Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m certainly interested in the questions and exchange with Mr. Bromley. A lot of questions have to be thought out. Certainly, when we negotiated and settled the Sahtu Dene/Metis Comprehensive Land Claim, chapter 27 spoke to the Surface Rights Board. Because that legislation hasn’t happened until today and a few months ago we had a Surface Rights Board, we had an arbitration panel that was before us. The arbitration panel, under chapter 6 of our land claim, was like the Maytag repair person, very quiet. The agreement was already negotiated and settled, put together, and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the honourable Member for bringing this motion forward. I was very pleased to second it because I believe this motion is giving the communities and the people in the Northwest Territories a greater chance of saving lives. No guarantees, if the big guy wants you up there he’ll take you no matter what, but this gives us a fighting chance. It’s a possibility for our community members, as Ms. Bisaro has indicated, giving our communities a fighting chance if we had these defibrillators situated in parts of our communities. I know this was an issue a couple...

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...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of MACA. I spoke earlier in my Member’s statement about the excitement of all the young children that are gathered at William McDonald School and the coaches and the officials and the wonderful opening ceremonies last night. Certainly, this indicates to me that these traditional games are getting support by this government and by this Minister.

I want to ask the Minister – it would be nice if we had some of these traditional games – is there a manual out there, a book on the different types of games that are going to be played over the...

That’s good to know. Would the Minister then look at some type of forum so that people in the Sahtu, people in the Northwest Territories could have that discussion as to the types of regulations we have with the Land and Water Board and environmental types of agreements in place with the economic development activity, have that forum or summit in the Sahtu so that we can properly negotiate our way through this type of activity that is happening in our region?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask a question to the Minister of ITI. This morning on CBC we heard representatives from the Fort Nelson First Nation Band talk about the impacts of hydraulic fracking in the area. Certainly they have their challenges and it’s good to hear their stories for the Sahtu.

I want to ask the Minister, in regards to the activity that is happening up in the Sahtu region, has this department been calculating or analyzing some of the benefits that are going on with the recent economic development activities?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to name off some community schools: Lutselk’e, Chief Jimmy Bruneau, Fort Providence, Hay River Reserve, St. Joe’s, Weledeh, Norman Wells, Fort McPherson, Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, Fort Simpson, Fort Good Hope, Elizabeth Mackenzie School, K’alemi Dene School, Fort Resolution, JBT, Mildred Hall, Colville Lake, East 3 High, Ulukhaktok and William Mac School. These are 21 schools that are participating in the Traditional Games Championship this week.

Yesterday at the opening ceremonies, there was excitement in the kids. They did their ceremony outside and they had...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Just for clarification, I hope that she means the regions within the Northwest Territories. Is that my understanding?

Just for clarification with this new responsibility that we’re going to receive under Bill 2 and the passing of this legislation, certainly it will bring the control mechanism of making decisions and having protection of our heritage sites, our archeological sites closer to the North. I just wanted to ask the Premier for a clarification on the modern land claims and modern treaties, comprehensive land claims. In chapter 26 we speak to the heritage resources and provisions in these chapters would be respected and that is inconsistent with the existing legislation. Our Constitution document...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. These Aboriginal games come from our ancestors, and basically, they come from the land and their survival. Now they have a different meaning but they’re very, very, very important. This is the foundation of our culture and our people.

I want to ask the Minister, in regard to these new Aboriginal games that are being out here, if he can work with this Department Education, Culture and Employment Minister. Is that part of the curriculum for physical education in our schools? This should be, actually, a mandatory part of the curriculum in our schools with our young people.