Herbert Nakimayak

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to commend the first two speakers who have spoken in their language, and I am going to speak about an elder in Tuktoyaktuk who is very fluent in Inuvialuqtun.

Mr. Speaker, Ella Jean Arnakina was born in the community of Tuktoyaktuk to Sara and Phillip Nogosak on December 12, 1944, the oldest sister to Peter and Charlie.

At a very young age, she was taken to residential school in Aklavik, where she stayed until the age of 12. She remembered having to speak to her father through a glass window as he was in the hospital. After leaving the residential school...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The OAG found that in 22 cases CPWs, without the knowledge of senior staff in the authorities or the department, "worked with [children's] biological parents to transfer guardianship… to a family member or other person, who then were given full parental rights and responsibility." Significantly, when a guardianship agreement is completed, CFS cedes its right to act on behalf of (or for) the child in question.

At the time of the OAG's review, there was no related legislation or formal policies, standards, rules, or advice to guide CPWs in the matter of guardianship...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that. That's a good response. On the next line, I know MTS, I gave the Minister a hard time last year on MTS, and I know it's not an easy undertaking to take over something like that, and it takes multiple departments to make it work good, and I commend the department for that, actually. I see that there's no funding for the next couple of years. Coming with that, the cost of fuel has risen up in our region. I'm just wondering if the Minister can shed some light on that, looking forward into 2019 and 2020 and the year after? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thanks for that. Four lines down to energy, there seems to be an increase from 2017-2018 to 2019-2020. Could the Minister give a little bit of information on that, please? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister for the invitation, as well. Mr. Speaker, pilots like that such the Minister spoke of could become something very useful across the territory, with the technology we have today. I have one more question about cultural safety, and the question is: how does the department's new action plan speak to regular engagement between the department and communities on new healthcare policies and initiatives? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is good to hear that from the Minister. The needs specifically for communities seem different in different regions. The department has been trying to improve homecare service for a couple of years now, including $2.5 million in the 2017-2018 budget. Can the Minister tell us whether all these findings were used and how they were used?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a couple of constituents, Ms. Betty Elias from Tuktoyaktuk and my cousin Emily Kudlak from Ulukhaktok. Mr. Speaker, I spoke earlier a couple of times about language and how important it is. It is good to see that we have strong representatives from Nunakput. I would like to welcome both guests and everybody else. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I believe so. I am sorry for my confusion. I don't think I have anything else right now, Mr. Chair. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that. I don't know if this is the section. I know Tuktoyaktuk, during the last year's business plans, during sitting last year, there was $100,000 allocated for the community of Tuktoyaktuk to possibly look at upgrading the current visitor centre that they have there now, which is a shack. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's good to hear, actually. Having that little bit of infrastructure could probably go a long way to serving the coastal communities, and even outside the territory, and outside the country. I appreciate the hard work that they're doing as a department to refine something that was working, but barely working by a shoestring. Other than that, I don't have really anything else for this section, Mr. Chair. Thank you.