Come to order. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you back to the continuation of the Second Session of the Legislative Assembly. I think the summer is over, and it seems to have been too short for some of us. I look forward to a productive session so that I can get back home again to enjoy the fall, before the snow comes to the Northwest Territories.

I have the honour of being Speaker for the next three days while the Honourable Michael Ballantyne is representing us at the International Meeting on Democracy in the province of Quebec. I would request that you be kind to me, and I will be kind to you.

Before proceeding to the orders of the day I would like to inform the House that I have received the following communication from Her Honour the Deputy Commissioner:

"Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, the passage of Bill 33 - Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1992-93 during the second Session of the 12th Legislative Assembly." Signed, Helen Maksagak, Deputy Commissioner. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Ministers' statements. Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, September 10, I will deliver the budget address. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to move that Ministers' statement, update on national constitutional reform negotiations, be moved into Committee of the Whole.

Do you have a seconder?

Sorry, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you. Motion in order. All those in favour? Down. Opposed? Motion is carried. That Minister's statement 82-12(2) will be put into the Committee of the Whole later on. Member's statements. Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On August the 26, around 5:00 p.m., a very serious incident occurred on the Mackenzie River. About a half mile downstream from Fort Providence a barge being towed by the N.T.C.L. vessel M.V. Jack MacNiven was observed by local residents as damaged and leaking oil.

Mr. Speaker, this could have been a serious environmental mishap. The barge was carrying a total of 830,000 litres of light fuel, diesel. At 11:00 a.m., on the morning of August 27, I chartered an aircraft and flew over the accident site. I was very concerned by what I saw. A crudely constructed containment boom had been placed around the damaged barge but was clearly ineffective in holding back the oil against the swift river currents. From my vantage point it was clear that the oil was dispersing quickly.

I observed evidence of the spill extending down several sub-branches of the Mackenzie as far as Millis Lake. The total dispersal of the oil seemed to me to cover an area approximately forty miles long. I have maps of the affected area and will make them available for honourable Members and interested members of the public to look at.

I was particularly concerned to see concentrations of oil in shallow and weedy sections of Millis Lake. Mr. Speaker, this was not only my concern. During the time I was in the air I saw no signs of any action from the federal agencies who have responsibility for the management of this sort of environmental problem. I understand that the accident was reported to the Government of the Northwest Territories spill line and promptly passed along to the Canadian Coastguard and the Federal Fisheries and Oceans personnel. However, it is my opinion that these federal agencies, from the beginning, took an approach that was less than serious.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans was not on the scene until mid-afternoon of the following day and I am not sure how extensive their water sampling procedures were. I even understood that the Department's spill specialist was in Tuktoyaktuk. Again, as I surveyed the situation from the air, I observed no coastguard supervision of the site, even though the containment boom was clearly failing to retain the oil spill. I must say, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Gargan, your time has been expired. You have to ask for unanimous consent. Mr. Gargan.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to get the unanimous consent to continue my statement.

The Member is asking for unanimous consent to continue on with Members' statements. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Gargan.

Thank you. Honourable Members, Mr. Speaker. I must say, Mr. Speaker, that the response from the territorial government official is to be commended. I contacted the Honourable Dennis Patterson, Minister of Health, around noon on August the 27, shortly after returning from air survey.

I was impressed with how quickly our cabinet swung into action as the acting government leader, the Honourable John Pollard, called a meeting of the Ministers to deal with this matter.

I was also glad my honourable colleague from Nahendeh was available to attend the meeting and participate in the coordination of this government's response. I am aware that the Minister of Renewable Resources, the Honourable Titus Allooloo and the Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Tony Whitford, acted swiftly to travel to the site and make observations of the damage. One thing has troubled me about our government's procedures in this regard, however. I was informed by the acting government leader that none of the Ministers were aware of the incident until after my August 25 telephone call to Mr. Patterson.

It seems that while there may be well-developed channels of communication information for environmental crises to agencies and officials, assistance for advising the responsible Ministers may have been lacking. I intend to explore the communications procedure both within the relevant territorial departments and with the federal agencies in question over the next several days.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to conclude my statement by commenting that, in my view, neither the federal agencies nor N.T.C.L. have given this matter appropriate attention over the days that followed. I am aware that there has been inadequate consultation with hunters and trappers from my region with respect to the observations made by the spill areas. I am also concerned that the attitude of both the federal agencies and the transportation company has been to purposely down-play the potential seriousness of the spill.

It seems that the company has tried to come across as saying it was only a relatively small spill and it will all evaporate. So it is no big deal. Wrong, Mr. Speaker. This is a big deal. Not only for this government, which will be faced with a series of difficult decisions about the approval of northern development of the years to come, but it is also a big deal for traditional aboriginal people who hope to rely on the land, waters and animals the Creator entrusted us to look after. We have been the custodians of this land for centuries before there was ever a transportation company or before there was a federal government.

The apparent lack of concern shown by these parties and their willingness to treat this matter as a minor everyday risk offends the role that we play as curators and defenders of our natural surroundings. I will be urging our government to follow up on this issue with additional testing and with the establishment of a firm agreement and regulations geared towards ensuring a more adequate response to such environmental crises. Thank you Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Gargan. Member's statements. Mr. Zoe.

Mr. Zoe, your time has been expired. You have to ask for unanimous consent, Mr. Zoe.

The Member is asking for unanimous consent to continue on with Member's statements, are there any nays? Proceed, Mr. Zoe.

Thank you, Member for Slave Lake. Members' statements, Member for Nahendeh.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I am concerned about the Northwest Transport Company Limited barge that spilled over 12,000 litres of diesel fuel into the Mackenzie River on August 26 as well, this is a serious matter to me and my constituents since we live down the river from that spill, and the communities of Jean Marie River, Fort Simpson, and Wrigley. Mr. Speaker, the short term damage to the environment in these particular cases is unknown to me at this time. Hopefully, there will not be any adverse long term damage from this spill. Mr. Speaker, this accident could clearly be much worse since the barge was carrying over 830,000 litres of diesel. However, this accident clearly illustrates the need for territorial watch strategy to deal with the transport of dangerous goods on waterways throughout the north. Many of our northern communities are located on major waterways. Our

people still rely heavily on the resources from these waterways for food, water, and transportation. The spillage of oil, and other dangerous goods, threaten the delicate ecological balance that exists on many of our rivers and lakes. It is time for this government, and the federal government, to initiate a review of the current policies dealing with environmental accidents. The development of a comprehensive policy, or strategy, for the transportation of dangerous goods on waterways throughout the Northwest Territories should be a priority. This strategy should be developed in close consultation with all effected communities, and should include a review of current regulations to insure that they are strong enough to minimize the possibility of accidents, to develop an emergency response action plan to deal with environmental accidents in an efficient and effective manner. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the honourable Member from Deh Cho for his prompt response to the spill on Mackenzie River. I am sure that the actions of this Member, and the Members of the government at that time helped to minimize the effect of the potentially dangerous and tragic situation. Mahsi Cho.

Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Members' statements. Mr. Pudlat.