Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table a letter I received from Lorraine Kuer, a teacher at Chief Albert Wright School in Tulita, which is signed by 19 staff and teachers in Tulita.

Mr. Speaker, the letter is addressed to the Government of the Northwest Territories and it describes the housing crises facing teachers in the Sahtu region and other small communities in the Northwest Territories, and it challenges the government to take immediate action to redeem the situation. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I support the Minister in terms of aggressively looking at some initiatives that would keep our teachers here and have them be aware of the high cost of living in the Sahtu. We are no strangers in the Sahtu region, we know that. I would ask the Minister what would he do with his department in terms of working with the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation to look at some unique initiatives of providing some secure housing to our people in the Northwest Territories and the Sahtu region. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister also look at considering the sensitive issue, I know the previous government has made a decision not to get back into the House on this issue with the education or teachers, so would the Minister give some consideration to that issue? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the question I am asking the Minister again is what is his department, along with the Sahtu Divisional Education Council, doing in terms of what kind of strategies they have for this issue not popping up in, say, Fort Good Hope or Deline next year? Are they looking at common strategies to work with the teachers at the divisional education authorities in communities to keep our teachers here so this issue won’t be raised again next year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, gone are the days of the government bringing professionals into our smaller communities, putting them in housing units, pay for their living and working in the North by flying them out on vacation trips and rewarding them for long-time service by keeping them in the communities for a number of years. Mr. Speaker, in Tulita and Sahtu, housing is a crisis for our communities. Schools are losing about 50 percent or more teachers every year. Mr. Speaker, to be a veteran teacher in the school in the Sahtu or the Northwest Territories, all you have to do is stay...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’m not arguing; you know, this whole national security for Canada was driven by 9-11 and anywhere across Canada and the world they're beefing up their security and I think we are falling in line with some other countries about beefing up our security. It doesn’t matter where you live now, there is always potential. The establishment of this new facility or new thing that’s going to happen here at the Yellowknife Airport, it’s like having a restriction on young children buying cigarettes. Yellowknife is going to be like the official airport. All the other airports...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what strategy is our government going to use to ensure that the federal government does come to the plate to get the ball rolling in terms of protecting our areas in the Northwest Territories? I’m asking the Minister what type of strategy we have. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I look forward to that assessment report from the Minister. Also, would the Minister provide this House with a timetable that he is going to work with the Minister of Health and Social Services in terms of seeing what type of occupancy that the people in Deline can look forward to in terms of occupying that seniors facility and that they can at least have some decisions as to where to go next with that facility? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister inform the House here as to some sort of a time frame that they would make a decision on it with the community of Deline, in terms of the uses of that facility? Thank you.

Thank you, Members. Mr. Speaker, I was driving back from Peace River the other day. I have a two-and-a-half-year-old boy. He was colouring Spiderman in the truck. He had the crayon in has hand, Mr. Speaker, and he looked at the crayon and said, I want to smoke, I want to smoke. That really hit. That was really sore. Mr. Menicoche is so right. As leaders, we are role models. There are a huge number of smokers in the small communities. In that sense, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Minister for supporting me. I want to thank Mr. Menicoche for taking this challenge with me. Mahsi.

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