Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do want to thank Ms. Bisaro for bringing this motion for discussion in the House here. I think the timing is right in terms of creating an ombudsman office here in the Northwest Territories. It is an office that would be independent from the government, at arm’s length. It will have the powers to look into matters and issues on behalf of our people, and it will have the powers of, hopefully, the full scope of the government services that we provide. It will be centred around people much like our jobs here in the Assembly.

I see this office here having a lot of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table the Sahtu Regional Graduation List 2012.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Members in this House, we are all proud of our graduates this year. I ask the Minister, there’s nothing impossible. There’s a can-do attitude here. Can he set things in motion that can look at how we track the increase of students. It’s not impossible. We can do it. We have 5,000 people in our workforce here. We can do it if the Minister puts things in place in motion that can be done. Can the Minister make it so?

I have a list of 25 students that are going to graduate in the Sahtu this year. I’m going to challenge the Minister and the department. Next year at this time in the House I’m going to ask about these people who graduated. Some of them are going to be in post-secondary, maybe some of them may be working, training in other institutions. I want to challenge the Minister, this department, I’m giving them a heads up that I’m going to ask them where these students are, how are they doing, have you tracked them, and things of that nature. Is the Minister up for the challenge?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In our communities in the Northwest Territories, there’s excitement, Mr. Speaker; excitement in our youth and in their recognition of achievement; excitement that the people in the communities are celebrating achievements for our youth; excitement that those who entered kindergarten are now finishing Grade 12 and getting their diploma; excitement from parents, aunties, uncles, cousins, grandparents and friends to witness this young person and their rite of passage, stepping into the world of choices, stepping into the world of opportunities, stepping into the world of...

I would ask if the department, again, would look at establishing themselves in the Sahtu for reasons that the deputy minister talked about. We need to now start tracking the amount of vehicles that are going to be using that road, especially from Tulita and Norman Wells, and also coming up from the southern portion of the road. We need to start looking at our infrastructure. For example, the bridges at Four Mile Creek and Prohibition Bridge. Those two bridges there, and possibly other future bridges, but these are the ones that for me in the Sahtu that are key, even at 12 Mile Point. When the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The $105.7 million carry-over for infrastructure projects that had been approved and lapsed in the 2011-2012 period, certainly we see the benefits in our communities. Certainly, the Minister has my support for these projects. They’re worthwhile. They’re beneficial to my people in the region. We look forward to the completion of them. I’m not too sure how much I want to go into the detail of the planning and how we get these projects to completion, but it does show the federal government influence in our budget when they gave the money to us to get some of these project...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, June 11, 2012, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that the Legislative Assembly thank the members of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada for the work they have done in the Northwest Territories and across Canada;

And further, that the Legislative Assembly honour the survivors who have shared their suffering with great dignity in order to promote healing and reconciliation.

Can the Minister tell us his reasons why the reduced rate for the first year of implementing the seniors’ rent charge starts on September 1st?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask some questions to the Minister of the Housing Corporation. The Minister just made a very important, significant announcement regarding the implementation of the seniors’ rental charges and delaying it until September 1st. I want to ask the Minister, between now and September 1st, what type of work he will do with the seniors in terms of explaining the reasons why the rental charges will be coming in, what type of consultation his staff or the communities or LHOs will be doing to see how we can talk and listen to the elders and see that the rent will be...