Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know it’s going to be a costly initiative. I know the existing dollars are not right now in this government. But there’s got to be some creative solution from this side and from the House here. We can’t go back to the elders in Colville Lake, Deline, Fort Good Hope and say to them listen, we have to wait another year. Sorry, but we don’t have enough money. That’s unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, we have to go back to the communities and tell the elders this is what we can do, this is emergency funding, this is what we’re doing with it. Oil companies are doing...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to again ask the Minister, the Fuel Subsidy Program, it's not enough. I'm telling you right now I'm speaking on behalf of the elders who have spoken to me. The fuel there, the need, and we're not taking this as a real important issue to take care of elders. We're going against a lot of our values in terms of how we're to look after the elders. So, Mr. Speaker, to my question here. Can the Minister look at the program this year? Look at the program this year and treat the elders all the same in terms of the fuel subsidy and give them what...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do acknowledge the support that this government is giving to our seniors, but when I go back into the Sahtu communities and other communities, I hear the elders are not getting enough of a fuel subsidy. There is a discretion there. Some of the elders are getting it and some are not getting it. I'm asking to look at the recent increase of fuel in our communities and the increase in the cost of living. The fuel subsidies are still the same; there's no increase. So it's not going very far. We do have the program; let's give our elders a break this...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today in my Member's statement I spoke about the hardships facing some of the elders living independently on fixed incomes. It is clear that our policies and programs require adjustments to ensure that elders can live out their lives independently and in the comfort of their own homes. My question today is to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Can the Minister tell me, and the House, whether his department is considering adjusting the Seniors' Fuel Subsidy Program to ensure that it captures all the elders who need such a subsidy? Thank...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my Member’s statement is on the high cost of living for seniors. Throughout the Northwest Territories, there are seniors on a fixed incomes living in their homes struggling to make ends meet. For those elders living in smaller communities who do not live in free social housing, their standards of living is decreasing with each passing day and year. Mr. Speaker, I know of elders in the Sahtu that are forced to save $250 from each of their pension cheques just so that they can afford the cost of heating fuel and electricity in the cold winter months. There...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Minister and deputy minister, in terms of the process. This process here, what you just explained to me, it's so simple that, you know, it could be communicated to the people in the regions in the communities. I know people in the communities in the regions, from the goodness of their heart, uncertainty sometimes comes with seasonal work or things that come up in their lives that they sometimes have to cause a delay in their payment for whatever reason. I guess what I'm asking is that they understand the process well. It does come to a consolidated...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the question I had somewhat was answered, and I'd like to follow up with Minister Roland on this specific bill here, more in line with the debt counselling in terms of how or what type of system process we have in terms of helping people with debt counselling. I know there are many steps to go in terms of trying to get these debts collected. I know some people are good, honest, hard-working people who want to work on this and sometimes there's a blockage or barriers for whatever reason. Does the Government of the Northwest Territories have any form of unit...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I apologize to the Minister. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to ask the Minister if he would conduct, do a sweep or a survey of all the communities that have elders that are living independently that need help there. He’ll have unanimous support by the elders in terms of this is what we need. It’s not much. We have money. We’re putting our money to other priorities. We’re talking about priorities and there is money in this government. Shift them to the elders first. Do the basic thing. Do the right thing. Help them out for this year. That would eliminate all the stress and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to continue these questions to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment in regards to the Seniors' Fuel Subsidy Program. Mr. Speaker, in the communities there are some elders who receive this subsidy and some of the elders that don’t receive this subsidy. In some of the communities, it causes conflict between the elders. Some of the elders who say they should also be receiving because of the hard work they have done and the pensions that now they’re receiving from the jobs that they worked at. They don’t have any subsidies, and yet they’re...

You know, they are saving their money for it. So I'll ask the Minister again if he would consider looking at this cost of fuel in the communities for the elders. Thank you.

---Applause