Norman Yakeleya

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, Madam Chair. The activity in the Northwest Territories should – I’ll cross my fingers here -- the pipeline go through, is going to be quite busy with regard to the different regions of the Northwest Territories. Isn’t the federal government a little bit concerned about that level of activity happening in light of what’s happening around the world in terms of protection of our airports and our people? Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, just to follow up on Mrs. Groenewegen’s comment, it just doesn’t make sense that the only airport in the Northwest Territories that’s going to have this type of equipment is Yellowknife, and 737s land in Inuvik, Norman Wells and other communities in the Northwest Territories that don’t have this system. I want to know if the Minister would have any indications of future plans such as Inuvik and Norman Wells and maybe Fort Smith or Hay River…Has the federal government given any indication as to upgrading those airports also where 737s do land and take off? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my written question today is directed to the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development.

Could the Minister provide detailed information of the direct financial benefits the GNWT has received over the last five years as the result of oil and gas exploration programs in the Sahtu and in the NWT?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll do a follow-up question to the Honourable Charles Dent with regard to teachers. I want to ask the Minister what is this government doing to keep teachers in the North? What type of incentives are they working on to keep the teachers in the North, so they don’t have to deal with issues such as housing? I know that the government is not in the housing business now. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Health and Social Services. In light of the high percentage of smokers and smoking amongst our youth in the NWT, please provide:

The number of people in the Sahtu region who acknowledge they smoke.

A breakdown of smokers by age, gender and youth.

The cost of cigarettes in the Sahtu communities.

What are the actual health costs to the NWT associated with smoking?

In the Sahtu region, who works with the department on smoking education programs?

Can the department provide us with the types of financial support to combat smoking...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister also ensure that the communities along the route who are looking at the Protected Areas Strategy, the communities that are in the land claims, that are following the land claims agreements in terms of the Protected Areas Strategy? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Minister of RWED. Mr. Speaker, I’d like the Minister to provide this House with an update on the Protected Areas Strategy in light of the filing of the application of the Mackenzie gas pipeline that there’s land that needs to be protected in the region. Can the Minister provide the House with an update on the Protected Areas Strategy? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister provide the House with the reports of the assessments? He mentioned they are doing assessments of less than 30 percent occupancy of those types of facilities that they are responsible for. Would he provide this House with the report within the time frame? Thank you.