are indigenous non-Aboriginal students.
The Government of the Northwest Territories is mindful of the challenging economic times we are currently facing. Departments, boards and agencies are ultimately responsible for determining their student hiring, depending on their specific needs, operations and budgets. The Department of Human Resources provides guidance and assistance to managers on the summer student hiring process, including the application of the Affirmative Action Policy.
The Summer Student Employment Program is a win-win for both the students and the territorial government. Students gain hands-on experience to complement their formal education and the government benefits from the innovation and creativity of young Northerners. To ensure GNWT summer students understand their role in the public service and to provide them with a positive work experience, the Department of Human Resources has redesigned the summer student orientation sessions. The orientation introduces them to employment practices such as use of Internet and cell phones and benefits such as leave for medical appointments. Summer students also get involved in discussions on topics like intergenerational communications and how Cabinet works in a consensus government. Orientation sessions are being held in Yellowknife and regional centres.
It is also my pleasure during Public Service Week to recognize the array of public servants who have had long, distinguished careers with the GNWT and who are now looking to the next phase of their lives: retirement. Just a few examples of such accomplished and respected employees – and believe me, there are many more – include:
Mr. Sholto Douglas, renewable resource officer with Environment and Natural Resources in Fort Smith, retiring after 37 years with the GNWT;
Mr. Carl McLellan, maintenance coordinator with Public Works and Services in Norman Wells, retiring after 36 years of service;
Ms. Bronwyn Watters, deputy minister of Justice, retiring after 34 years in various departments and roles; and
Mr. Dan Daniels, deputy minister of Education, Culture and Employment who retired in May after nearly 33 years in service.
When individuals commit the majority of their professional lives to furthering the values and initiatives of a single organization, this is no small accomplishment. I would like to offer my thanks to all our hardworking and dedicated public servants for their hard work, commitment and service to the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is committed to continually improving our education systems, including curricula.
The department is implementing a new student information system for all schools in the Northwest Territories. The new system will hold functional grade levels, Alberta Achievement Test results, student support plans, classroom assessment and student attendance together in a single student’s electronic file. This will allow schools, school boards and the department to more accurately track student information and assist in the overall accountability of the education system.
Aboriginal Student Achievement initiatives remain a focus of our department, Mr. Speaker. In early May we brought Aboriginal and education leaders together to discuss ASA initiatives, ensuring that their voices were heard and their expertise applied to our plans and initiatives. Our strong, independent North is built on partnerships. We cannot move forward with ASA initiatives without the support and involvement of these leaders. We have gained their commitment to ensure that ASA remains a priority within their communities and throughout the North.
In early childhood development and child care, our focus has been on child and family resource centres in full partnership with the Department of Health and Social Services. Research shows that early childhood development, from birth to age five, is directly correlated to a child’s success in adult life. Parents play a critical role during this time. We need to focus on our children from birth in order to prepare them to become active, productive, healthy citizens of the North. On the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning, $1.25 million has been re-profiled to support early childhood development.
In family and student support, our focus has been on parent and community engagement. We know that there is a dramatic relationship between parental and community involvement and a child’s success at school.
In support of Aboriginal language and culture curriculum and resource development, the Dene Kede Trails to Becoming CD-ROM resource continues to be used in schools. As well, the department recently launched language-learning applications in the five Dene languages. These apps are being used on modern tablets such as iPads and are available for free on iTunes.
In literacy, our focus has been on literacy coaches and libraries, ensuring that each region has trained literacy coordinators in their schools. Funding for five new school and community libraries was allocated, and additional training in reading instruction was offered to teachers. To assist in literacy, a series of elective courses were created to help students succeed in English courses.
Mr. Speaker, I will keep this House informed as the work in the areas of early childhood development and Aboriginal Student Achievement moves ahead. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
[English translation not provided.]
Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker, Premier McLeod, Cabinet and MLAs. As we come to the close of our spring session, I would like to wish you all a happy and safe summer.
Elections are taking place for the Gwich’in Tribal Council. Good luck to all the candidates. I look forward to a positive working relationship with the leadership. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
[English translation not provided.]
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
[Translation] Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am happy to be here for the presentation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It is obvious we can have very little movement towards reconciliation without understanding the reason why people were stolen and the overall impact of the residential school.
