Norman Yakeleya

Within the compressed time frame that the Minister has indicated to his definition of consultation with aboriginal governments, I want to ask the Minister what his definition is of a meaningful consultation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to use my Member’s statement to give my condolence to the Doctor family, Horassi family in Tulita. Over the weekend, we lost a community elder and member in Tulita. On Sunday morning I got a phone call from my brother, saying that a gentleman passed away in Tulita. Another one has left us in their community. I was thinking about the amount of elders that we have lost in the Sahtu region. Mr. Speaker, people like my uncle Adrian Menacho, an older gentleman in Deline that passed away last year, and an older man in Colville Lake Joe Martin Oudzi also passed...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome one of my staff members, Mr. Garth Wallbridge, and also Mr. Ken Young to the gallery. I would also like to welcome and say to my wife how much I certainly love her and I hope to... It’s okay, Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome my wife to the gallery.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to also thank all Members of the House for their thoughts, for their passion, for their analytical thinking in terms of this issue. It’s a very big issue. It’s good that the people of the Northwest Territories hear the peoples’ government talk about a very important species in the North.

Mr. Speaker, the motion that I’ve moved in this House is to consult; consult with each other, consult with the aboriginal governments and show respect to the aboriginal peoples and to the aboriginal governments.

Mr. Speaker, the comments about this animal, you know, thinking...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker,

Whereas caribou have been a source of food and a means of survival for aboriginal people of the NWT since time immemorial;

And Whereas caribou herds migrate across jurisdictions and across international boundaries;

And Whereas the Government of the Northwest Territories has scientific studies that show a decline in caribou herds and deem it an emergency measure under the conservation process to ban all hunting of the Bathurst caribou herd within a specified geographical area;

And Whereas Dene Nation Resolutions #10/11-003 and #09/010-014 propose a means by which all parties...

The motion speaks to a long-term plan with the GNWT on a government-to-government basis in terms of the basis to recognize the inherent right to hunt and the authority in terms of this issue here. Has this government here sat down with the Dene Nation leadership and talked about this issue as the motion dictated in terms of our saying this is what they wanted to do? Has this government done this in terms of answering to this motion that was passed on October 19th to 23rd, 2009?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Mr. Roland. In terms of meaningful consultation and with the very important government that we have with the aboriginal governments, in terms of this issue going forward and a nation-to-nation-to-nation trust building relationship, from October 19th to 23rd there was a Dene leadership meeting here in Dettah. A motion was moved by Chief Edward Sangris of the Yellowknives Dene and seconded by the grand chief, Joe Rabesca, of the Tlicho Government, talked about the importance of this issue of the caribou here. They...

So in terms of nation-to-nation building with the governments here that we in our own, I say in our own definition within this government here in terms of the circumstances, the compressed time, that we will ultimately make a decision no matter what the governments will say in terms of their feedback. That we will make decisions in terms of the definition that I’m getting from the Minister on meaningful consultation. I would ask the Minister if he is coming out with a policy in terms of this type of definition with the government.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of ENR regarding consultation on the issue of the caribou. I wanted to ask the Minister, the Minister provided me and some other Members with a list of meetings that happened over this issue here. I wanted to ask what his department means in terms of meaningful consultation with the users of the caribou.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The comments I have is something that the Minister and I have been working on for some time. I am going to ask the Minister: how do we solidify elders into our education system? I know the Minister has been contemplating about the different systems that support this and systems that don’t support the elders in our schools. The Minister has been at it for a long time, but I think it is time now that he comes and tells us this is how we are going to do it. We have to have some action here. He held this for almost two years, trying to get elders into our schools. As we...