Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the 1-800 number. I would like to see if there’s more of a cultural relevance in terms of small communities where the elders -- their primary language is their aboriginal language -- in terms of having something else besides a 1-800 number; somebody in the community that is dedicated just for seniors that has a strong language and can speak to the seniors; one person in the community that can work with the seniors in terms of coordinating some of the programs and services they are dealing with today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for Seniors, Mr. Bell. Sorry. The question I have for the Minister responsible for Seniors is: Is the government looking at implementing a one-stop shop for seniors in small communities where they can all go to one building, get all their services, get all their programs that they need, get the services that they need to find out about, in our smaller communities? Thank you.

It’s a major decision and it will pay off in the long run, Mr. Bell.

---Applause

I want to say that Mr. Roland…Mr. Speaker, I’d like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

So the Ministers, they represent all of us in the Northwest Territories.

More and more. Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Minister if he would consider, with his counterpart in the federal government, looking at grandfathering some of these clauses in terms of our runways because of the speed of light that this government works and the federal government works in terms of extending these runways to meet the regulations of the MOT's and flying into our communities?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister is clear there that the federal government has put some restrictions on runways by the year 2010. I would ask the Minister if the feasibility study will be out amongst our people that are going to be affected in these small communities in terms of what type of provisions that we have to prepare if the Government of the Northwest Territories or the federal government doesn’t step in to help extend some of these runways that are desperately needed in the regions, especially the ones with no highway or bridges?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think there are lots of ways we can look at dedicating this one person. There is lots of work in the region that needs to get to the seniors that I think this government, hopefully, would make some strong recommendations as to how to coordinate some of the approaches and having some of the workers just be dedicated for the seniors. If we don’t do something like this, it’s going to be very difficult later on. So I ask again if they would look at dedicating some of this work to their staff in the communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would ask if government would make it a priority to look at the seniors first in terms of having this plan here. Give some thought to the strong recommendations that the seniors programs be looked at in terms the seniors can go to one place and deal with all their issues in one spot rather than to look at other buildings where they have to go in their communities as it is done today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was sitting yesterday wondering what I’m going to say to the opening replies this afternoon. I was sitting there and I got a phone call from my wife and she said that things were going around, how long are you going to be there, when are you getting back home. Then she was talking and she said oh, little guy, Scott, he’s going to school today, Grade 1, he’s going to school and he’s crying. I said, put him on the phone. Got him on the phone and he says, Daddy, how long are you going to be? Mr. Speaker, he was in his very sad-toned voice and I said I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to continue my questions with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment on this issue of the housing rental assessments. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Minister wanting to sit down with me within this short time frame of our term as a Member. I would like to ask the Minister, this is one example in my questioning the housing assessments. There is a high core need in my community and other communities in the North. There are a lot of people that are crammed into these little houses. The assessments are done on household income, not...