Mr. Speaker, I, too, would add my comments to the motion here. In our pursuit of looking for efficiencies in the Government of the Northwest Territories as stated in the 16th Assembly, certainly in terms of efficiencies, it has to do with the interpretation as efficiencies. When you look at the efficiencies of the government, certainly we all strive to see where we can do better.
In terms of the interpretation of efficiencies with this government, if you look at, for example, the McDonald’s restaurant. They’re pretty efficient in terms of operating their organization and how they serve the customers. I don’t think in terms of efficiencies that that is the kind of services and programs that we want for our people in the Northwest Territories in terms of how to cut on money and how to cut on time and just to get the services across as quickly as possible.
We are having a hard time right now in our region in terms of programs and services. Now they’re suggesting that maybe we should go into a super
board because of the efficiencies. The Minister has a good argument in terms of the economics and the dollars that are being spent on all the boards in the Northwest Territories. But in terms of the services to the boards and the agencies, I think sometimes people have to be put first before paper and profit. People have to be served in terms of what this government is here for, in terms of their quality of life in our small communities.
Our front-line workers have told me in the Sahtu where they can cut efficiencies. But it seems that our front-line workers are not being heard at a higher level at times. Our front-line workers know the difficulties when they operate in very severe conditions, and environment. They don’t have some of the supplies or materials for them and how they get these into our communities. The front-line workers are going to suffer dearly if we continue working into a Board Reform Initiative.
I think more support, more trust and more resources should be given to our front-line workers. We’ve got to have belief in our workers on how they can look at things. A case in point: When I went back into the Sahtu, many people stopped me on the road and said how things should be looked at in our communities. There are policies today and regulations today that prevent some efficiencies in our communities. So I think that’s what we need to look at in terms of any type of reform. What existing policies and regulations stop us from being a service to our people in our communities?
As I said before in my Member’s statement, the communities in my region have not been convinced enough to say even a maybe on this board reform. I’ve received phone calls, I’ve received letters, and I received a flat out no, do not proceed with the board reform. They are saying let’s look at what we have now and how we can improve it. They know some of the issues that are going to take a long time; issues that have been brought up over the years in terms of programs and services in our communities. We are saying in the process of this board reform, would it make a difference in our communities? Will Colville Lake get a nurse and mental health worker, a social worker, an RCMP officer? Will they have that if we are to go with board reform? Can we get some signal from this government saying, yes, Colville Lake will no longer have to be serviced by laypeople who have minimum training in terms of health care in Colville Lake? Can we say that to the people in Colville Lake that they will get a social worker, get home care services for the elders if we are to go with the board reform? We are fighting desperately for these basic services in my region up in the Northwest Territories in the Sahtu.
Mr. Speaker, we fight passionately, as I read in the newspapers, for the Yellowknife Catholic School
Board to have a right for their own education in their own system. We have fought very hard in the Sahtu to have that, our own education system. We support our groups and agencies to also have that same right and accord us to have that same right. With the board reform, you will take this right away that we fought for. We are negotiating self-government agreements. The territorial government is at the table also with our self-government negotiations.
Mr. Speaker, I have faith in our people. I have faith in my people when they say no to board reform. I have faith because I know things could be better and could be done differently if this government had come to my community and sat down with my elders and my people and said we want to do something like this, what do you think. What I heard from my region is that representatives came to my region and said this is what we are going to do. Tell me how you are going to fix it. I have an issue with that, because that type of a relationship and attitude put a lot of fear into my board members and they were angry, just as I see members from the gallery here who are concerned and angry. How would you want to go into somebody’s house and say, this is how I want you to run your house. I don’t think it is efficient or proper enough. I am going to be the boss of you in your house when you agree with me. How dare they come into the Sahtu house and tell us they should be respectful in terms of that nation building relationship with our people and sit down with us and say we know there are issues here. They don’t need to tell us. We know there are issues here, but when is the government going to come and look at the community level and say what can we work on them in a respectful way.
Mr. Speaker, I want to say that this morning I, too, was thinking about this issue here. The question came to me. What is government here for? Why are we around this room representing our people in a government institution? Isn’t the government here supposed to be for the people? Isn’t it we will put our representatives in our region? Isn’t this government created by the people to be of service to the people, to be led by the people? Isn’t government taking direction from the people? That is what I have been told about government from my people and from my elders.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to say to this motion here and ask Members here to think about our people and our communities. It is to have faith in people on the boards right now, education board, health board and the housing boards. Have people have faith in our people. They know a lot, and more than we think they do. They are very smart. They represent their people passionately and in their beliefs and values. Have faith in our people in the Sahtu. They may not quite see the way you see the world because my people are from the land. They are
trappers, hunters and fishermen. But they also have a mixed nation of people in the Sahtu. They have to work together to survive up there. It is very difficult and challenging. It is all about building a relationship. So this is one issue that I can say that unifies the Sahtu region in terms of us coming together as one nation of people in my region. We need to really take this very seriously and have faith in what they are saying to us. We have to have faith in them, otherwise we won’t be here and they won’t be here. I think that is what government is all about.
Sometimes we lean too much on evidence which is okay, but I think that, above all, it is to have faith that things are going to work out okay for us. Like my elders say, always pray to the one who sits in the heavens. People call him God. People call him Creator. They always say that. If you are going to have a difficult road ahead, you always pray. So this is what this motion is, as I see it, Mr. Speaker.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, a question was asked to me this morning about the Roman Catholics. I said I don’t know; I’m not too sure. The reason I said that was because I have attended residential schools. I attended for a long time. In the schools, they have many stories. However, I was forced to go to the Roman Catholic Church and pray the Roman Catholic way. Throughout the years I learned one good thing about being in a residential school. That was to have faith. Faith I have always had. Work out to the best in your life. There is no right or wrong about that but that is what I learned. I learned from my people to have faith in them. I want to say, in closing, that I will be supporting this motion until I hear from my people otherwise on this board reform. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.