Norman Yakeleya

Mr. Speaker, the Minister has some very talented staff working on this project here and I want to commend him for the hard work as with the Aboriginal groups that have signed on with the PDRs. I want to ask the Minister, in his discussions with the federal Minister, why isn’t there such a priority from the federal Minister to ask Mr. Harper, let’s get some money into the construction phase of the Mackenzie Valley Highway. We do appreciate the PDRs. Why doesn’t Mr. Harper say, okay, we’re going to put the dollars that need to be built for the Mackenzie Valley Highway, just as the recent...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to the Minister of Transportation. Mr. Menicoche talked about the barriers and the bumps to working on Highway No. 7. I’d like to talk about the bumps and barriers to even try to construct a highway up in the Mackenzie Valley.

I want to ask the Minister, has his department put together an economic analysis of benefits as to what dollars we could be looking at if a Mackenzie Valley Highway was put through from maybe to Tuktoyaktuk.

I will say I just can’t wait to get on the road with this bill here and see the different views and hear the different values of how wildlife is looked upon in the Northwest Territories. I also want to say that the Sahtu has been a long wait of promises that were in our land claims. This bill is certainly... I didn’t think I was going to see this day when we take it out on the road and listen to the views of the people. Also look at some of the issues that some other residents in the Northwest Territories have on this bill how they see wildlife and how they see how this land is being managed...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One time in our life, I remember growing up, we used to eat at home. We used to have porridge when we were young and growing up in Tulita.

Sorry, when we were young. When I was growing up in Tulita, I remember, when I was young, I remember before we went to school Mom always got us up early and we made a fire if it was real cold in the house and heat up the little pot there and make porridge and we all would sit around and have breakfast, have porridge or have some wild meat, then we went to school. That was the lifestyle that we grew up with. Slowly on, Mr. Speaker, we...

Mr. Speaker, just for the record, I think I rode on the horse for about five minutes. The rest of the 222 miles I walked on the CANOL Trail.

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask again, within the life of this government I know this Cabinet is working hard with its different counterparts, can somehow the message get to the federal government in a short time with the Premier, with the Cabinet Ministers on different fronts and maybe let them know the importance of the construction of the Mackenzie Valley Highway to the people in the North? The reason why I am asking is I think that the rest of Canada should...

Mr. Speaker, in my research, it took the threat of invasion and the war to ask… Not to ask; I think the United States government said we’re going to come up and we’re going to build a highway west of Norman Wells and move some oil and this is what we’re going to do. When that threat was no longer there, they left everything just as is.

Mr. Speaker, I’m not too sure if this is something that is even possible in the Northwest Territories, in terms of putting some priorities to building a highway up the Mackenzie Valley. I want to ask the Minister, in terms of his economic analysis of the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to speak about the unbelievable costs of not having a highway in the Sahtu. Mr. Speaker, we did have a highway at one time built in 1943. It went from Norman Wells to the Yukon Territory. It took about 13 months to build, Mr. Speaker, no problem. The U.S. government said go, and away it went. Mr. Speaker, that is the problem of freedom.

Mr. Speaker, we have witnessed and heard about the high cost of store bought foods and the expensive housing costs, just the basics to continue to be a major issue for our people in the Sahtu. In November, INAC updated...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. MLA Bromley has said it well, that this is just another way to skin a cat here, so telling the Minister and the government there’s another option to look at. Mr. Speaker, I say that because in front of me here I have three motions speaking about the rental and the issue of housing in the Northwest Territories that were debated and passed in the House. There’s another motion for the Minister to look and to help our people.

Mr. Speaker, in 2006 the United Nations called the issue of housing and homelessness in Canada a national emergency. I think that’s something that we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There were five to six million dollars negotiated contracts with other Aboriginal companies in the Monfwi and Nahendeh ridings. I see no issue with this if it benefits local people, Mr. Speaker, but there must be fairness. If it can be done in the other regions, surely it can be done in mine, and again, in the Sahtu, one little negotiated contract for $200,000 was awarded.

Mr. Speaker, there is a long-term trend to this. In 2008 this government negotiated a $28 million contract here in Yellowknife. Surely some other companies would have loved to have bid on that work, Mr...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the goals of the Sahtu region has to look at the financial stability that will stimulate the Sahtu economy in our region and develop the resources. Mr. Speaker, I had a chance to look at the negotiated contracts that the government produces every year and I looked over them for the last three years. These documents tell a very sad story, Mr. Speaker. We need to do better in my region.

For example, in 2009-2010, I see a $23 million negotiated contract with a local firm in Fort Smith to renovate the health centre. I also saw a $6.8 million negotiated contract for...