Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on my colleagues Mr. Jacobson and Mr. Menicoche and myself on the issue of health care in our smaller communities. The three of us represent 15 communities in total. So that says something to the Minister when he meets with the chairs of the health boards, but also with the senior officials of the Health department. I want to ask the Minister specifically if there are any types of discussions going on for any type of early detection program on cancer in our communities.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Health costs continue to rise, meaning that it will come to a point where money to maintain it will be a serious question in the North and the future Legislative Assembly.

With so many changes to our diet, changes to our water, and changes to our lifestyle, we are seeing a real need to provide health care workers and our people with early detection programs start assessing our people right now for cancer.

I will ask the Minister later on what types of programs are in place to start saving lives in our communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve been in the Legislative Assembly for the past eight years and throughout the years there are programs and services that continue to be front and centre in our work. For example, the ever pressing matters of housing, education, and health seem to be the core ones.

Today I’d like to speak about the access to appropriate health care assessment in our health centres.

Too many of my people have been diagnosed with cancer in my region. Something is not right, Mr. Speaker. In the Sahtu we have four health centres and one nursing station. At these health centres we are...

I do believe the Minister when he said he will follow up and talk to his officials. I believe the Minister will do that. We have just about completed our Assembly here and shortly we’ll all be going up to reapply for our jobs if we want to come back to this career here.

I want to ask the Minister, in this short time frame and in discussions with the chairs and deputy minister, is there any type of campaign that will be initiated or going out to our communities to encourage and support people that when they do go to the health centres to ask, they have the right to ask for a proper assessment...

Thank you, and certainly we appreciate the wise decisions of the past government to move the Sahtu into its own authority, just like any other authority in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, finally the government has seen the light. Still, I hope that Colville Lake will get some improved services as it’s still back in the medieval times of health care services.

So I want to ask the Minister, given all that he’s given us in the House, will he talk to the chairs, talk to his deputy officials today and state that there is or could be an early detection cancer assessment program in our...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize the president of the Deline Land Corporation, Mr. Peter Menacho. I’d also like to recognize our chair of the Sahtu Renewable Resources Board, Mr. Walter Bayha; and I believe the Renewable Resource Council member, a real good fisherman, Paul Modeste in the gallery, all from Deline.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, along with my colleagues, want to offer my condolences to the people of Nunavut. I’m glad the Premier said some words for them. At this time they certainly need our prayers and our support.

When I heard the news I was taken back, because some time ago I was involved in the incident in Fort Good Hope and it’s very heavy on the hearts of people, the families, the grandparents, people right across Canada. I can’t imagine what the people up in Resolute Bay are going through. At this time today, they need our support. They need our prayers from this Legislative Assembly...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The department’s initiative is a step closer to another safety awareness for our people who are using our roads, especially ones that are driving. This bill is a good step towards safety.

The one issue that I have is going to have a concern for me -- and I want to ask the Minister if he would elaborate later on -- as to the portable use of handheld electronic devices in our region on the winter roads. We know that we have winter roads that we rely on these handheld devices for our safety, for knowing if there are big semi-trucks coming in our direction, safety for our...

I do appreciate the Premier’s continued support for this issue to be resolved in a satisfactory manner. Would the Premier at his next opportunity in his discussions with the federal government look at options as to how the federal government can see its way to support the Town of Norman Wells since they are one-third ownership of the Norman Wells oilfield? Certainly in this day and age they can see some relief to the town to support their bill in terms of helping out in this situation. Can the Premier make a commitment to that?

I want to state publicly that the Premier, along with some of the Ministers, did come into Norman Wells and talk to the town. So I want to say, on behalf of the town, I appreciate the Ministers who were there to discuss this important issue.

Getting back to the policy of the extraordinary funding, under the principles my point is that the community under the principles under subsection 3, community governments should not be penalized for practicing sound financial management, nor should they be rewarded for poor financial management.

I take the point that the Town of Norman Wells through good...