Richard Edjericon

You're welcome to read that if you want. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Committee heard loud and clear that Indigenous youth are the future of the NWT. Incentives to attract, train, and retain Indigenous students by developing practicum and coop placements within vacant GNWT positions, and transitioning students from Aurora College into GNWT jobs, are essential to increasing Indigenous representation and retention across the GNWT.

Committee heard about the need to track the number of Indigenous youths seeking public service employment under programs such as the Schools North Apprenticeship...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday when we were looking at this bill and also talked about it, you know, we you know, in my riding, I've been here for just over a year, and I put forward ideas about how we could try to work to improve the lives of our people in our communities. I talked about winter road. I talked about housing, infrastructure. Again, you know, when I sat here yesterday listening to adding all these sups in terms of increasing these budgets and everything else, no problem. You know, it's like, we've been, you know, bang every time these guys want money in all these other...

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's been a long session. We're coming to the end of the session here now, and through the next few days we're going to be really busy here. And through committee work, we've been busy as he will. Earlier, I had mentioned that we're having our, you know, annual carnival in our community of Dettah and N'dilo and Lutselk'e as well, and the invitation is basically for everybody. But I'm just thinking as well in Fort Resolution this coming weekend there are also the Fort Resolution Metis government is also hosting a dog racer, and they're going to be one dog...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this year is the time of year when we celebrate spring and the arrival of spring and the animals and that kind of thing. This year we didn't have the Long John Jamboree, and it's something that, you know, we all bring our families out and enjoy a good time and that kind of thing. But this year in the Chief Drygeese territory, the Yellowknives Dene First Nation are planning their spring carnival from March 31st to April 2nd, 2023, in Dettah, and they're looking at, on Friday, they are looking at a fish derby, many hand games, and a talent show. I think this...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I remember coming into the Assembly here February 10th, 2022, and when I was asked to put my name forward to run for MLA, in my riding they talked about the high cost of living. And we take a look at the community of Lutselk'e alone, you know, we have problems with the internet service that's just down the road. It costs a lot of money just to fly there and the cost of living in that community is high already as it is. And right now a lot of my friends are talking that, you know, where does this end? Like, the high cost of living in the North is here. Friends of mine...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yeah, I as a former chief as well for the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, I also support this motion. Prior to 1990, the DeneMetis claim, the GNWT wasn't really at the table. They weren't part of that process. But when it fell apart in Dettah in the fall of 1990 that gave way to the creation of other claims in the North, the Gwich'in, Sahtu Gwich'in. And prior to that, though, my colleague from Inuvik had talked about this motion. And their claim goes back even further. And those claims that are spirit and intent, you know, when we make like, when the treaty was made...

Thank you, Madam Chair. And I'm also concerned that in regards to how we managed this project. And you know, if we get a price of $81.3 million and now we're looking at $194 million, and now we're asking for a total additional cost of $33,750,000 extra, it's concerning to me as the MLA for the Tu NedheWiilideh riding. I mean, I just got back from a funeral service in Lutselk'e and, you know, I'd been advocating for better internet services for my community and, you know, we were told that it's going to be a big improvement in December. I'm still having troubles. I don't see any improvements...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Since 1984, the Official Languages Act has set out the public's right to government services in an official language. That right exists where there is "significant demand" or where it is reasonable given "the nature of the office."

However, the concepts of "significant demand" and "nature of the office" have been criticized for years because they are unclear and do not work for the NWT. These concepts make it hard for residents to understand their right to demand services from the government in any official language.

Committee believes that each resident is a language...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, you know, when I was thinking about the when I chaired the impact review board, you know, we again, we couldn't really address any issues on the downstream users from Nunavut and the Yukon. And, but here and Alberta, it's the same thing. This agreement that the Minister talks about doesn't give us the tools needed to participate in their regulatory process in terms of approving a mega project. We're just kilometres down the road in Fort Smith, and my riding of Tu NedheWiilideh and Fort Resolution, that are impacted and all the residents of the Northwest...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of chairing the Mackenzie Valley Impact Review Board for six years, and I had also the privilege of working with the Yukon Environmental Assessment the Yukon Environmental Social Economic Assessment Board and also the Nunavut Impact Review Board. Amongst these three boards, I was able to work with them to create an MOU so we could work together and share information. But at the same time here in the Northwest Territories, I chaired many environment assessment projects here and so I understand what's happening here in the North in terms...