Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the last month I’ve been to the Aurora College grad ceremony in Fort Smith and I’ve been to the one here in Yellowknife, and my hat’s off to the graduates, the instructors and to the Aurora College institution for graduating a fine round of people who are going to make a difference in their lives in the Northwest Territories.

As I sat there in the graduation, I was just imagining what it would be like to have a graduation at that type of magnitude in the Sahtu region for our own people. This is what I want to talk about.

The Sahtu needs a training centre now because...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to deal with the deputy chair of Committee of the Whole motion I gave notice of earlier today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Friday, May 31, 2013, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that the honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Robert Bouchard, be appointed as a deputy chairperson of Committee of the Whole.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How is his department working with the oil companies to identify and meet the training needs for local workers? I have been voicing with the oil companies. Unfortunately, I am not in the position to make that kind of final decision to say yes, we will commit. The Minister can do that. He’s in that position. So I want to ask the Minister for his direction and leadership. How can you tell me you’re working with the oil companies and they can commit to a Sahtu needs training centre?

Husky is building an all-weather road for $30 million/$45 million. The application for Conoco through the hydraulic fracking is going for a review, and if that application is approved, certainly you’re going to see an increase in employment activities in the Sahtu.

If that continues with the potential of billions of barrels of oil that needs to be extracted from the Sahtu lands, in light of this, can the Minister give me a commitment to say that yes, we will start working on a capital plan infrastructure so at the end of this Assembly we should be looking at the training needs assessment, the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Democracy means many things to many different people. Democracy is certainly a form of government where people rule through their elected MLAs. The people are the absolute and supreme form of political authority. As we, as legislators, from time to time vote on behalf of our people, such as the budget process or the motions brought up in this Assembly, we are the people’s voice. We were put here by the very fact that we will represent our people in these legislative halls of government.

We stand today on new ground with the old ways of doing things. We achieved a new...

Mr. Speaker, I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on March 14, 2013, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, May 29, 2013;

AND FURTHER, that any time prior to May 29, 2013, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I say, because, again, in my research, there were regulations, a management regime, and in the time when they were making the deal, Aboriginal people didn’t even have the right to vote in Canada. These were all being done on Aboriginal lands that we’re supposed to have a treaty. Now we’re taking over devolution, and part of taking over devolution is the 24 acts, regulations and legislation that we’re going to take over. One of them is the Canadian Petroleum Act, I think, and I want to make sure that we are set and the federal government is not going to interfere with...

I’ve done some of my own research and I found a very interesting document that in 1944, July 21st, Imperial Oil and the Government of Canada struck up a management/ownership type of deal with the Norman Wells oilfields and that they’ve been taking a cut in the share of that development fuel since then; even longer.

I want to ask if the Government of Canada is changing the rules as time goes on and because they’re so adamant not to release that definition under what is stated in the research I have that Norman Wells is looked at resource revenue rather than the ownership. Is the Minister looking...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize the two Colville Lake Pages, Chantell Orlias and Lecy Gully. Both are here this week.

I’d also like to, along with my colleague Mr. Abernethy, recognize the YK ship crew from Vancouver. I appreciate the tour there.

Also some former high school students, Debbie Greenland; of course, Mr. McLeod’s wife, Judy, and the mental health worker from Tulita, Elaine. Also a good friend of mine, Peter Redvers.