Norman Yakeleya

Certainly through the memberships and we certainly appreciate the time and records that the department has gone out of its way to assist the two communities. We want to ask, in this type of discussion here, when the department, in terms of responding to the additional requests of the two runways, specifically Fort Good Hope and Deline, in terms of additional runway requirement lengths that they’re asking for. Because we’ve already talked about some partnerships and we are looking forward to this department to respond in a positive way that will see a benefit in terms of stimulating the economy...

Mr. Speaker, I certainly look forward to the department’s revised policy on this Opportunities Fund, because that is one of the issues that I would like to see. One of the constituents that I got a call from yesterday didn’t know about this fund and was quite shocked and said what is this government doing lending, aiding, investing, whatever interpretation we put on it to discover where in the point of $34 million? Why is the government not supporting the northern aboriginal businesses in terms of this? I look forward to that policy. Can the Premier commit that this policy would see a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I certainly support the companies that are doing business in the Northwest Territories. I guess I am looking at the long-term standing and it’s different interpretations that regional companies in the Northwest Territories in my region are sustaining, that have paid taxes, are lifelong people in my region that are looking for opportunities. When they see in the headlines in the newspaper of a loan being paid out to Discovery Air from Ontario, they get quite upset. They are asking to see who this government is looking after. I agree with the Premier in terms...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask a question to the government in terms of the recent economic crisis that is happening around the world and also Canada and possibly here in the Northwest Territories. I would like to ask the Premier to see if there is any type of regional economic stimulus from the people of the Northwest Territories as to how they could deal with this crisis that has happened before us in terms of how we can incur economic stimulus in our own regions in terms of dealing with the recession. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly look forward to the Minister’s budget address as to what stimulus could be happening in our region in terms of the economics. I would like to ask the Premier in terms of the discussions with the regional entities of the Northwest Territories, has the Premier also looked in turn to what type of opportunities funds could be available to stimulate the Northwest Territories in terms of stabilizing or having some security for people of the Northwest Territories? There is funding out there that isn’t within the privy of private Members to be involved in, but there are some...

There are so many issues addressed to Members of the House in terms of the important issues that are coming up in this session here. I want to put forth in terms of the economic crisis that is happening in Canada, the Northwest Territories and people in our region, that for certain some things that have shifted from our people in our communities and have shifted in other areas that this government sees as a priority.

Lately I have been getting some calls from my region about what is going to happen, what is going to get done in our communities to feel some security by this government in terms...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last Saturday in Fort Good Hope a special couple celebrated their 50th golden wedding anniversary. Thomas and Denise Manuel celebrated in Fort Good Hope with family and friends from the Northwest Territories and I understand they had a wonderful time. So on behalf of the people of the Sahtu region, I’d like to congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Manuel on their 50th golden wedding anniversary and we wish them another 50 years more together.

It has been over how many years that the community has been saying this in terms of Plan of Care? My community of Colville Lake, over a number of years, has been saying this. The chief has called me; people in the community have called me. They’ve said, “Why don’t we get to work and get them to talk to us? They come in here and they scoop up the children and they bring them outside.”

I guess we’re waiting for the implementation of a good program. We’ve heard some good things from Fort McPherson. When are we going to see dollars that match these good words? It’s long overdue. Again I ask the...

Mr. Speaker, I’m advocating strongly for the elders in terms of doing the right thing for our people in communities. How long have we been trying to get elders into our education system? There have been so many doors closed in their faces.

Mr. Speaker, I want again to say to the Minister that you have an opportunity and the Assembly here has an opportunity to do the right thing and get the elders into our schools. The doors have been slammed in their faces by the federal government, the territorial government. The PTR system might be an avenue that would say: yes, we will have elders in the...

Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Minister to reconsider and put this as a priority with the PTR for elders and the residents in our schools. As I said earlier, we are losing the elders fast in our regions, in our communities. With them we lose the knowledge and values of our people. I would ask the Minister if he would strongly consider pushing for an initiative on the PTR to be discussed at this Assembly so we could talk about it seriously in the House.

I do appreciate the Minister’s directive in terms of language and culture in our schools, but we need something more permanent to include elders...