Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister about releasing the document. I understand it’s going to be released shortly. I want to ask the Minister why it’s taking so long to release this document. It’s so important. I’ve asked before that it should have been released before. It looked like such a secretive document. Just now, because of the initialling, it will be released to the public. Now even one of the leaders in the Sahtu is saying that we don’t understand this document. I’m wondering why it’s taking so long to be released to the public here.

We’re just about at the end of our term as legislators. Let’s talk about hypothetical here. There is going to be a federal election in springtime, not too sure. This agreement here has been an issue. We don’t have critical mass in terms of the strength to go ahead with the AIP in terms of making it a truly northern deal. The parameters have been set to negotiate some of the finer details of the agreement. That’s why I use the term “rush,” in terms that it may not be well taken by the Cabinet. However, that’s the way it’s been looked upon by some of the people in my region.

The important...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise on the ground on the faith of my people. For the last three weeks my mind and heart have been gone from time to time as to the fate of how we will be shaping our land and our relationships with aboriginal governments. We are beginning to see what it may look like. There’s an interesting saying in the Chinese culture that goes something like this: May you live in interesting times. Certainly we’re in those times with the draft devolution agreement-in-principle. Advice I’m getting from my elders and the leaders in the Sahtu give me strength to carry on with my...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The people of the Northwest Territories, from my stories from the elders, have traditionally been self-reliant and have governed themselves for thousands of years. More recent arrivals in the Territories have been fiercely independent also. All of us believe that our government should be of the people and who can work out things together. Our system of government has grown, Mr. Speaker, and it has taken on more authority over the last 50 years. Aboriginal peoples have settled land claims and have actually set up their own governments based on both tradition and the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, will be supporting this motion. I’d like to thank Mr. Bromley for bringing it to the floor.

The statistics show, the numbers show that students who take on a career by advancing their educational knowledge, greatly contribute to the Northwest Territories and the communities. These educational programs that we offer in secondary institutions will certainly be busier if we had the proper funding for students to take advantage of upgrading their skills and educational knowledge by having them being supported through Student Financial Assistance.

As Mr. Bromley has...

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise the Members in this House what he is going to do to ensure that the sale of public housing units can occur in a timely manner within the communities?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the questions to the Housing Minister. I know the Housing Minister made some statements about the program reviews and things that are going to see, hopefully, some changes for the good for people in the communities, especially with purchasing, renovating and housing and such. I want to ask the Minister in terms of speed of the process. However, I am still receiving a lot of inquiries and concerns about people purchasing houses in my region. As a matter of fact, there is one lady right now that wants to purchase her house; however, it is going...

Mr. Speaker, I certainly hope that the Premier has much success in terms of the negotiations or discussions that are going to happen in Edmonton this evening. Certainly the issues of the Sahtu are very important to us, to a point where it stated clearly in my letter from our chairperson, carbon copied to me, that we are not prepared to advance the territorial agenda until some very basic concerns of the Sahtu are addressed. I would like to ask the Premier in terms of what type of indications that would weigh, I guess, in terms of this Cabinet decision to say, yes, these are the basic issues of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier in terms of his meeting with the aboriginal leaders later on this afternoon or this evening in Edmonton. I want to ask the Premier in terms of his discussion and in light of any type of documentation or indication from the aboriginal governments, in terms of their support to sign on with the territorial government to begin the next steps in terms of this draft agreement-in-principle. Can the Premier inform the House and the people of the North in terms of what type of reaction he has from the aboriginal governments so far?

I’d like to recognize the leadership from Deline. I’ll go through the list here: Mr. Peter Menacho, president of the Deline Land Corporation; Morris Neyelle; Paul Modeste, who’s from Russell Bay; elder Alfred Taniton; former Chief Dolphus Baton; band manager, if she’s there, Pauline Roach; Chief Raymond Tutcho; elder John Yukon; member from Deline, Russell Kenny and Danny Gaudet.

Also I’d like to recognize two of the Pages from Tulita’s Chief Albert Wright School: Jordan Lennie and Erica MacCauley.

I’d also like to say thank you to Verna and Gay for all their hard work for the Members who come...