Norman Yakeleya

Mr. Speaker, the challenges that we have in our region is the short construction period by the time the materials get to our region. Again, in terms of going forward, if the people from the Sahtu could somehow sit down with the district office and list some of the concerns from the 2008 Auditor General’s Report -- the inspection, the construction, the material -- this would be very beneficial to the corporation. Again, I would ask the Minister in his reviewing of this budget, would he be able to get the leaders and people from the Sahtu to sit down in the district office and say this is how we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for Minister McLeod, Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, in light of the recent announcement of the housing funding that is coming to the Northwest Territories, I wanted to ask the Minister in terms of future plans going ahead. Would his Crown corporation look at sitting down with the regional bodies in the Sahtu or any other region and look at how they can design and make use of these units that are coming into the Northwest Territories? Would the Minister be able to look at some future consultation with the Sahtu region?

Mr. Speaker, the town of Norman Wells would be very appreciative of the Minister’s response. I want to ask the Minister in terms of another source of funding under the Emergency Measures Fund, or are there other emergency funds his department has that could also help with this situation?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How can the GNWT help the town of Norman Wells with the seawall project that was budgeted for $613,000? I would like to ask the Minister of MACA, how can his department help the town?

Thank you, Minister, in terms of the disadvantages, the way I look at it is that the energy panel really has a lot of money in terms of putting together facts and information. The communities would have very little money. Even the Minister has said that the business communities have to pay their way, so I see that they’re disadvantaged in terms of how this process will be. However, again, I would ask if the Minister would continue to look for other avenues where the communities can be properly funded to have a meaningful consultation. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the communities are at somewhat of a disadvantage because, and I’m not too sure if there are any resources available to them for research information in terms of the rates in terms of the suggestions they may come forward with. The panel may have all the research available to them, but do the communities have some type of a fund available to them to do their own research in terms of looking at some solutions that may be brought up through these consultations?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll ask the Minister in terms of the importance of language in our schools and putting some dedicated dollars towards the language programs and having the elders involved. Can I ask the Minister about his strategy for bringing the elders in? Because right now if you bring the elders into the schools there are some complications in terms of their salary, because they would be penalized by the federal government or our own for having additional dollars. That’s where there are some major issues. Can the Minister indicate to me if there is any type of strategy within the...

Recently the Minister indicated through his ministerial statement regarding the graduating rates in the Northwest Territories and the gaps between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people. In terms of our languages taught in our schools, can the Minister indicate to me if there is any type of commitment that would strengthen the aboriginal languages in our communities so that we will see this gap closed in terms of having our students graduate with a comfortable level of their first language?

Mr. Chair, I want to say that the department has been very good in working with our contractors. I also want to say to the Minister that the contractors are doing an excellent job in terms of maintaining our winter roads, working with whatever resources we have with them. Sometimes we feel that the budget for our contractors to do a proper maintenance routine schedule is sometimes...It could be increased. Certainly with what they are doing right now, I think they are doing an excellent job.

I think that the department has certainly seen a big increase in terms of our winter roads. I want to say...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

In my own language I honour these few words from my grandfather’s and grandmother’s language. You see, I was brought up with the English and Dene language. In our house we spoke in the two languages. It was not until I started living in Tulita that I began to see and hear the Dene language expressed to its fullest by my grandparents and by my people in Tulita.

Growing up with little knowledge as to the importance of my mother’s language, early in our education at the federal day school we were strongly encouraged to read, write, and speak...