Norman Yakeleya

Mr. Speaker, during my statement I mentioned the Edmonton mayor’s plan to educate city workers about the history and impact of residential schools. The purpose is to deliver service in a more culturally sensitive manner to the city’s Aboriginal population. I think it’s a great idea.

Here at home we have incredible resources available to us: the residential curriculum produced by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. My idea is to use the curriculum in all child and family services training. Child protection workers and the supervisors should know about this history.

Can the...

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to acknowledge Mr. George Cleary, originally from Deline. Today George received a 2014 Education Hall of Fame Award.

George began his career as an educator in his early years of life. Although he moved to other professions, George continues to support educating his people in leadership roles and the importance of self-reliance and self-responsibilities.

Congratulations to George and his family on this worthwhile award.

Also along with Ms. Bisaro’s comments, I guess you’re looking at a situation where the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. Even though they’re doing the same service, even in the accountability framework, who do you report to? Who are you accountable to? We didn’t know this until the Auditor General did the audit. They brought up all these issues. So some of the issues we’ve raised with the Minister, the government. People are telling us stuff in the communities who have to deal with child apprehension or dealing with Social Services. They are telling us real stuff, things...

In fact, in a recent report in the House, the Auditor General said that child and family services are failing Aboriginal families in the Northwest Territories, so the government has a major task ahead to change the welfare system.

During oral questions I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

From the action plan and the communication plan, I’m hoping that the Minister would look at all forms of communication and methods out there, CKLB or radio, not just a website. When you look at some of the stats in the Sahtu region, not all households in the communities are hooked up to the Internet. So, we don’t have everybody going to the website and English is not always their first language. There’s a high percentage of our people. So I guess in that sense, the target area, it’s the older people, then it has to be done in Dene Kede and do it in English there. So the communication plan...

Just a comment there. Again, it goes back to the measurements of the reporting and how these are crucial in the small communities with the appropriate organizations. The Auditor General has made a scathing report on this section here, also, in terms of his findings. It’s so needed when you have children involved in the small communities. Of the thousands of children that are apprehended in the Northwest Territories, 95 percent are Aboriginal. I look, I guess, to see how these four indicators are going to improve the system in the communities with the people who are doing the work and see how...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to also comment on the type of work that the family preservations are providing and that this is something that’s been asked maybe in a different language, different forms, different concepts, but this is what I know I’ve been hearing from around the Sahtu, specifically when I met one of the community members in one of my communities that talked about having people in the community itself do its work and not be caught up in the bureaucracy of degrees or credits to education. It requires somebody to do a job.

This is the type of work that is basic, it’s simple...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Certainly a good choice of words in the motion and interpretation of the motion.

I certainly appreciate it. It’s a crucial issue in our smaller communities and communities in the Northwest Territories. We are bringing motions to the floor, not for the sake of having a good debate and getting some air time. You bring motions because, as legislators, this is what we bring back from our communities, people we talk to. They say this is an issue in our community, how come you guys aren’t dealing with it? This is an issue when I go to Edmonton or...

WHEREAS medical and non-medical travel escorts provide a crucial service to the NWT health care system by taking care of patients who require assistance when they travel for treatment;

AND WHEREAS medical and non-medical travel escorts are predominantly volunteers from communities who must leave behind their families and employment during their absence, often for extended periods of time;

AND WHEREAS extended absences by medical and non-medical travel escorts often tax personal and family resources and create hardships;

AND WHEREAS it is now difficult to find proper travel escorts in some...

I look forward to the discussions with the Minister and Members from this side on the idea.

The mandate of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission includes a missing child project. I’d like to know what attempts, if any, have been made by the Department of Health and Social Services to identify missing children who have died while attending residential schools in the Northwest Territories.