Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise today to speak on a matter of some concern to my constituents living in Kakisa and Fort Providence. During the last treaty day, which was held on July 27th, the representatives of DIAND could not make their scheduled appearance in Kakisa. It would have been nice, Madam Speaker, if someone could have informed the residents of Kakisa that the department would be unable to make it on that day.
That, in itself, doesn't really bother me. It was of minor concern to the residents and looked upon as an innocent oversight. Madam Speaker, what I am most concerned with is the lack of respect shown by the department when they were finally able to make it to Kakisa.
Madam Speaker, these treaties were signed 73 years ago as agreements between two sovereign nations and peoples. The Dene have come to look at these treaty payment days as an opportunity for our elders and leaders to give state of the union speeches to representatives of the Queen and the department, to have their concerns heard and possibly acted upon.
The lack of respect I refer to, Madam Speaker, is the fact that there are no senior members of the department present at any of these payment days. Surely, it is not too much to ask that a senior member of the department accommodate these parties as a sign of respect for our leaders and our elders, to listen to the people they are supposed to be working for.
In Fort Providence, I was in attendance for my local treaty day. As in the past, I had made it a practice to allow the chief and elders and, in fact, the entire community to receive their $5 before me. I figure, Madam Speaker, as an elected territorial politician making the kind of money that the press say I do, that I should allow the locals to go first. Besides, it gives me a good opportunity to visit with a majority of my constituents.
Madam Speaker, I did not get my $5. The departmental officials arrived somewhere around noon, so I assume they left Yellowknife at 8:00 in the morning and there were only two of us left standing in line...