Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I'd like to ask the Minister how old the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act is? Thank you.

No.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I am going to speak about the lease costs here. Lease cost to the people in the communities. Currently the lease costs are very high. I indicated that in my questions to the Minister earlier about the cost of the lease being two to four months' salary for individuals and that. Of course as a committee, we are opposing the quick implementation of the increases to the land leases, land rent, land taxes, whatever, and what we are proposing is phased-in increases. I am totally against increases because they are too high as it is. I mean some are not that high...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister if there was a possibility that some independent expert could look at what the issue is currently and, if it is proven that had the dam not been there this unnatural phenomena of the ice breaking up in the middle of winter would occur, and would the Power Corporation consider compensation? Thank you.

It appears that the Power Corporation is not taking responsibility for flooding the Taltson dam, and I know that there is some question on, I guess, the hydrology around that. It would appear that is what the issue is, from the Aboriginal people. I would like to know how the Power Corporation will communicate any future issue where, this time around, it appears as though the water levels were unusually high and, for some reason or other, it got higher in the middle of winter? How would the Power Corporation consult with the people using the Taltson River at this time in the future?

Mr. Chairman, I move that the chair rise and report progress.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize James Marlowe and his son River in the gallery. Also, I would like to recognize the interpreters from my riding, Mary Rose Sundberg and Dennis Drygeese, and the two pages from the Kalemi Dene School, David John Drygeese Jr. and Victoria Beaulieu. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just one quick comment. With the way Housing Corporation describes the sale of public housing, I think they will sell like pancakes. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker [English translation not provided] Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last November I spoke about the community of Rocher River and the people of the Taltson River. I mentioned a dam that was built after the federal government refused to rebuild the school that had burnt down.

The people of Rocher would say that the loss of the school in 1959 and the federal government's push to move everyone to Fort Resolution made it possible to build the Taltson River dam without any real opposition. Only the chief of the day told the government that he was in opposition to the dam....

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, just so I understand this clearly, there is no requirement for an individual buying a public housing unit to go to the bank to borrow their share, that their share can actually now be a rent-to-purchase, so the Housing Corporation will come along, say you are a good tenant; you paid rent for the last 20 years without missing rent payments. We are going to sell this house to you. First thing we are going to do is we are going to reduce the cost of the house by 48 per cent. The second thing we are going to do is we are going to take the 52 per cent and we...