Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To live in the North it is very costly. We all know how much it is costing us to live in our small communities, even in Yellowknife. When we come to Yellowknife or when we travel to Edmonton, we do the necessary things. We have to shop. We do this to seize the opportunity to bring back cheap groceries, clothing or material. A lot of our people are shocked to see how much things cost in Yellowknife. I am definitely in awe to see the prices in Edmonton. It has been reported by our government that to live reasonably well in Sachs Harbour, you would have to make about $95,000 a year. Do we have those jobs in Sachs Harbour that pay $95,000 a year? Maybe a few.
In the Sahtu our dollar is not the same as the Yellowknife dollar or even the Edmonton dollar. You may be wondering why I am saying this. According to the consumer price index of April 2012, we in Yellowknife pay a bit more than the Edmonton prices, and in the Sahtu we pay double the price, so our dollar is definitely less.
Last weekend, during my stopover in Norman Wells, I was approached by a lady. I asked her about the shopping in Norman Wells. She said, my God, you should look at the bag of flour I had to buy. Twenty pounds is $43. I went to Yellowknife. I just about fainted in the Extra Foods store because of the price they pay there. She said, good thing the hospital was close by. I had to get some medical attention, she said. She was making a joke out of it, but she said the price we pay. In Yellowknife for 20 pounds of flour it’s $12.98.
My colleagues know, for the North and the Sahtu, how high costs are in our small communities. We need to continue to let Ottawa know that we are no different than the people in the South. Quality means our dollar should be of equal value to the southern dollar. As I said, a bag of flour should be the same price as a bag of flour in Edmonton, Sahtu or in Yellowknife. It can be done, Mr. Speaker, just like our bottle of whiskey is the same price in Norman Wells and Edmonton. They pay the same price.
The federal government will be hosting a public meeting in Norman Wells on the Nutritious North Program on June 11th. I hope my people speak their mind then. It is my hope…
Your time for Member’s statement has expired.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. It is my hope that our region and other regions will be treated fairly and acknowledged once and for all that our currency has been stretched to the limit in all of our communities. Please, we need help from this government.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
