Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with millions of dollars this government couldn’t get right in terms of consultation with the aboriginal governments and the affected caribou hunters in this specific area. I ask the Minister, in terms of his consultation with even, for example, the YK Dene, they haven’t even come close to a deal. Can the Minister indicate to me if this deal is close to a resolution with this issue with the YK Dene?

The right to hunt and provide food for our people, to teach them many different methods of survival of the aboriginal people. The issue here is in terms of the rights of aboriginal people to hunt for food for their families for their survival. In terms of the attitudes of governments of the past not to recognize aboriginal rights, this is the attitude I see of this government here in terms of putting a ban on hunting without proper consultation with the affected parties. Is the Minister, in terms of his decision with his staff in terms of having traditional knowledge, let the people decide for...

Thank you. I have one question to the Minister here in terms of this page here. It’s health services contribution agreements funding, prevention and treatment. There are programs listed. I wanted to ask the Minister, I know she wrote to me about the National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program. We receive about, I say we, the Department of Health and Social Services receives about $375,000. Approximately $280,000 is allocated to southern addiction treatment options for aboriginal clients and I think that’s good to have that there. The remaining funds are used for focusing on addiction...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’ve been reviewing some of my notes from yesterday and from the exchange I had with the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and the Minister of ENR. Mr. Speaker, the issue with me is with the consultation process in terms of looking at the issue of caribou with the aboriginal people. Mr. Speaker, I also understand that the Minister indicated in the House that they were close to coming to a resolution of this issue with the Yellowknives Dene. Certainly, there are two views as to the type of resolution, Mr. Speaker. I find it very puzzling that we are coming to a...

On 8-30, Mr. Chair, in terms of the prevention and promotion funding to the authorities or agencies or NGOs, I’m looking more at the health promotion activities in terms of the high increase in diabetes in our communities, especially to retail outlets such as the Northern Store, the Co-op. Is there anything that this department is working with the retail facilities in terms of promoting healthy food/healthy eating and discouraging non-healthy foods such as lots of candy, pop and that kind of stuff there that I know is a money-maker, but is also hurting our children. Is that something within...

I would leave it in the good judgment of the Minister in terms of what she provides to me and if I could get that information sometime in the short time frame here. If I need more, I will come and see the Minister in terms of what more information I need. I do appreciate the Minister’s offering to look at this. I would like to see if I could get this sometime in the next couple of days.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have two questions for the Minister. The first question is more retrieving information from the Minister in terms of non-government organizations. Can the Minister provide to me the list of NGOs in the Northwest Territories? Can she break them down maybe by the regions or health authorities for me?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The document I am going to make reference to is put out by the Department of Health, 2006-07 document at my office here. It talked about the age group of 60 years and older as the fastest growing demographic in the Northwest Territories, this population here. Certainly, from 1996 to 2006 the population of seniors in the Northwest Territories increased by 46 percent.

Mr. Speaker, I want again just to speak to the Minister in terms of the care for seniors, or I refer to them as elders, in terms of the health policies in regards to having seniors come out of our...

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to follow up on Mr. Krutko’s comments. My comments would be around the issue of the caribou and how this has come to the forefront in terms of the various different types of positions put by various people. I’ve always said to go back to the elders because the elders are the ones who were raised on the land, they know the land, they know the animals, and the elders have always told us how to behave on the land with specific animals and which animals have special gifts for the people. I’m not too sure how well that sits in with the non-native people in terms of our...