Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Very briefly, I want to say how important the economy is in the Northwest Territories and the opportunities and benefits that this project will bring directly to the people in the Mackenzie Valley in the Northwest Territories in terms of moving the economy and that we certainly need, through this process, a need for a balance between the water, air and land and extracting resources from our land.

Mr. Chairman, this whole process is like a big octopus, there are so many legs all over you have to pull things together. What is more important, in terms of coordinating all...

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to go back to item 5 on the Order Paper.

---Unanimous consent granted

I certainly look forward to the Minister getting back to me in short order. Would the Minister look at possible time frames as to when we can expect a social worker to be in Tulita, having all the excuses being exhausted? When can the people in Tulita get a social worker in the community? How soon can the Minister get back to me?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to the Minister of Health and Social Services. I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services as to when she thinks that the people in Tulita can receive a resident social worker in the community.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to just again state very clearly that this piece of infrastructure would certainly help the people in the Sahtu region in terms of the benefits that I have read out in the motion. More importantly, because of the climate change that’s happening in the Northwest Territories and the safety issue of the residents who are coming in and out of the Sahtu using the ice road, also that will help us with our economic opportunities in terms of longer periods for oil and gas exploration or any other types of exploration that could be happening in the Sahtu, and that...

WHEREAS the Bear River Bridge project has been put on hold pending the identification and approval of a federal funding source;

AND WHEREAS the Department of Transportation is continuously examining federal funding programs that could provide financial support for the construction of the Bear River Bridge;

AND WHEREAS the department has completed a breakdown of costs of construction of the Bear River Bridge as well as a cost-benefit and regional impact analysis of the Mackenzie Valley Highway extension that includes a bridge over the Bear River;

AND WHEREAS the federal government has demonstrated...

Mr. Speaker, in 11 days… I know the Minister communicated with me that the local housing authority along with the tenants are trying to work out some repayment of the situations. However, the fact of the matter is that they have eviction notices signed off that families have to get out of the house, basically, and these families are, again, looking forward to seeing where they go. I know the Minister has indicated being there for the people. How, in this small community of Deline, will we look after 12 families that are going to need shelter? Because that’s going to cause other problems in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you honourable colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I’m pleased to recognize three great leaders from the birthplace of ice hockey in Canada, Deline, Sahtu: Danny Gaudet, government negotiator, Chief Raymond Tutcho, and president of the land corporation, Mr. Peter Menacho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the community of Tulita has offered some solutions in terms of getting a social worker into the community. Will the Minister be open to those types of suggestions from the people of Tulita to get a social worker in there, in terms of the solutions of certainly that position, as soon as possible?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister and I did tour the Sahtu and one of our stops was in Tulita. We did have a talk with the grand chief and people of Tulita and we were advised of the number of excuses why we did not have today a social worker in the community of Tulita. One of the suggestions was how can we work out a solution that we can have a social worker. We have not had one in that community for over three years. We need a permanent social worker in the community. I want to ask the Minister if she’s willing to look at some options in terms of how do we get one within the next couple of weeks.