Norman Yakeleya

Madam Chair, there is training going on in Alberta. It’s called First Responders Medical Training. I saw it in one of the newspapers. They have it in Alberta. I guess we need to look and see how we can start identifying people in our region to do first responders medical training. We can work with the federal government on this initiative.

The other one is the community infrastructure. If they want to sign on to this, they are looking at a type of purchasing equipment. I’m not too sure how healthy the infrastructure budget is with the communities. They have roads, dumps, other things to look at...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The issue of public safety was of grave concern for the Minister of Transportation, and I when we drove the winter road last weekend there were some near misses. There are big trucks and the roads are quite narrow, so that’s what the Minister and I talked about.

The issue that I want to talk about is some of these vehicles have been struck. I just came back from the Sahtu and the Sahtu Dene Council annual general meeting, and people have come up and said some of their vehicles were hit and some clear misses. Some of them actually come out of the road. I mean, stop their...

If anybody wanted the job, there’s a job to be had in the Sahtu. It’s busy. It’s crazy. People are working. Even down in Nahendeh. Even in Wrigley, as the Minister and I heard. There are jobs up there. However, I want to ask the Minister if he could somehow be directive and forceful and say to the Sahtu, let’s get the training jobs going. We could make a huge contribution. Let’s not give out any more social assistance. Let’s get our people working. That’s what we want. That’s the kind of leadership I’m looking for from the Minister here. Can he do that?

I also have some information, as I indicated, that the increase of liquor sales from the Minister of Finance, or the liquor revenue commission report shows an increase of liquor sales in the Sahtu. Combine that with the activity that’s happening in the Sahtu, the amount of people coming in and the lifting of the liquor store rations are significant contributing factors to the crime associated with alcohol.

Any newspaper in the Northwest Territories, you look at it and you always say, the amount of crimes with liquor is high, 85 percent or higher, or drugs. So that tells me something. So I’m...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I am just following up on our road trip last weekend. My back is still sore. However, I’m going to stand here and I want to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, with all the activity and training going on, if he would review and evaluate the training plans for the Sahtu so that the people in the Sahtu can meet at least once a month to start preparing a strategy to get people on the job, get them trained and get them moving.

Madam Chair, 6-20?

The people in the Sahtu are very happy, even over the last couple of days. The people in Tulita are very happy that the Minister has taken the trip and driven down. The Minister knows the conditions that we have to put up with day in and day out in the Sahtu.

I want to ask the Minister, amongst the other bridges, we looked at Bob’s Canyon and that’s a disaster waiting to happen. The number of trucks that we passed along Strawberry Creek. Will these bridges be fixed so that we can have some safety next year on our winter roads?

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a couple of questions here. First, it has to do with the great work the community justice committees are doing in our communities, and the Minister, again, came into the Sahtu and saw the work that was done and the help that the communities are looking forward to. One of the things that they impressed was the need to get people back on the land and do some reconciliation out there in the healing process. I know the Minister is very keen on this and, again, I just came back from Tulita with the leadership meeting there of the Sahtu. I let the Minister know that Fort...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When Mr. Ramsay and I went on a winter road trip, we drove to Fort Good Hope and to Fort Simpson. On our way from Fort Good Hope to Fort Simpson we stopped, and there was a bridge there at Oscar Creek. I want to ask the Minister what his plans are from his department having that huge bridge, I think it’s over a million dollars of infrastructure, sitting there. What are his plans with his department to get it fixed and used?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to ask the Minister of Justice, with the impacts of the Sahtu oil and gas play and the activity that’s happening in our communities, I do appreciate and the people appreciate the additional RCMP and victim services coordinator. Just on the RCMP stats with the activity that’s going up and happening in the Sahtu, and I want to be more specific when I ask this to the Minister in regard to the lifting of the rations Norman Wells Liquor Store. Has the RCMP seen an increase in the percentage of criminal activity, crimes with alcohol happening and how steep of a climb...