Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.
Debates of March 31st, 1994
Topics
Return To Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 971
The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell
Supplementary To Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 971
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you. I would like to ask the Minister what is the position of the Government of the Northwest Territories on the resolution that was passed on March 22 with regard to the First Nations calling for their direct involvement in this agreement? Thank you.
Supplementary To Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 971
The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell
Thank you. Minister of Renewable Resources, Mr. Kakfwi.
Further Return To Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 971
Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu
Madam Speaker, the First Nations that met are of the view -- some of them -- that we should not go ahead with this agreement until 50 per cent of the management board for the water basin is comprised of aboriginal people. They also believe there should be some signature involvement of First Nations, including the 32 First Nations that signed the agreement, before the agreement can be executed.
I'm of the view that this is a management document committing governments to work cooperatively, share information and to deal with concerns about water quality and monitor upstream activities. There is strong reason to go ahead with the signing since it has taken over 20 years to get respective governments, for example the governments of BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan, to agree to such a cooperative approach in the first place.
This is not a forum to resolve constitutional and treaty issues. There is simply a vested interest on everybody's part, including the First Nations, that we have all-party commitment to work together. That is what the document is about. The people who are the furthest downstream, the Inuvialuit, the Sahtu and the Gwich'in, are the ones who are in favour of going ahead with the document at this time. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 971
The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell
Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.
Supplementary To Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 971
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you. The Minister mentioned the bilateral agreements and the master agreement that is going to be signed by all the Ministers. I understand that at the meeting, the Members of the committee will take the requests of the resolutions of the First Nations to their respective Ministers who are responsible to see if the First Nations could be involved in this committee. With the reply the Minister is giving, is it that he is not in favour of having First Nations who want to be involved in these negotiations, as signatories to this agreement? Is that what the Minister is saying? Thank you.
Supplementary To Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 971
The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell
Minister of Renewable Resources, Mr. Kakfwi.
Further Return To Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 971
Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu
Madam Speaker, the negotiations have been going on for a number of years and it's unfortunate that First Nations were not directly involved in those discussions, or at least to the extent that they should have been. I think it's shared by all First Nations that the master agreement should not be killed, as they say, but that they would like to negotiate some changes to the provisions. Namely, to see if we could put off the signing until there is clarification on the rights of First Nations with regard to water and the management and control of water.
As I said, there are some 32 First Nations that may possibly be required for signatures of such a document. I'm not certain that waiting to get those things clarified at this time is going to see the master agreement survive. So I'm not certain that the first interest, which is to see the management agreement as outlined in the master agreement survive such a condition. I think we are faced with either going ahead with it as is, with a political commitment to see what we can do to ensure that First Nations are more intricately involved in the execution and ongoing implementation of that agreement may be the compromise. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 971
The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell
Final supplementary, Mr. Antoine.
Supplementary To Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 972
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you. I have some concerns about that because I'm in an area where the First Nations have still retained their aboriginal treaty rights to all the lands and waters. Based on that, when the First Nations are requesting to be involved in that I have to support them. With that, I would like to ask if in the bilateral agreements were talking about a master agreement of all Ministers. The bilateral agreements are between the provinces, for example, an agreement between Alberta and Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan and Northwest Territories, BC and Northwest Territories, and so forth. Would the Minister see if the First Nations could be involved in these bilateral agreements? Thank you.
Supplementary To Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 972
The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell
Thank you. Minister of Renewable Resources, Mr. Kakfwi.
Further Return To Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 972
Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu
Madam Speaker, without wanting to give an indication as to the status of First Nations with regard to ownership or rights to decide on use and control of water, I believe that there can be some arrangements made through the existing agreement and the proposed bilateral agreement with respective governments to reflect the co-management approach that Renewable Resources has taken to all resources with aboriginal people. So I think it's possible to work on a co-management approach, if that is what the Member is suggesting, and to try to have that reflected in the bilateral agreements. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Question 432-12(5): Status Of Water Management Agreement
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 972
The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell
Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Gargan.
Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Item 5: Oral Questions
March 30th, 1994
Page 972
Samuel Gargan Deh Cho
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, in November of 1993, I made a statement with regard to private truckers. On December 3, I made a motion with regard to changing the regulations of operation for private truckers. I also wrote a letter to the Minister of Transportation regarding the motion, the regulations and the briefings on the regulations. I also received a letter from the Minister indicating he would be consulting all the transportation people and companies to get a response from them by the end of February. It's now the end of March so I would like to ask the Minister if, in fact, he has been requested to change the hours of operation by truckers, and do we hope to have something in place by this summer?
Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 972
The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell
Minister of Transportation, Mr. Todd.
Return To Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 972
John Todd Keewatin Central
The honourable Member is correct. We did consult with a number of the truckers with respect to extending the hours on short hauls. It is my understanding that we didn't have a very good response from the truckers. However, in spite of that, the department is proposing to streamline it's permitting procedures to make approval of extended hours of service more readily available. So we are addressing that issue, Madam Speaker. Thank you.
Return To Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 972
The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell
Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Gargan.
Supplementary To Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 972
Samuel Gargan Deh Cho
Are the permits going to be more readily available, or are they going to change the regulations so truckers can operate longer?
Supplementary To Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 972
The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell
Thank you. Minister of Transportation, Mr. Todd.
Further Return To Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 972
John Todd Keewatin Central
It's our intent, the way I understand it, to put in place an interim measure as requested by the honourable Member, to streamline the permitting procedures to make approval of extended hours of service more readily available. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 972
The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell
Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Gargan.
Supplementary To Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 972
Samuel Gargan Deh Cho
While this interim measure is being considered, is the department reviewing the whole Motor Vehicles Act, the Labour Standards Act and the regulations of operation?
Supplementary To Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 972
The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell
Thank you. Minister of Transportation, Mr. Todd.
Further Return To Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 972
John Todd Keewatin Central
I would like to point out, Madam Speaker, that this is not only a territorial issue, it is a national issue across the country and it is currently being reviewed. This interim measure gives the department the opportunity to monitor and access the potential impact on the proposed changes that we may have to make eventually. It allows the department to benefit from the research being taken in other jurisdictions. And it will allow us the opportunity should we decide to make changes to territorial regulations that they would be consistent with what's taking place across the rest of the country.
So this interim measure, the issue which was raised by the honourable Member, is to give us some breathing space to determine what's going on in the rest of the country to assess the impact it will have on the current operators, and to bring forward, hopefully, amendments to the regulations that would meet the requirements on safety on the one hand, and, of course, the truckers' concerns on the other. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Further Return To Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Question 433-12(5): Changes To The Regulations Of Operation For Private Truckers
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 972
The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell
Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Aivilik, Mr. Arvaluk.