Marsi Cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I will speak about the Taltson River Dam. Mr. Speaker, in the mid-1960s the Taltson River Dam was built to provide clean and renewable energy to the Pine Point mine, a mine that operated for about 25 years.
Mr. Speaker, there are many people in my riding who are closely linked to the Taltson River, as this river was a lifeline for many people who lived along the river, which was mainly in the community of Rocher River, which had a population of about 150.
Mr. Speaker, many of the people from Rocher River believe that, when their school burned down in 1960, it was not rebuilt because of the government's desire to move people out of Rocher River and into nearby communities such as Fort Resolution, Lutselk'e, and Yellowknife. I, Mr. Speaker, am one of the children whose parents decided to relocate to Fort Resolution. I was four years old.
Once people began to move, the resistance posed by the chief of Rocher River had diminished, Mr. Speaker. There was no consultation or an environmental impact assessment. There was no regard for the social well-being of the people who depended on the Taltson River to sustain their families and livelihoods.
Mr. Speaker, imagine what would happen tomorrow if the school in Sambaa K'e was to burn down and the government decided not to build the new school and the people were suddenly told that they must move on their own to the communities of Fort Liard, Nahanni, or Fort Simpson and start from scratch in those communities.
Well, Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what happened to the people of Rocher River in the mid-1960s. Mr. Speaker, the government of the day had no regard for the people of Rocher River whatsoever. Some of the Treaty people moved to Fort Resolution and got small houses with no continuous heat, no running water, and no electricity, while the Metis people were left to their own resources to build themselves homes. Fortunately, there existed family ties between these two communities.
Mr. Speaker, as of today, the people of Rocher River have fully integrated into the community of Fort Resolution. However, many people feel that the main reason their school was never rebuilt was to make way for the construction of the Taltson River Dam. Ironically, Mr. Speaker, many people in Fort Resolution cannot afford the high cost of power.
I strongly feel, Mr. Speaker, that it is time for this government to acknowledge that the people of Rocher River have been significantly impacted by this series of events. Granted, Mr. Speaker, some of the people from Rocher River did okay, as they got educated in Fort Resolution and were able to continue to provide for their families. However, Mr. Speaker, not everyone was so fortunate; many people died on the streets here in Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.