Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I couldn’t agree more with the Minister. It’s the same with alcohol and drugs. With alcohol and drugs, you have to negotiate. I would encourage the Minister to reconsider bringing the workers into the public service where there is some security and benefits. Pay them for what they are worth in dealing with this serious issue of alcoholism in the Northwest Territories. I would again ask the Minister to really strongly consider bringing these workers into the public service where they are honoured and respected for the work they are doing in our communities...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s been three years that these workers have not had any type of agreement on security. It’s been three years. So what did the government do in the three years to get the parties back on the road and not have our clients shut out and have people go down to other treatment centres? What have they done in three years and not just now when it comes down to the crunch when we are having this discussion? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome also people from Nats’ejee K’eh, Dave Poitras, my sister-in-law Cecile Bonnetrouge, Phillip Fabian, Margaret Elleze and Tracy Hoff. I would also like to welcome the members from the union also for being with the membership. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the last couple of months I was in Tulita and I want to say that to the Premier in support of his government in terms of thanking him in terms of cleaning the uranium contaminated site. People are sure happy in terms of that move, Mr. Speaker. But I also found that the community of Deline is going to be doing some work in the uranium site up at Great Bear Lake and that they’re going to put together a proposal I understand from Dolphus Tutcho, I’m sorry, from the community members in Deline that there may be a process where they could look at this ATCO...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the response. That was my fourth point in this written question. The federal government must agree financially to contribute to this and proponents must agree that to hand over these units upon completion of the Mackenzie gas project at no cost to the federal government. So my question to the Minister of the Housing Corporation, when will he know from this current government, when will he know that this deal must get done otherwise it’s no go for this Novel concept? We’re too late to get into the business of this Novel housing. So when will he expect to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the past couple of sittings, we have heard from a number of Members who are concerned with how the Novel housing proposal will play out. While not diminishing my colleagues’ concerns, I would like to put a more positive spin on this proposal, Mr. Speaker. It is simple. I am in favour of any proposal that puts housing that is so desperately needed in the communities that I represent. I see the overcrowding. I see housing units that are no longer fit to live in and still being used because there is no alternative. Mr. Speaker, I have seen families forced out...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, October 30th, 2006, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that this Assembly strongly recommends the Department of Education, Culture and Employment change the maximum percentage of income that can be charged as rent for social housing from 32 percent to 18 percent for non-market communities and from 32 percent to 25 percent for communities with a rental and private housing market; and further that the NWT Housing Corporation do a better job in explaining their homeownership programs and...

Thank you. I certainly support the Premier’s strong voice and opinions to the Prime Minister in terms of this Novel. Quit wasting the time; similar to the resource revenue sharing and devolution agreements. It’s a no go or it’s a go. So, Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister of the Housing Corporation in terms of this whole Novel concept, I understand from the previous discussions in the House with the Fort Providence bridge project that the Novel was going to be considered as a test in exposure of units of these types of Novel housing units. Are they still being considered elsewhere in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement I talked about the Novel housing project. Mr. Speaker, the written questions to the previous Minister talked about five key points in terms of the comparative analysis of the Novel housing project. Number one, the Mackenzie gas project is a go or no go. Number two, it’s under a full-scale review by the proponents. Number three, the Novel concept must be accepted by the proponents on a workforce housing initiative and competitive bidding process. I’d like to ask the Minister of the Housing Corporation in terms of time frame, in terms...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I had mentioned this to the previous Minister of ENR and unfortunately the situation couldn’t be dealt with at that time. However, Mr. Speaker, I want to say to the Minister that the trip was truly an experience that the Premier and I had with the youth from the Sahtu region and I ask the Minister if he would consider looking at this as a national or a territorial leadership walk. I think that’s a real good initiative to encourage our leaders, encourage our youth, to spend one week on the land and just talk about life’s important issues that they face, and...