Through its work, the commission has reached certain conclusions about the system of the residential school. The commission also asked Canadians to think about and look at the country differently. These are some hard truths, but this truth, this story leads us to look at what we have to think about. We can’t really build a true reconciliation without thinking about what really happened.
The conclusion of the commission reflects the impact of residential schools on children, on their families and on their Aboriginal culture. It also shows the repercussions that the residential schools have on our governance and our society. As Canadians, we must not forget what happened in our history and we must educate our children about the nature of Aboriginal societies and the residual effects of the residential school system. It’s going to take time and a lot of effort to be able to do that and learn about this past.
We had these residential schools for over a century. Millions of people were affected. A lot of Aboriginal people were affected negatively. We will need some time to re-establish respect and the healing for the number of people that were affected. If we could commit all Canadians, with the help of the Canadian government, we can work together to eliminate the separation and to lead our efforts to a successful conclusion.
I would like to leave you with a quote by the Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair, president of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, who summarized it magnificently: “The road that we’re going down has as much importance as the goal we’re trying to achieve. There is no shortcut. When we talk about truth and reconciliation, we must all go the full distance.”
I thank my colleagues for the opportunity to express myself in my native tongue.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I recognize my colleagues today for using their first languages and their second languages. I only know English, so I’ll be doing my statement in English. Thank you. It’s my first and only language.
I have a constituent. She’s confined to a wheelchair. She has MS. She has to attend at the Hay River Hospital from time to time for medical treatment. In the common areas of our hospital we do not have a washroom facility that is set up for a person in a wheelchair.
I have been talking about this for a long time, and about six months ago I made arrangements for my constituent to be picked up and brought to the Hay River Hospital to sit in the office of the CEO with the public administrator to explain firsthand what the challenge and what the problem was. They heard this and we were quite excited to think that we were going to get a toilet facility with gripper handles that go horizontal as opposed to on an angle, so that when someone in a wheelchair needs to use a washroom at a hospital, that they would have a facility that they could use. We were understanding that some of the money that was going to be turned back, which was the Hay River Health Authority surplus, was going to be held back so that this renovation could be done.
I cannot tell you how dismayed I am today to hear from our public administrator – and it is not his fault; I want to say that clearly it is not his fault – but they have received an updated cost for this bathroom renovation of $55,000, which is due to a CSA inspection control standard Z317. They have no money budgeted for this renovation.
This is an embarrassment. I am ashamed to have to go back and tell my constituent that this problem will not be rectified. If we should not have facilities for people with disabilities in a hospital, where should we have them? No one could go out and build a commercial building without having proper and adequate washroom facilities for people with disabilities, and yet our government owns an institution in Hay River, the second largest community in the Northwest Territories, where I have a constituent that cannot access a washroom in a public area in the hospital.
We as a government have lost our way when we have to spend $55,000 to do a bathroom renovation. I would like to get permission from the government to go and buy the gripper handle and to install it and put a raised toilet seat in a washroom in a hospital.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
I guarantee that the concerns of my constituent could absolutely and completely be addressed for less than $5,000, including labour. How many plumbers and carpenters do we have working for Public Works and Services in Hay River? How many are on staff at the hospital themselves that could not reinforce the drywall and put a horizontal bar in a washroom so that a person in a wheelchair could use the washroom?
It is a sad day; $55,000 for a washroom renovation. I am embarrassed. I am disgusted. I can’t even go back and tell my constituent. I am offering today to pay to have this fixed. I’m going to have questions, I don’t know, for the Minister of Public Works or the Minister of Health. This is not acceptable. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
[Translation] Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to say a few words in French today. I want to thank my parents, who all spoke to me in French, and I think that helped me in my life. [Translation ends]
…a few words in French. I’d like to thank my parents for speaking French to me and my siblings all the time. I think it has helped me and my siblings during our life. The knowledge of language helps people understand different cultures, the history of different people, and in the North it is a great example. We have eight different languages, and with these different languages, everyone knows that we have a diverse culture. We do believe that this is one of the greatest spectacular assets of the North.
All 19 Members of this Assembly need to work to make sure that languages are encouraged and promoted throughout the North.
