Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. I have a few comments here before we get to your motion. I wanted to raise the point with the Minister of Transportation. He alluded to the amount of oil and gas exploration that’s going to happen in the Sahtu, because of the land sales and the exploration that’s going to be happening up there for the next five to six years or longer depending on some decisions that will be made in this government or within the Sahtu region on oil and gas. It makes more sense to have a push for a permanent, established regional office of Transportation in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think my song on the devolution is “A Long and Winding Road.” I want to ask the Finance Minister when we look at a piece of legislation like that, can he work with his colleagues to look at types of support that the people have expressed through the Sahtu leadership meeting on programs, such as the Minister of Health and Social Services has conveyed to my people when we did our tour, and get people back on the land to do the spiritual healing?

Maybe I could make some music here if I put my fingers to the keyboard on this piece of legislation. I want to ask the Minister when we have some discussions to look at the existing Liquor Act and looking at the regional approach to the Sahtu, that the Minister can also look at ways that this legislation will then allow the regional people to have another say at this recent plebiscite.

A regional approach might not make sense in other areas of the Northwest Territories but it makes sense in the Sahtu. Five isolated communities, none which is a large centre. Norman Wells has about 30 percent of the regional population, but they have been given the decision-making power for 100 percent of the regional population. The Sahtu communities only have highway access during the short winter season and the rest of the time are limited to travel by air and water. There are no options to drive down the highway to buy alcohol in large centres like Whitehorse or Alberta. Most of the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. If they were there before and they weren’t being established, so now we want to capture them with the interim appropriation for next year. I think I’m getting a little bit confused here. Maybe if the Minister could clarify this for me again.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When we look at on-the-land treatment programs, we look at it from an Aboriginal perspective through a holistic view, and that means looking at the whole four parts of the human being: the mental, the emotional, the physical and the spiritual. The Minister is on track on this process right here. I want to ask the Minister, has he looked at other types of programs that we’re talking about today that could be used as the model in the Northwest Territories, across Canada where people, Aboriginal people, all people can use this type of model for healing their addictions?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services when the people in my communities are asking for support and help in dealing with the drug and alcohol programs, can the Minister tell this House and the people in the Sahtu when can they expect to see such types of programs being implemented in my regions that will support my people’s wishes and that possibly could work for them instead of looking at buildings that other regions have. When can the Minister put something concrete in this House to support my people?

I want to ask the Minister, if he’s good with lyrics maybe he could write the song “How Do You Mend a Broken Heart.” I want to ask the Minister, in his estimation, working with this Cabinet on this existing liquor law, can we look at something maybe by, for example, the May/June session that we could look at contemplating a new Liquor Act that would seek the support of the Members, of course, and also for the Sahtu communities.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to talk to the Minister of Finance on the liquor restriction that the Town of Norman Wells had a vote and it was lifted. It’s in effect. I want to ask the Minister if he’s willing to look at the regional approach to deal with opening this piece of legislation so that the communities within the Sahtu can have a say into the operations of the Norman Wells liquor store through the Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to raise the issue of the Norman Wells liquor store restrictions that were lifted on February 1st. This is a life and death issue for my people in the Sahtu. Historically, when we lifted the restriction in the 1970s, several people in the Sahtu communities died because of the outcomes of alcohol. In addition to the other causes we know about, more violence and more crimes in the homes in the communities, suicides, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, liver problems and other alcohol-related deaths and injuries due to drinking.

We had people who couldn’t get jobs, who...