Kevin A. Menicoche

Just in general terms, what exactly is the policy for our students who are going down south to get trained and wanting to come back to live and work? We shouldn’t be creating barriers for them to live, either. But what exactly is the existing policy, Mr. Speaker?

To have common ground, Mr. Speaker — and I’ve always said that our common enemy has to be greater than our common differences here in the North. How is Mr. Premier going to…? What strategies does he have in place to speak with other aboriginal groups?

I know in the past we have talked about the heritage fund idea, and it’s a really good idea. Has the Premier addressed this with other aboriginal groups?

The questions are for the Premier with respect to my Member’s statement earlier.

In my language, when we say, Nahendeh it means: “This is our land.” I believe that should be the focus of any discussions the government has with Ottawa or with other aboriginal groups: to build a focus around it. Mr. Premier had discussions in Ottawa which didn’t go very well — if we can ask the circumstances around those discussions there.

I guess one of the biggest things, Mr. Speaker, is that outsiders continue to make money from our land and our resources. And our people are tired of that.

I’d like to ask the Premier: what kind of hammer can he discuss with the other aboriginal groups so that we can stop this flow and start keeping some of the resources that rightfully belong to us and our land? Mahsi.

Indeed, that is the focus I was looking at. How do we best work together with all the partners here in the North? One of the ways of doing it, I would suggest, is we still have to have some kind of office or some lead personnel to address this issue, to work the North and garner support from all our partners.

I don’t have to remind the House how many millions of dollars continue to leave the North, how many millions of dollars worth of carats, of oil and gas, et cetera. If I can get Mr. Premier to state what kind of plan does he have in place to address this very important issue of ours?

[English translation not provided.]

I just wanted to translate what I just said. It doesn’t reflect here in the Member’s statement, but just the fact that people are coming here and exploiting our available lands and resources and gas and oil, yet our government is in trouble financially.

As well, for the most part, for our population, our unemployment rate is not that high, especially in the regions and communities. Why are we in this situation?

People expect all of us as MLAs and our government to put us in power to act and govern our Territory, yet we don’t seem to have the strength or the...

I’d like to know if the government or the Public Works department is going to look at any art purchases for this new building that’s going up in Fort Simpson.

The benefits of arts-enhancing policies are many. One of them, of course, is to provide revenues to our people as well as to stimulate our art and culture sector. That’s the reasoning behind that policy. I’m surprised that the government hasn’t done much work on this, and I thought they were.

I’d just like to ask the Minister how much work has been done to date. He said… I wasn’t quite sure of the answer there.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and colleagues.

One of the goals of the 16th Assembly is to create a diversified economy that provides all communities and regions with opportunities and choices. This priority specifically includes the arts sector.

There are many ways to improve the cost of living and reduce costs, and the other side is to provide income through sales of products. Such was the intent of this motion and the consequential arts enhancement policy.

Let’s put action to these words. Let’s integrate arts and crafts in the new Deh Cho complex and all government buildings and call it the...

Just in terms of impact upon how much of a building can a program like this work….. We’ve got an $8 million building being built in Fort Simpson and approximate $80,000 in arts and crafts to stimulate the region and the whole North. Yes, there’s a cost, but the benefits outweigh the cost in this instance. I’d like the assurance of the Minister that he’ll analyze that as well — not only the cost aspects but the benefits aspects.