Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Members, for speaking for the motion. Thank you for your support.

The Canadian government, when they formed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission it was as a result of the court approved Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement. This agreement was negotiated between legal counsel for former students, churches, and the Government of Canada, and the Assembly of First Nations, and other aboriginal organizations.

This Truth and Reconciliation Commission is the cornerstone of the settlement agreement settled June 1st , 2008. It has a mandate of five years. It has

been noted that it was somewhat delayed because of internal issues. I’m hoping that the new commission will be revisiting the mandate, because now we’re in the fourth year of this five-year mandate.

The commission is an official, independent body that provides students and anyone who has been affected by the Indian residential schools legacy with an opportunity to share their individual experience in a safe and culturally appropriate manner. It will be an opportunity for people to tell their stories about the significant part of Canadian history that is still unknown today to most Canadians.

The purpose of the commission is not to determine guilt or innocence, but to create an historical

account of the residential schools to help them to heal and encourage reconciliation between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians. The commission will also host events across the Northwest Territories and Canada to raise awareness about the residential schools and their impacts.

The chair of the commission was Justice Harry LaForme, however, he resigned in October 2008. The two other commissioners have since resigned from the commission. This meant that a new selection process was put underway to identify people who would be appointed as commissioners. This has delayed the other activities of the commission, such as hearings to be held across Canada.

In Canada, my historical research shows that the first residential school was set up in the 1800s in Quebec. From there the residential school has taken many turns in terms of how this system is going to have an impact specifically on aboriginal people in Canada. Throughout the 1800s there were several very important acts that were implemented and carried out with Parliament and the residential school system. There was the Gradual Citizens Act. That act said we are going to take aboriginal children and assimilate them into the British society. There were other acts that forced the aboriginal people throughout history to see how they could become involved in mainstream society. There was an act that they could forcibly take your children. The authorities could take the children away from their communities and families and if you disobeyed, you were punished by jail time. These stories I have heard throughout my communities of these different enforcements, these different laws that scared a lot of my people.

In my research I’ve noted there were 25 such schools in the Northwest Territories. The earliest is in 1865 where there was an orphanage home in Tulita that was considered a residential school. It burned down in 1866. The next school that opened up was in Fort Providence: Sacred Heart, in 1867, followed by St. Joe’s in Resolution, up in Mackenzie Delta and Nahendeh and down in even Hay River where my grandmother went for a number of years. I believe it was about nine years, but I could be wrong. In total, when I did my research, the most amount of students that went to a residential school was at Grollier Hall. Twenty-five hundred students went to Grollier Hall from 13 to 16 different communities. That was followed by the Sacred Heart School in Fort Providence, which was opened in 1867. The number of students that attended Sacred Heart School was 1,460 students. These students there had the greatest impact in terms of the truth and reconciliation. St. Joseph’s School in Fort Resolution had 1,300 students attend. Breynat Hall, 2,200. There are significant numbers I have

researched. I was trying to think, what was the significance? That must have been over 10,000 students that went to these different schools. The population of the aboriginal people was about 15,000. See the significant impacts in our communities who have attended the residential schools. As my colleague Mr. Beaulieu indicated, his story is one of thousands. That is minor compared to the other stories that I have heard that happened to these elders.

The other day I talked about visiting an elder from Fort Good Hope who was at Stanton Hospital. She is 86 years old. She speaks very good English. Who is going to give her the opportunity to sit in front of some very distinguished commissioners? Any way that she can tell her story, good or bad, right or wrong, her experiences, who is going to give that opportunity to that 86-year-old lady? There are many elders who are not here today to tell their stories. We can only tell them by what they told us.

Mr. Speaker, I was looking at the significance of the various laws that were passed throughout Canada specific for aboriginal children, aboriginal people, to get into the education system and it is about having an opportunity to have this. This is why there is shame on the federal government for delaying this implementation of the truth and reconciliation. That is why I welcome the motion from my colleague Mr. Menicoche, from Nahendeh, to look at regional centres where we could create if you look at ways that how do we work with the federal government with this Cabinet to say with the amount of residential schools in the Northwest Territories, small communities, how can we have the elders, the sickly people, come forward and tell their stories in a respectful manner?

There are many, many stories, Mr. Speaker, in terms of going forward on the truth and reconciliation. Certainly it is the federal government’s responsibility. Certainly we look forward to their guidance. However, we have a responsibility within the government of this Northwest Territories to help us, former students, to help the elders start looking at what we can do. If we are to wait for the federal government, I don’t know how long it will take to get that commission up and running, to organize themselves.

