Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I listened to the opening remarks of the Minister regarding healthy, educated people. It just brings back the students I have in Sachs Harbour that were failing, but it’s totally opposite of what I’m dealing with here.

MACA represents a total of 7 percent off the total budget, Mr. Chair. I’m happy to see the $400,000 of additional settlement maintainer positions in Ulukhaktok and Sachs Harbour. Those create jobs and I’m really thankful. In the long run it’s going to help this government in regard to cost savings for the generators and just the upkeep of our buildings in the communities that this government has.

And another $400,000 in our region for youth sporting events, which is good to see. We have a tournament coming up in, I think, Fort McPherson for all the Beaufort-Delta kids in outlying communities that I represent. The kids are getting all excited for that, which is good. We need to invest in our youth to open their eyes and not just stay in their home communities. We all live in isolated communities so something like that goes a long way. I think once they get back home, that’s when the Internet kicks in and they keep in touch with that. But that’s a good thing to see, the regional events. A question I have: Have any

activities been identified for the Nunakput region? That’s the one question I will have on the sporting events.

The $1 million to improve the community capacity, very important to have effective, locally trained community government staff. If you don’t have a good SAO, it makes it harder on the community and the council on a go-forward basis in regard to trying to implement any kind of local government strategy such as gas tax and all those things that the community and the council has to deal with. Has the department started working with communities to identify what courses will be offered in the Nunakput region? That’s another question I’ve got for the SAOs or whoever’s going to need the training.

The $650,000 to fund Team NWT participation in multisport games, Mr. Chairman, has the department looked at any other increases to participation from the Nunakput region? I won’t get into it, but I was really disappointed a couple of weeks ago when our selection was made for amateur hockey. I thought there were three or four young boys that should have been chosen to go to the game prior to the team being picked. I didn’t think it was fair. That is where my thoughts are going to where aboriginal sports are concerned. I think we really should be taking a look at that and how we can increase the funding for the Aboriginal Sport Circle and how much is the funding the Aboriginal Sport Circle is going to receive this year. What role will the Aboriginal Sport Circle have in this year’s Arctic Winter Games and the future of the Arctic Winter Games? Those are a couple of questions that I have.

The funding, the $450,000 for regional youth officer positions in the North Slave, Sahtu, South Slave, what is going to be done in Nunakput communities? The youth officer positions should be right across the Territory. The south, sometimes I push a little bit in regards to the South Slave and everything. You have all the swimming pools, all the facilities that can do stuff with the kids. We have to go out into the communities and we don’t have swimming pools in the communities I represent. Half of them don’t have arenas. It makes the recreation part really tough when your indoor sports all the time in regards to taking kids out... Something like those positions should be utilized in Nunakput and out of Inuvik. More than likely I will hear that it is going to be from Inuvik. Everything is out of Inuvik. It is always a satellite run and that has got to change.

Between Municipal and Community Affairs and Health and Social Services to enhance emergency services, resources needed in remote communities to help plan to respond to emergencies. Out of that $350,000, will any of that investment reach Nunakput? We have fire departments in communities that I represent that don’t have proper

bunker gear, proper breathing apparatuses, proper equipment that works to try to provide a service to the people and try to protect.

In Sachs Harbour, I said last week, I have a fire truck in cold storage right now. Has anything been done to date? We have to get this stuff sorted out. It is on our hands. This government is liable for that. If something goes wrong, it is going to be myself feeling that I failed in regards to holding government accountable to get the stuff that is needed for the community. Mr. Chairman, Nunakput region needs well-trained firefighters again and small communities need assistance in purchasing and maintaining appropriate equipment. That has to be done not only in Nunakput but across the Northwest Territories in our small, isolated communities. Fire marshals should be going into every community and giving an assessment as to what is needed in the fire departments there, as well as communities that do not have RCMP detachments, I am very fortunate I have all RCMP in my communities, but still we have bylaw officers.

I think that another approach MACA should be looking at is having two bylaw officers to be paired off with each other for safety purposes in the field of bylaw for the community.

I would really like to leave on a high note here and I would like to thank the Minister for coming into the community of Paulatuk with me to open up my new youth centre, which is really being utilized in the community. I just have to make sure what funding will be there for the youth centres in Nunakput. So I would like to again thank the Minister and I will be looking forward to going on to the page by page. Thank you.