The development of language must start at an early age in children’s lives. Last week the Member’s statement promoted early childhood development as a very important asset, and language must be part of that development. I want all Members here to encourage language development, encourage youth of the North to learn as many languages as they can. Thank you. Merci beaucoup, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Wrigley is a small community at kilometre 548 of the Mackenzie Highway in the beautiful Deh Cho region and Nahendeh riding. With its view of the Franklin Mountains, a trip between Wrigley and Fort Simpson is one of the Northwest Territories most scenic drives, yet it is another area of untapped tourism potential.
As a traveller on this highway said, this is where the Deh Cho becomes extraordinary, but this section of Highway No. 1 is also where the Deh Cho becomes extraordinarily dusty. The Department of Transportation website reports road bans in effect between kilometre 188 and 551. Otherwise, driving conditions are fair and very dusty. Also I make note that there is a narrow section which is only one lane.
Once again, highways in the Nahendeh are doing a disservice to our communities. This is not good for a highway registered on our national highway system. Rain also wreaks havoc on this section of the highway. When it rains, the road turns to clay. It gets very slippery and once it’s dried, tire tracks get cemented in place like bad pottery.
In the last government, a lot of work was done around the feasibility of extending the Mackenzie Highway north from Wrigley. With oil and gas activity increasing in the central Mackenzie Valley, industry will need an all-weather access to the region. We can argue that the Government of the Northwest Territories is not in a position to develop the highway north of Wrigley, but it cannot argue that Highway No. 1 should not get the same attention as other roads in our system. Just because the volume of traffic is lower, it doesn’t mean there should be less maintenance. If anything, regular maintenance could bring more opportunities to Wrigley and Fort Simpson. Unlike Highway No. 7, the road does not need to be rebuilt; it just needs regular maintenance.
The people who travel that road are not asking for a new one. We are asking for a road that we can drive safely and comfortably, a road that is key to economic opportunities, a road that lets us show every traveller and visitor that the Deh Cho really is extraordinary. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday we had a really significant event that happened here in the House with the TRC motion that was passed in the House and having some of our guests that came and spoke to the event.
I commend the courage and strength it takes for all of our survivors across the Northwest Territories to speak up and share their stories of what had happened in the past. As a result, some of the stories we have heard were how a lot of our survivors couldn’t speak their languages or practice their cultures growing up in school. As a result, languages were lost, cultures were lost, and today I can’t speak my language as the Member’s statement, but some of these other guys can, because there was a time where second and third generations have lost the languages. It is a reality into what has happened with the residential school system.
I commend my colleagues who speak their language, and I commend all the communities that can also speak their language and have strong cultures and continue to keep them flourishing, especially within the youth. It’s something that needs to be addressed. I commend the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment with some of the initiatives that he is trying to take on. I also commend all the elders and the teachers in the school right now who are trying to reintegrate the languages into our schools with our younger generation.
I would like to make a point and just say thank you to my parents who are now practising the languages and teaching those to my little nieces and nephew. I commend all the elders that are making an effort to do that with the third and fourth generations of our residential school, and look forward to seeing our languages in the future flourish again and be healthy in our communities in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Koana, Mr. Speaker, qujannamiik. I want to pay tribute to the Wiilideh language and to the community leadership dedicated to its support and promotion. Wiilideh is a unique language, not Chipewyan and not Tlicho and not yet an official language. While funding support is provided for some community programs, formal efforts to preserve and promote the language rely heavily upon a determination and professionalism of community language specialists.
Thanks to the efforts of the Goyatiko Language Society under the expert leadership of Mary Rose Sundberg, great strides have been made. Goyatiko delivers Wiilideh education materials, community programs and supports, and expert advice to teaching assistants who promote languages in the schools. Volunteers provide after-school programs and the young ones attend eagerly.
In his February 14th Minister’s statement, the Education Minister spoke positively of his visit to Alaska and the programs for inclusion of elders in the schools there. The presence of elders, an established and much beloved feature in our K’alemi Dene School, a model I commend to the Minister as he researches introduction of elders programming in all our schools.
Progress has been made in piloting an Aboriginal Interpreter Translator Pilot Training Program. The purpose of the training is to establish a pool of certified Dene interpreter/translators to provide quality language services in the communities. Aurora College’s Aboriginal Language and Cultural Instructor Program is helping train and certify our next generation of language professionals.
