Norman Yakeleya

Mr. Chair, just a question to the Minister in terms of the Tulita tank farm and shelter that they use. The Minister has written to me, I’ve received some good correspondence in terms of the future plans for the shelter or the shack that we have in Tulita for handling the fuel in our community. I’m just trying to get a sense, I know it’s been delayed and I wanted to ask the Minister in terms of the next couple years before you start putting the real building in there, in between there are some safety mechanisms we should be looking at in terms of the quality of this building in terms of...

Mr. Speaker, in regards to the traditional knowledge work that this department is leading, how soon or when would we see these types of traditional knowledge information be implemented into government-wide policy with all departments?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. People in the Sahtu certainly appreciate the funds for the hydro symposium. Can I ask the Minister, Mr. Speaker, as a result at the conclusion of the hydro symposium, would this government seriously look at construction of some of the initiatives that they could do in the Sahtu to reduce the cost of energy?

Can the Minister inform me as to how much has been invested into the feasibility studies for the natural gas conversions?

The one concern, that I know the department has been in discussions with the leadership in Deline is the realignment of the road from the mouth of Great Bear Lake and Bennett Field, specifically at the mouth of Great Bear Lake where there is a burial site and the department has been talking with the community in terms of moving the road off the area where the burial site is. I know the Minister has had his staff go to Deline and are going to do work.

My understanding is there was some discussion as to how soon this can get done. My previous discussion with some of the officials is that they...

Mr. Speaker, my Member’s statement today is in regards to helping the people in the Sahtu, especially the people in Colville Lake who have asked me on numerous occasions if they can build their own home, simple homes in the communities where these young families, older people that could build a simple log home, simple home in the communities that would help the GNWT with these resources. The benefits of these people in my communities in the Sahtu, again Colville Lake, is to harvest the logs and have some skill capacity development going on in the community, get people working. This would...

Thank you Mr. Chairman. I want to ask the Minister in terms of safety on the winter roads. There is 800 kilometres of winter roads between Wrigley and Colville Lake and the Minister, in the past, has indicated that safety measures were being done on the winter road by placing safety signage posts along the road. I witnessed this last winter, the contractors being out. Still there continues to need to be more signage on the roads, grade improvements on the roads, widening and realignment of the roads and I would ask the Minister that this work continue on for several more years in terms of...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to say to the Minister and the department that, certainly, there’s always huge interest in terms of infrastructure in our smaller communities, especially the ones that seem to need it more in terms of bringing down the cost of living or just have accessibility to other things similar to where communities have all-season roads. I’m just talking about the access into the Sahtu and into other communities that have roads into their communities. I just wanted to say to the Minister that we certainly appreciate the infrastructure dollars coming into our region and how it...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The comments I have would be on the projects that we have ongoing in terms of the long-term investment this department here is having in the Northwest Territories and the amount of work that is going to be carried out in different parts of the Northwest Territories and the challenges that we have with the projects that are before us. I want to ask the Minister in terms of these projects being done on time. There are certain unforeseeable incidents or circumstances that delay some of the projects. That is part of the nature of doing business in the Northwest Territories...

Mr. Speaker, I guess I am really unclear in terms of the Minister not supporting the aboriginal traditional medicine in terms of encouraging some people who would want to use this. I think it’s a view as to what is best for the people. I truly believe that what she is saying, this is the way to go; however, she hasn’t given enough evidence in terms of showing me that traditional medicine is next best to the vaccine shots that people are going to get. I guess I want to hear more encouraging words from the Minister in terms of saying to the aboriginal people and elders, yes, you can take your...