Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Krutko, your time for your Member’s statement has expired.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Again, the aboriginal leaders are requesting a meeting with the Premier and the Minister of Indian Affairs to clarify exactly what the intention of this legislation is and what affects it will have in regard to the land claim agreements, treaty rights, and also clarify what the abrogation clauses are and exactly how are you going to remedy those situations where you have land claim agreements that clearly state that you shall consult, you shall include them in these processes, not simply saying, well, if you don’t respond, we’re kicking you off the table.

Mr. Speaker, I will have questions to the Premier on this matter later. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this week I spoke about the need to provide more support to aboriginal languages and about the important role that language plays in maintaining aboriginal culture. Today I would like to talk about the important work the schools in Lutselk'e and Fort Resolution are doing to preserve aboriginal culture in those communities.

Mr. Speaker, in Lutselk'e, aboriginal language and culture classes are held three times a week for kindergarten to grade 9. In addition, there are two half-day classes each week for grades 5 to 9, also grades 8 to 10 students take one semester of a

three-credit aboriginal language course. Mr. Speaker, classes regularly go out on the land throughout the school year. Depending on the season, they will go hunting, trapping, fishing and camping. On top of all this, Mr. Speaker, the school has a daily program of prayer and song in the Chipewyan language. Periodically, classes are held to do traditional craftwork, and preparation and cooking of traditional foods.

I would like to take this opportunity to applaud the hard work of the dedicated staff at the Lutselk'e Dene School for their important work in preserving aboriginal culture in Lutselk'e.

Mr. Speaker, in Fort Resolution, the Deninu School is also delivering a vibrant aboriginal language and culture program. They have a daily program of elders coming into the school to talk to the students. Also, on a regular basis, a variety of demonstration workshops are done in skinning, beading, sewing and traditional food preparation, as well as periodic aboriginal culture theme day using print, audio and visual resource materials. In addition to all this, Mr. Speaker, the school has a monthly cultural program that includes activities such as going out on a moose hunt, fish net setting, drumming lessons, moosehide tanning, canoe trips and Dene games.

Again, I would like to take this opportunity to applaud the hard work of the dedicated staff at the Deninu School for their important work in promoting and preserving aboriginal culture in Fort Resolution.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier this week, there is no shortage of dedicated volunteers, elders and professionals that are committed to preserving aboriginal language and culture in the Tu Nedhe riding. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a former member of the Great Slave Riding and a current member of the Yellowknife Centre riding, Mr. Blake Lyons.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize all the visitors in the gallery today. I, too, would like to join my colleague Mr. Abernethy in welcoming Mr. Blake Lyons, a former colleague at Yellowknife City Council and mentor of mine when I was a much younger man. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank all our hardworking Pages over the past week, especially my two Pages from my hometown of Tuktoyaktuk: Melody Teddy and Theresa Cockney. Thank you for all your hard work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize Blake Lyons, a constituent in Yellowknife Centre, as well as Murray McMahon, another constituent from Yellowknife Centre. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Twin Lakes, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, when we talk about hard work of people in the Chamber, I think we have to recognize our hardworking interpreters and, with that, I’d like to recognize Lillian Elias, our Inuvialuktun interpreter from Inuvik.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize Mr. Murray McMahon, who has a home out at Cassidy Point and spends a lot of time in the Weledeh riding. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. If we’ve missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Chamber. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions today for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Obviously there was much anticipation on her Minister’s statement from earlier today. I’d like to begin by asking the Minister, obviously she’s been getting a lot of questions about the advancement of this 2007 policy up until today and the decision that Cabinet has made to rescind that policy. I’d like to ask her, in going forward, how exactly is she going to engage Regular Members on any of the proposed changes and the implementation of those changes, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We will do that, as we have done all along. This is a consensus government, and contrary to what might be spoken here, Members here know that we work together on any of the major changes. So, Mr. Speaker, I will continue to do that as we move forward. Thank you.

I’m just wondering why sometimes it might take two years for the Minister and the Cabinet to realize it is a consensus government. It took two years of work by all Members of this House to turn this policy around. It took outrage by the public to get this policy turned around. Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, it took two years.

I’d like to ask the Minister, maybe she could comment on that. Why did it take two years for the current Cabinet to make the right call on this policy? Thank you.