Look in the past year, Mr. Speaker, how many elders have passed from our communities, have passed on with their stories. In my community alone, I believe there were about 10, maybe eight I should say, that have passed on. We need to look very seriously at where we can work with the federal government, within this government, to do the right thing and look at our regional centres to see where and how many students actually have gone on and who are still alive today. Has this government looked at the communities and said are

you interested in going to a hearing? How many elders have been asked that question? If you are, when can we come and talk to you? Right now we are waiting for the federal government to come forward and say we are going to have one or several hearings in the Northwest Territories.

We somehow put this responsibility more to the federal government and we somehow said this is what we are going to do in support in the health tool, in terms of healthy survivors telling their story. There are certain avenues that we need to look at again seriously.

I go back again to that elder lady at Stanton Hospital. She has a story to tell. What have we done for her in terms of getting her ready, recording her? There are elders today that are sick. We don’t know if they are going to last a day, next week, next month. Do we have faith in the federal government to come to the Northwest Territories and look at our numbers and say I think we need to do something, we’re here to hear their story before they pass on or will it be like Mr. Beaulieu from Tu Nedhe has said? This is what my father has told me about his experience at the residential school. I think it would be more powerful, more respectful, more appreciative if they were to sit down with our living elders today and have them tell their stories of their experiences so those stories can be brought into our history books and talk in our schools for children to know that this is what truly happened at the residential schools. This is how it carved our way of thinking. This is what carved our way of doing things in the community. Again, Mr. Speaker, there is no right or wrong about this. It is just how things are today and the elders carried this burden for many, many years. It is very powerful.

Mr. Speaker, I read a report in 2003 of the Dene Nation and territorial government on the residential schools. I did a workshop with the elders for three days. From their report, I will read one line here. The elders said the elders see that the church and the government in our communities have a lot of control over them and the effects still continue today. This is very important, that one line there. So this is what we need to encourage the federal government, because if the elders are saying that today, they need to let go of some feelings. They need to let go of some of their experiences. That would help us in our communities.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I look forward to this Cabinet working closely with the federal government to see how they can start looking at the truth and reconciliation. Bring it to the North. If not, I look forward to some leadership in this government to kick start the territorial truth and reconciliation to help our people. I look forward to one day that, again, the Government of the Northwest Territories is the first government in Canada to recognize truth

and reconciliation on Human Day, May 26th . No

other government has done that. It is the first government to kick start the Alternative Dispute Resolution pilot projects with the federal government. It is one of the first governments to settle these claims on abuse. This government has come a long way in terms of being the first. I hope that this government, again, follows up on their leads in terms of leadership in this motion here in terms of having a strong reconciliation commission in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. To the motion as amended.

Question has been called.

---Carried

Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 7-16(3), Ministerial Benefits Policy; Committee Report 2-16(3), Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures Report on Matters Referred to the Committee; Tabled Document 11-16(3), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2009-2010; Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Historical Resources Act; Bill 3, International Interest in Mobile Aircraft Equipment Act; Bill 4, Public Library Act; Bill 5, Professional Corporations Act; and Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act. By the authority given to me as Speaker by Motion 10-16(2), I hereby authorize the House to sit beyond the daily hour of adjournment to consider the business before the House, with Mr. Krutko in the Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The committee moves to continue the main estimates review 2009-10 with Aboriginal Affairs, Public Works and if the time is there before we shut ‘er down, also to get into the ITI department. Thank you.

Is committee agreed?

Thank you. We will take a short recess and begin with Aboriginal Affairs.

---SHORT RECESS

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. I’d like to ask the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs if he’d like to bring in any witnesses. Mr. Roland.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Does committee agree the Minister brings in his witnesses?

Agreed. Sergeant-at-Arms, escort the witnesses in.

For the record, Mr. Minister, please introduce your witnesses.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, to my left is the deputy minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, Ms. Gabriela Sparling; to my right is director of policy, legislation and communications, Mr. Richard Robertson.

Welcome, witnesses. With that, we are on page 4-15, operations expenditure summary, negotiations, activity summary, $2.708 million. Agreed?

Information item, page 4-16, active positions, negotiations.

No questions there? Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, positions have gone from 14 to 19 in area negotiations. So I know there would be one additional table immediately now and then four more tables to be added. I am wondering if that’s the sole reason for the team going up from 14 to 19.

Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It’s the number of negotiating tables that is driving this number. So it’s two new chief negotiators, two new assistant negotiators, one researcher and assistant admin position. Thank you.

Thank you. No, that’s good, Mr. Chair. I am happy with that answer.