Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This motion is very unique. I’m not too sure if I’m going to support it, because I’m allergic to mushrooms.

---Laughter

But it’s very unique and I appreciate Mr. Nadli and the seconder, Mr. Hawkins, bringing this motion forward and rekindling some of the fond memories of Mr. Dolynny as a young picker of mushrooms.

Wild mushrooms in the Northwest Territories… I mean, we have a lot of forest fires and there is lots of opportunity in the Northwest Territories. Anything we can do to support communities and looking at some analysis to be done by the government to look to see if...

The youth that we had out there, about ages 14 to 20 years old from different regions, came to the Canol and we had private sponsors. Certainly, we appreciated the sponsors from this government to take the youth. I wanted to ask the Minister, would there be an opportunity for the young people… From the report I have, some of the recommendations for them to be on the trail for 25 miles, 70 miles, 50 miles, they saw a lot out there.

Can this department sit down with the youth and ask what they’ve learned, take their recommendations and where can we put some emergency shelters, some infrastructure...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to the Minister of ITI. About eight years ago I decided that I’d like to take a hike on the Canol Trail. At that time, Premier Joe Handley wanted to come along. Basically, the idea was to take some youth out because looking at the situation of our youth and that it might be a good opportunity to talk about the youth, give them some experience about being out on the land and talking with some of the older people and the leaders and what they want to do in life. Over the past eight years this hike has become an annual event.

Given that we know more than...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is the beginning of planting the seed, so I look at that as the first process, is get the seed in the ground and start developing a vision for our athletes in the future. I’m not too sure the time frame of when this discussion will come to our side; hopefully, it will be done within the life of this government.

Can the Minister then sort of give some assurance that it will happen soon so we can have some discussion and start working on it?

Mr. Speaker, my colleague Mr. Bouchard talked about the athletes from his riding attending the Arctic Winter Games, and certainly many athletes across the Northwest Territories will be there next week. Also, over the weekend we had the Second Annual Traditional Aboriginal Games Championships and I’m very happy to know, from speaking there to the young athletes, that Mr. McLeod was there to show support and people were quite happy that he was there to show support.

I’m asking if there is any type of discussion, with all the other support he has given to the athletes, if there’s any type of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This afternoon I want to talk about an idea, a concept that was once in the Northwest Territories.

Some time ago up in Inuvik, they had the ski program, the TEST program. This program was sponsored to develop young northern skiers. This program was so successful that it produced some high quality athletes, athletes that were so good that we sent them to the Olympics because they made the Olympic Team, Mr. Speaker. They did us proud. Certainly, today in the Northwest Territories, we just celebrated a couple of our northern athletes going to the Olympics.

I’d like to say...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When we sought nomination and put our names forward for the MLA for our riding, we knew perfectly well, through speaking with our elders and people, they said, you’re working for us. That’s what your job is, to work for us and do the best you can in that term.

I sat down with many elders and they said, you, as an MLA, you’re like an arrowhead. The people are like that bow. Whatever issue we talk about, we’ll pull the bow and you shoot. Power to hang you and the arrowhead goes to that issue. Don’t be scared, because you’re the voice of the people. But if you speak for...

Just witnessing the Second Annual Traditional Aboriginal Games Championships over the weekend at William Mac School, I could see these young students with gleam in their eyes with all the excitement.

I would ask the Minister, when he is meeting or talking with his colleagues from the Yukon government, is that something that will come to this Legislative Assembly for some discussion on this side as to possibly looking at the concept of a centre for excellence for our northern athletes?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke about the high quality of athletes in the Northwest Territories and having a program that would be something like a TEST program. I want to ask the Minister of MACA, in his role as the Minister of Sport and Youth, is it something that has been talked about in senior level of government? Has something like a TEST program been talked about where we could begin training some of the younger children who have the calibre to go to the Olympics and other world champion games?

The Aboriginal Sport Circle should be getting all our support we can give, even to increase their funding to support all these small communities, communities around the Northwest Territories that bring kids together to learn about the traditional games and, more importantly, to practice them and to get the best out of themselves and for their schools.

I want to ask the Minister, is there a review process, once these games are finished, to say what went well, what we need to do next time, and is there any way that Members on this side could be part of that review, because I have small...