David Krutko

Aboriginal people have come a long ways since 1960. In 1960 they weren’t even able to vote.

Since then, Mr. Speaker, the aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories and Canada have progressed to a point where we’re finally recognized in the Canadian Constitution under Section 35, which recognized the right as aboriginal people and acknowledges their treaties, Treaty 8 and Treaty 11 in the Northwest Territories, and also upholds the land claim agreements that we negotiated. I believe by not finding the legal opinion on what grounds you made that decision on and not falling back on Section 35...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again I would like to raise the issue I raised yesterday in regards to the ministerial authority to take the action that he did and exactly where did that authority come from. We have the NWT Wildlife Act. We have the NWT Act. We have treaties. We have land claim agreements. We also have Section 35 in the Canadian Constitution that recognizes an inherence to aboriginal rights in Canada in regards to treaty rights and the rights of First Nations people. I would like to ask the question, under what authority did the Minister make the decision to move forward and the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise on a point of privilege and feel my privilege as a Member has been threatened in which I feel that a Member has the ability to do his job without being threatened.

Mr. Speaker, as I left the Chamber after requesting a short break in Committee of the Whole, as I walked out the back of the Chamber with the Premier, Minister Miltenberger, Mr. Robert McLeod and other Members of the Cabinet, after stepping out of the doors, I was told by Mr. Robert McLeod, I hope you feel good. As I walked away, Mr. McLeod called me a bitch. Mr. Speaker, I mentioned that I will be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted.

I will now rise and report progress.

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. At this time, I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services if she’d like to bring in witnesses. Ms. Lee.

Does committee agree?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we go through another budgetary process, I think there are a few things that I feel are missing here. One of the things and the frustration from the Mackenzie Delta residents I represent feel that this government is out of touch and out of sight in most cases to those people in those smaller isolated communities and communities sitting in the Mackenzie Delta by way of hearing their voices in regards to I stand up in this House time after time, raise issues for policing services to medical services to programs and services which are fundamental to the basic building...

Mr. Speaker, I believe we do have to have enabling legislation to pass what’s basically been negotiated in the land claim agreements, enable what’s already agreed to in Treaty 8, Treaty 11, for those unsettled areas, and ensure that we clearly spell out those arrangements through the amendments to the Wildlife Act and bring it to this House and allow that to be the process to resolve this issue. I’d like to suggest to the Minister that we put everything aside, resolve this through those discussions, bring it to conclusion and bring it back to this House.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, getting back to my Member’s statement and also in regard to the whole area of change that has taken place since the famous Order-in-Council passed in 1960 by the federal Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories has had a grave history in regard to how aboriginal people have moved forward and trying to find ways of getting entrenched into the democratic system of the Northwest Territories regardless if it’s by way of ensuring that we were involved in the decision-making process, regardless if it’s regulatory management boards, economic measures...