We have placed priority on the promotion of Aboriginal languages and committees, and Members will continue to push for greater achievements. We have recognized the opportunities presented for enhancing the capacity to learn languages through a focus on the early years of child development when children lay the foundations for lifelong language skills.
Language is the basis of flourishing cultures. We in the NWT are blessed beyond all provinces and territories in having a mosaic of 11 languages; some might say 12. In national and even global terms, we enjoy a birthright to be envied and cherished. Let’s continue to treasure that richness and keep our efforts for Aboriginal language promotion strong. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise again today to remind the Minister of Health and Social Services that the downtown day shelter still needs a lot of support. I spoke in the House the other day about how we need focused hope and purpose for people. We have an opportunity to give people purpose. As I said in Committee of the Whole the other day, we could be providing good focus and opportunity to treat addictions; we could be working on employment and even health clinics in this particular facility.
The government has committed financial resources as well as good brain power on the excitement and opportunity presented for people. So the issue before us here today is what are we doing to support that hope and what are we doing to provide those services to good folks.
I’ve spoken about the continued bad behavior there that we need to put an action to, and I’ll be asking questions of the Minister of Health and Social Services to see what he’s going to do from an action plan context as to how to help people there.
Today we heard how he’ll later table the Shared Path Towards Wellness. I hope he has not forgotten about the opportunities that could happen at the downtown day shelter to help people find homes, to help people find work, and certainly to help fight those demons known as addictions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
[Translation] Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week we received new rulings from the Supreme Court, which were submitted on June the 1st. The French rights are in the federal law and Francophones in the Northwest Territories have fought for many years to obtain equal school access identical to what their English colleagues get... [Translation ends]
…through a Supreme Court decisions regarding French language schooling in the NWT, decisions rendered on June 1st of this year.
French language rights are protected in federal law and NWT Francophones have been fighting for years to get school facilities on par with their Anglophone counterparts. One decision forces the GNWT to expand both Francophone schools, Ecole Boreale in Hay River and Ecole Allain St-Cyr in Yellowknife. Ecole Boreale to accommodate 160 students and Ecole Allain St-Cyr to accommodate 250 students. It all must be done by September of 2015. Needless to say, the Commission Scolaire Francophone Territoires du Nord-ouest is very happy.
This ruling has huge implications, Mr. Speaker. The GNWT, in three years’ time, must have completed the infrastructure enhancements ordered by the judge. Considering the time frame alone, never mind the cost, it’s a daunting task. And the cost will be significant. At minimum, four specialist classrooms and a gymnasium are required. How this government will fit that expense into our minimal capital budgets over the next two years remains to be seen.
My own view is that the judge was somewhat overzealous with the schedule in their decision, but then the GNWT has been ignoring a previous judgment directing the GNWT to expand Ecole Allain St-Cyr for some 10 years. So maybe this is payback in the court’s view.
My hope is that the Commission Scolaire Francophone and the GNWT can sit down together and discuss and agree to realistic construction timelines. The work must be started immediately, no question about that, but completion by 2015 could be hard to achieve. There must be a willingness to move ahead, but with some consideration for flexibility.
It would be the best if all of our Aboriginal languages had the same rights under the law as the Francophone minority does. Maybe in time we will get there. For now, our government must accept the rulings and move ahead. Merci, monsieur.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today is language day. I will be doing a part of my Member’s statement in Chipewyan.
Mr. Speaker, today I would like to pay tribute to Alphonse King of Fort Resolution. He’s also known as “The Fonze.” Alphonse King was born April 5, 1949, and passed away June 8, 2012. He was only 63 years old. He died of terminal cancer.
[English translation not provided.]
Alphonse King spent the first quarter of his life in Rocher River. Like many people from Rocher River, Alphonse had to move to Fort Resolution when the school in Rocher River burnt down. He was a trapper and he had moved at a young age. He used to live on the Taltson River and trap and hunt up there with his father and his stepmother and many of his brothers and sisters.
Alphonse is survived by his spouse, Georgina Biscaye. His daughter is Priscilla Calumet, his step-daughter, Lacy Biscaye, and some grandchildren also.
[English translation not provided.]
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member’s statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
[English translation not provided.]
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to pass my condolences on to the family of Alphonse King, who died way too soon. I’m sure that he will be sadly missed by his entire family in Fort Resolution.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.
