Notices of motions.

Item 14, notices of motions for first reading of bills. Item 15, motions. Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS the environmental assessment and review of the Great Whale project is being undertaken;

AND WHEREAS there are five different environmental and social assessment and review processes that are presently being applied to the Great Whale project;

AND WHEREAS four of these are established by the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, and the fifth one established by the federal environmental assessment and review process;

AND WHEREAS a further four-party agreement has been established between Canada and Quebec, and the Inuit and Cree, to co-ordinate all aspects of the provincial and federal review process;

AND WHEREAS public consultation on the guidelines for the review process has been completed with limited time being given to the people of Sanikiluaq through the Sanikiluaq environmental committee to express their views;

AND WHEREAS on April 30, 1992, the environmental assessment panels issued draft guidelines for the environmental impact study of the Great Whale hydro electric project with a 45-day period being established for the government agencies to receive input from interested parties on the draft guidelines;

AND WHEREAS the draft guidelines were only received in Sanikiluaq in English and French on May 19, 1992;

AND WHEREAS the Keewatin Regional Health Board has requested funding from the federal Minister of the Environment to have the draft guidelines translated in the dialects of the Keewatin;

AND WHEREAS it appears that access to participant funding for the review of the environmental impact statement is going to be a problem for the government and people of the Northwest Territories;

AND WHEREAS a two million dollar fund has been established through equal contributions from the federal and Quebec governments, but the plan for distributing these funds has been set out in an MOU signed on January 23, 1992;

AND WHEREAS an additional three million dollars which Hydro Quebec has also been made available to be equally divided among Quebec aboriginal organizations;

AND WHEREAS the majority of the funding under the MOUs has already been assigned to other intervening groups, and will leave the Inuit of the Northwest Territories communities in Hudson Bay and the organizations working on their behalf to be able to apply for limited funding;

AND WHEREAS the Inuit of Sanikiluaq and the affected Keewatin communities have taken the position that additional funding they receive should not diminish the funds available for the aboriginal organizations in Quebec;

AND WHEREAS the municipality of Sanikiluaq, in addition to their application for participation funding, have requested the Government of Canada to conclude a memorandum of understanding with the environmental committee of Sanikiluaq to provide $500,000 to enable participation in the review;

AND WHEREAS the Keewatin Regional Health Board, the Keewatin Regional Council, and the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada are on record as supporting the request for intervening funding by the people of Sanikiluaq;

AND WHEREAS the Government of the Northwest Territories has an obligation and important role in assisting the people of Sanikiluaq and the Keewatin with their efforts to conclude a memorandum of understanding;

AND WHEREAS the federal Minister of the Environment has not responded to repeated requests for concluding a memorandum of understanding;

AND WHEREAS the people of Sanikiluaq, the Keewatin and the Northwest Territories should know where the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Legislative Assembly stand on this review;

NOW THEREFORE, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Keewatin Central, that this Legislative Assembly fully supports the efforts of the municipality of Sanikiluaq to obtain participant funding for the review of the environmental impact of the Great Whale hydro electric project:

AND FURTHER, that the Legislative Assembly urges the Government of Canada, through the Minister of the Environment, to conclude a memorandum of understanding that would provide participant funding in the amount of $500,000 for the communities on Hudson Bay;

AND FURTHER, that the Government of the Northwest Territories, through the cabinet, provide all the required assistance and support to the people of Sanikiluaq in their efforts to obtain participant funding and the conclusion of the memorandum of understanding.

I hope this motion is understandable, and I will be seeking support from Members.

Thank you, Mr. Pudlat, your motion is in order. To the motion, Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) This motion that I am putting forward concerns environmental protection that we should all be aware of. We have to prevent this from happening since it will affect our wildlife, our land, the mammals in the sea and other foods that we eat. These things might potentially be at risk if this project goes forward, and it will affect all of us. Because of that, and the affect that it will have for everyone, I am putting his motion forward. I fear it will affect the Keewatin communities should this Hydro Quebec project be started.

Because of these things, I want to make it understood to everyone that I will be seeking your support. We have to be aware of the hazards that might occur; we have to play an active role in the protection of our environment, and we have to encourage the participation of our government to have an impact on the review. I thank you for listening to me, and I will be seeking your support. I will leave it up to my seconder to make a further statement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Just for the record, I checked with our staff, and Mr. Pudlat did say the Member for Kivallivik, but the interpreter followed the actual script here. For the record, the seconder is the Member for Kivallivik. Member for Kivallivik.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad that we have the writing straight. (Translation) I will be speaking in Inuktitut. I volunteered to second this motion since our Member for Keewatin Central is not available in the House. I support the motion that was put forward by the Member for Lake Harbour. Being from Baker Lake, I am not from the shore area, but from my constituency I have people who live near the bay area in Arviat. They are close to the Sanikiluaq area. Within the Kivallivik riding they are the closest so they might be affected also by way of the wildlife, especially the sea mammals within the Hudson Bay area.

Since there is potential for a hazard, I have been asked what my stand is on this issue concerning the Hydro Quebec project. I fully support this motion and through supporting this motion, if it will help to protect the people of Arviat and within the Keewatin as well, I would also encourage other people to support this motion because it will not just affect people in the Keewatin Region. We have to show our support for the hard work that the people of Quebec are trying to finish. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Arngna'naaq from Kivallivik. To the motion.

Question.

Question is being called. Mr. Pudlat, would you like to conclude debate?

(Translation) I conclude, Mr. Speaker.

Motion 22-12(2), Carried

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is passed unanimously.

---Applause

Motions. Motion 25-12(2), Mr. Koe.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Kitikmeot, that when the House adjourns on Monday, June 29, 1992, it shall be adjourned until September 9, 1992;

AND FURTHER, that at any time prior to September 9, 1992, the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice, and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time

Thank you, Mr. Koe. Your motion is in order. To the motion, Mr. Koe.

Question.

Question has been called. The seconder of the motion, Mr. Bernhardt. Question is being called. Mr. Koe, you can conclude debate. Question is being called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Motion 26-12(2), Mr. Dent.

Your motion is in order, Mr. Dent. To the motion, Mr. Dent.

Question.

Question is being called. Mr. Koe, the seconder. Question is being called. All those in favour? Opposed, if any? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Tabled Document 62-12(2) will be moved into committee of the whole. Motions. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to address my motion in respect to NorthwesTel today.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays, proceed please.

The motion is in order. To the motion, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have addressed the concern today with the appropriate Ministers indicating that our system for NorthwesTel has been a very poor system, and the quality of service we are getting is next to poor. Over time, we have been receiving an older technology of system that is used only in Fort Smith. Fort Smith is continually absorbing numerous cutoffs in their long distance calls. They have a lot of echo sounds in the service.

This motion is to assist the community in trying to maintain the type of service we are paying for. It also addresses to replacing the old technology that is used only in Fort Smith. The community residents have been very, very patient and tolerable with the service; however they are finding it extremely difficult to continue with that patience. I believe the intention of this motion is to try to convince NorthwesTel to give the community the service It is currently paying for.

One point of interest to the Members, we all know that the night of the plebiscite vote there was a call to our mayor and, unfortunately, they could not even got through to get his comments because of the continual cutoffs in our system. I would appreciate the support from Members to request NorthwesTel to provide the level of services that other communities are now being able to benefit from.