(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.